WIREDGOV

Eight projects have been awarded £1.8m in government funding to develop innovative technology, which has the potential to bolster airport security while also speeding up the screening process for passengers.

The projects all apply novel approaches to aviation security, which have the potential to improve threat detection capabilities.  In addition to improving security, some of the projects have the potential to reduce the length of time passengers spend undergoing security checks.

New legislation to cap poor value energy tariffs and save consumers money has been introduced to Parliament.

Choosing adult social care in England is one of the biggest sources of stress compared to other key life events, according to a survey of 1,000 people carried out for the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The findings come as the quality regulator is raising public awareness about how its inspection findings can help support people in making these important decisions.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance highlights the importance of co-production and partnership working to preventing & relieving homelessness.

Under the Homelessness Reduction Act (from 03 April 2018) local housing authorities will be required to provide additional support to all people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

In January 2018 HMLR updated Practice Guide 67, which explains who needs to confirm their identity for a property transaction and in which circumstances they need to do this.

The update focuses on how to complete the ‘confirmation of identity panels’ in their application forms and provides additional clarity where an attorney (someone legally appointed to act on someone else’s behalf) is involved in a transaction.

NDA R&D funds have helped two UK businesses develop a small drone that will measure radiation levels at Japan's damaged Fukushima power plant.

The lightweight RISER drone uses lasers to self-navigate deep inside hazardous facilities where GPS signals cannot reach, and has already been used successfully at Sellafield.

Much has been made of the latest Treasury Brexit scenario costings and how much worse off we ‘will’ be by 2030 & beyond.

However, as well as ignoring the offset of the probable benefits of increases in UK trade with the rest of the world over that time period, the costings made no mention of what increased contributions to the EU we would need to make by 2030.  

Surely if the Treasury could ‘guestimate’ the likely impact on the UK’s GDP of the various probable scenarios reached with the EU, they could also estimate (with the same degree of (in)-accuracy) the impact of the EC’s proposed new policies on our net contribution to the EU over the same period?

While obviously the next EU budget period has not been agreed yet, we do know some of the proposals for new/increased areas expenditure and the fact that several Balkan countries could well have joined the EU by 2030 with all that implies in EU ‘grants that will be paid annually to them, as they will not be net contributors for many years.

So using similar ‘guesstimating’ methods as those used by the Treasury, what will our net contribution be to a more ‘federalised’ and enlarged EU by 2030 – £15bn, £20bn, £25bn per year?  If you think those figures are on the high side, just consider whether we would still be ‘allowed’ to keep our rebate by 2030 (£4bn in 2016, which would take us to approx. £14bn on 2016’s figures).

Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk ahead of their informal meeting on 23 February ~ Future EU budget: Undermining Cohesion Policy risks undermining Europe's future ~ Defence procurement: EC opens infringement procedures against 5 Member States ~ Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area ~ 2018 EU budget: jobs, investments, migration challenge and security ~ The Future of EU Finances: the 7th report on economic, social and territorial cohesion ~ 2018 EU budget ~ Defence: MEPs urge member states to show political will and join forces ~ Future financing of the EU and draft budgetary opinions for Spain and Lithuania ~ EU enlargement: The next seven - BBC News

Returning to the recent Treasury forecasts, a very different view was put forward last year by PWC, which included the following extract:

•The UK could be the fastest growing economy in the G7 to 2050, with average annual growth of 1.9%

•Remaining open to talented workers and developing successful trade links with fast-growing emerging economies will be critical to realising the UK’s long-term growth potential

•The EU27’s share of world GDP could fall to below 10% by 2050, with France out of the top 10 and Italy out of the top 20
PWC:  UK could remain a top 10 global economy in 2050, despite Brexit

In addition the Adam Smith Institute said last week;  "A comprehensive free trade deal with the USA could open up a market of 323m to our world-beating financial services, high-quality food, legal services and cars – while driving down costs for consumers here.  Corbyn might be getting all in a flap about chlorine chicken in an FTA but EU institutions like the European Food Safety Authority he so lauded have said it was safe to eat time after time.  Throwing away the chance for trade deals with the USA by hamstringing the UK to a customs union with the EU would be like buying a chicken burger, throwing out the meat, and eating the wrapping."
Adam Smith Inst:  Corbyn's custom union proposal is not finger licking good

Finally, new research from the Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School questions the accuracy of measurements of the impact of Brexit on the UK economy undertaken by the Treasury and by other official and academic bodies, during and after the Referendum.