WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
A silent memory! |
The FM of Wales, Carwyn Jones, is calling upon the people of Wales to pause & remember the Aberfan disaster with a minute’s silence at 9.15am on Friday 21 October 2016; exactly 50 years after the tragedy took place. The 1966 disaster claimed the lives of 144 people, 116 of them primary school children, when a spoil tip containing waste material from coal mining slid down from its position on the hillside above the village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil. |
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WAG: Remember the people of Aberfan, says FM BBC On This Day | 21 | 1966: Aberfan - a generation wiped out Aberfan: decent men, led astray | Health and Safety at Work Aberfan Disaster Documentary - YouTube |
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There is no ‘Soft’ option; the ICO will come down ‘Hard’ on non-compliance |
The Information Commissioner’s Office is warning business leaders that transparency with customers is fundamental if they want to succeed in the digital economy. A new code of practice has recently been launched by the ICO which sets out how organisations should explain to people how they’re using their personal information. It follows an ICO survey which found that only 1 in 4 adults trust businesses with their information. The recent Privacy Notices guidance launch reinforces the message set out in Elizabeth Denham’s first speech as UK Information Commissioner that transparency & trust are essential to reputation & innovation in business. The code of practice is the first piece of guidance published by the ICO that has been written to explain how to comply with both the existing Data Protection Act and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). EU countries must comply with the GDPR from 25 May 2018 (i.e. BEFORE Brexit is likely to happen) |
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ICO: Transparency with customers vital to success in digital economy How to Prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) |
£50k p.a. each up to the age of 25! |
The French Interior Minister and British Home Secretary have agreed to work together to ensure the successful dismantling of the Calais camp. A meeting on Monday 10 October 2016, focused on the strengthening of Franco-British cooperation in Calais, specifically in relation to the protection of children before, during & after the planned dismantling of the camp. Both the UK and French governments jointly agreed that the safety of vulnerable children in Calais is their utmost priority. Amber Rudd confirmed the British government’s support for the French authorities in order to address the humanitarian situation in the camp and to protect the shared border. The British government will work to ensure the success of this operation, particularly in relation to 3 key points: Firstly, in order to respond to the various humanitarian challenges in Calais, the Amiens agreement between the 2 countries of March 2016 which foresaw the resettlement of isolated minors in Calais with established family ties in the UK will be implemented & enlarged. Secondly, France and the UK’s close cooperation against illegal immigration networks targeting the UK will be strengthened, with the aim of definitively ending all criminal activity carried out by people-smugglers. 31 smuggling networks have already been dismantled since the beginning of the year Thirdly, British financial investment in Calais to help tackle the impact of migratory pressures in Calais – amounting to over €100m in the last 2 years – will be expanded to ensure the overall longer term security of the border and to contribute to the resettlement of migrants outside of Calais as part of the clearance operation. |
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Home Office: Joint press statement from Bernard Cazeneuve and Amber Rudd Children’s Commissioner: Anne Longfield comments on closure of Calais refugee camp WAG: Joint statement from the First Minister and Welsh charities on child refugees Statement from Unicef special coordinator for the Refugee & Migrant crisis in Europe Children’s Commissioner: Countdown to Calais camp closure: clock is ticking to protect children Illustrating the potential cost of ‘open borders’ for refugees |
SME Supplier Locator update... |
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. |
It is not just a question of funding; more likely one of leadership & management |
The Department for Education has recognised since 2010 that child protection services are not good enough but its subsequent response has not yet resulted in better outcomes. Spending on children’s social work, including on child protection, varies widely across England and is not related to quality. Neither the DfE nor authorities understand why spending varies, according to a National Audit Office report. |
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NAO: Children in need of help or protection Children’s Commissioner comments on NAO's report on Children in Need of Care or Protection LGA responds to NAO report on children in need of help or protection While some records are critical / important (child protection, immunisation, etc.)... Should have been done years ago If it wasn’t for Grexit and Tunisia this would be front page news ‘Root & Branch’ reform is so difficult to achieve despite the best of intentions |
Sorting out NHS & Social care is on a par with Brexit; All are critical to our financial future |
Stephen Dalton, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, has responded to the CQC State of Care report released last week: “The report shows that the NHS is being stretched to the limit, especially after additional pressure caused by ongoing cuts to social care, mental health and public health.…… A major concern is the sustainability of social care provision. The CQC report exposes that one consequence of cuts to social care is a "race to the bottom" when awarding contracts to care providers. This means contracts are being handed back and providers withdrawing from this market." |
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NHS Confederation: CQC report shows a stretched NHS that needs social care to be better funded LGA responds to Care Quality Commission Report on Adult Social Care LGA warns £2.6bn could be needed to fix social care Is joined-up care really about to happen? Like pensions, most people don’t think about their care needs in old age |
Is the answer no diesel & electric cars 2030 at the latest? |
Harry Quilter-Pinner, IPPR researcher on health, has responded to the Mayor of London’s announcement of a new consultation on tackling air pollution in London. |
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Air pollution in London - IPPR response to launch of Mayor's consultation ~ Breathing may endanger your health! Poor air quality is not something that you can always ‘see’ Why do they love electric cars in the Arctic Circle? - BBC News |
We need a ‘front rank’ digital future (especially with Brexit) |
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has started its annual hunt for today’s academics & industrialists who deserve to be recognised for their contribution to computer science & engineering. The Institute is inviting nominations (by 16 January 2017) for its two annual academic awards; the Lovelace Medal, for senior academics & industrialists, and the Roger Needham* Award (sponsored by Microsoft Research), for those at mid-career. |
BCS: Nominations invited for 2017 BCS Lovelace Medal and Roger Needham Award |
Being white & middle-class should not make one a ‘more suitable’ candidate for promotion, but it appears to do so! |
Unite, the union, is reaching out to NHS workplaces to combat the scourge of racism that holds back the promotion prospects of black Asian and ethnic minority (BAEM) workers in the health service. Unite in Health, which has 100,000 members in the health service, has launched its Race Ahead In Health toolkit aimed at tackling race discrimination in the workplace. A recent Unite snapshot survey of its BAEM members revealed lack of promotion for BAEM workers; racial harassment & bullying; and race discrimination in the job market. The launch of the toolkit will be accompanied by the offer of training by Unite to NHS staff & managers to tackle conscious & unconscious bias, and opposing race discrimination in the workplace. |
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This ‘Train’ looks like it might leave the platform next year |
The Transport Secretary has confirmed that the government is committed to pressing ahead with HS2 to tackle the looming capacity crisis the rail network faces and to help boost jobs & regeneration along the line of the route and across the country. Construction is due to begin on the scheme in the first half of 2017. He has also confirmed plans to make £70m of government funds available to support local communities and road safety along the route between London and the West Midlands. |
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DfT: Transport Secretary confirms government commitment to HS2 IEA: HS2 decision is economically unjustifiable Will this ‘power-up’ the northern economy? Editor’s Commentary: The devil is in the detail with consultations PC&PE: Government must 'get a grip' on monitoring rail franchise agreements |
Remember the days of Sandwich courses and Day release / Evening Classes? |
CIPD research suggests that for too many jobs the cost of university outweighs the economic benefits, and that the prevailing rhetoric on the need to get more & more young people into university needs to change. The report by the CIPD finds that, for a wide range of occupations which have seen significant increases in graduate rates over the last 35 years, alternative vocational routes into employment are both possible & less costly, with a smaller proportion of this lower cost falling on the learner. The Alternative pathways into the labour market report is published at a time when the average student is now leaving university with £44,000 of debt and, even by the Government’s own estimates, 45% of the value of student loans will not be repaid. The report calls into question the continued focus on the ‘graduate premium’, with previous CIPD research showing that more than half of graduates were working in non-graduate jobs after they left university. Furthermore, Brexit makes it even more important that the UK’s investment in education & skills delivers value for learners, employers and the economy. |
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Reducing confusion of route to gaining technical skills A Degree’s value depends on its degree of requirement by employers Some of the ‘brightest & best’ choose an alternative to university |
Don’t take this scam lying down |
Complaints about cheap ‘fireball’ mattresses sold online or from the ‘back of a van' have soared in some towns & cities, prompting a safety warning by councils & fire authorities. They often come with professional looking paperwork to buyers, but this contains false or limited contact details which makes it almost impossible for a consumer to get their money back under the 14-day ‘cooling off period'. |
LGA: ‘Back of a van' fire-risk mattress scam prompts warning by councils |
Reward those who ‘go the extra mile for others’ |
There is less than 1 week to go until the close of nominations in the St David Awards. The Awards acknowledge the achievements and great deeds & contributions made by people from all walks of life of people the length & breadth of Wales. Closing date for nominations is midnight on the 21 October 2016. |
Faulty defibrillator warning |
People & organisations should check if they have the defibrillator models, LIFEPAK CR Plus and LIFEPAK EXPRESS Automatic External Defibrillators (AED), because an electrical fault. Approximately 2,577 devices are defective. |
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Still a ‘hot topic’, with widely spread views, for those who put fingers to keyboard in order to ‘share their views’: |
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NEF: Building A New Economy Where People Really Take Control NEF: Political Leaders Ignore Remain Voters At Their Peril techUK Joins Business Leaders in Open Letter on Brexit Negotiations CBI: Protect London's position as magnet for workers from all over the world DfE: Funding support for EU students WAG: EU student funding guarantee for Welsh universities extended FDA: Government can’t rely on ‘make do & mend’ approach to civil service delivering Brexit, says FDA FRC: Speech by Sir Win Bischoff, FRC Chairman - Financial Services BREXIT summit |
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