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WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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| Every little helps |
| A trial involving over 1,500 GP practices found that writing to GPs about their antibiotics prescribing resulted in 73,000 fewer prescriptions (a 3.3% reduction) over 6 months. This equates to direct savings of over £92,000 in prescription costs. This is part of the government’s plans to slow the growth of antimicrobial resistance. Increasing resistance to antibiotics and a lack of new drugs means there is a greater risk of infections that cannot be treated. |
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DH: Unnecessary antibiotics prescriptions reduced in new trial Helping guard against a return to pre-antibiotic medical care |
| How does not paying ANY licence fee to ‘BBC UK’ (while demanding it pays for more Scottish channels) protect the BBC, which faces £750m in cuts? |
| Recently ScotGov published a new policy paper which laid out a ‘comprehensive & detailed vision for the future of publicly-funded, public service broadcasting in Scotland’. Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the Scottish Government’s proposals were good for the BBC, good for Scotland, and good for the rest of the UK. She said the ‘proposals would fortify the BBC against attempts to diminish it’. |
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ScotGov: Protecting the BBC for the next decade Scotland sets out its stall on Charter renewal Governments unite to defend independence of the BBC Federal BBC a ‘win-win’ for viewers Telegraph: BBC fights back against SNP's 'failing Scotland' claims Telegraph: BBC to introduce 'Scottish Six' news programme next year PC&PE: No need to change BBC's mission to 'inform, educate and entertain' |
| Return to in-house development, but have they the skills to deliver? |
| Recently Kristian Miller, Head of IT Strategy at HMRC, announced their long-term vision of how the department intends to use technology for delivering better services to its customers. The next 5 years represent a critical time for HMRC as it transitions from its 10-year Aspire contract, which is one of the biggest IT contracts ever signed by the UK government. The end of the Aspire contract is part of the wider Government strategy to move away from large outsourcing models to develop more in-house capability and open up the public sector tech market. |
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techUK: HMRC publishes its long-term tech strategy HMRC 'Aspire' to unachievable transformation Project management is not an ‘optional extra’ for successful delivery One year on from the 3 Point Plan HMRC takes next step towards creating a digital future for taxpayers Managing & replacing the Aspire contract Government ICT moves from the equivalent of ‘2G to 4G’ by looking up to the clouds |
| SME Supplier Locator update... |
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UK Government and public sector spend with SME’s is continually on the increase and by 2020, it is the stated intent of Cabinet Office that £1 of every £3 spent on government contracts goes to SME’s. The past 5 years have seen government make a priority of getting money through its supply chain into the hands of SMEs, by both setting targets and introducing new procurement mechanisms. Against this backdrop, the WiredGov Supplier Locator service has been developed specifically to embrace the SME Agenda and provide the ideal platform for SME’s to promote their services, solutions, accreditation and success stories directly to our ever increasing audience across all government and public sector verticals and Tier 1 suppliers. |
| Will it prevent aid being spent ‘un-wisely’ |
| A historic agreement reached on the 19 February 2016 means that the rules governing how Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be spent will be updated to ‘better tackle the pressing global development issues of the twenty-first century’. The core principle of the ODA system remains unchanged. To count as ODA, an activity must ‘support the economic development and welfare of a developing country as its main objective’. |
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DIFD: Changes to official aid rules Investigating how South African cities can lead the way for the African continent EC welcomes new 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development Kenya’s Economic Take-Off and How the UK Can Support It Financing for development: EU countries to stick to foreign aid commitments Committee concerned by relative decline in bilateral aid spending Working with parliaments key to long term development Managing the Official Development Assistance target |
| Safe, or mainly safe? |
| The Food Standards Agency has launched a 10-week public consultation on a draft report looking at the safety of raw or lightly cooked eggs. |
| Perhaps it’s the BBC’s management culture that hasn’t been up to a ‘proper & safe standard’ |
| The BBC Trust has published in full the report by Dame Janet Smith DBE of her inquiry into the BBC’s culture & practices during the Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall years. |
| What a SMART way to use new technology |
| Dulas, designer & manufacturer of renewable energy systems, has been awarded £57,400 of funding from the Welsh Government’s SMARTCymru programme, to support the development of its Solar Direct Drive Refrigerators. Dulas pioneered solar vaccine refrigerators in 1982, and has been a market leader in the technology ever since. During the recent Ebola outbreak, it provided solar fridges to Sierra Leone to support vaccination efforts. |
| WAG: SMARTCymru funding support for pioneering solar fridges developed by Dulas |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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ScotGov: Joint Exchequer Committee Communique ScotGov: Protecting the BBC for the next decade HMT: Historic new Scotland funding deal agreed ScotGov: Fiscal Framework Agreement IFG: Statement in response to Scotland fiscal framework announcement 10DS: PM statement on the fiscal framework for Scotland: 23 February 2016 HM Treasury: Historic new Scotland funding deal agreed IPPR: Budget cuts a 'down payment' on significant spending challenge coming to Scotland by 2020 ScotGov: Sturgeon – tax powers must be used for a purpose
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