WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
| Would WTO tariffs really be such a ‘cliff edge’ for Brexit? |
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A global agreement to make it easier to trade across borders is about to enter into force following ratification by two-thirds of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership. The first multilateral agreement successfully negotiated through the WTO will come into force immediately and will see WTO members benefit from greater trade by cutting burdensome red tape associated with goods exporting. As a result of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), those countries that have ratified will be required to:
By helping to improve transparency, predictability & consistency, the TFA should lead to reduced trade costs and create the environment for SMEs to play a greater role in the international supply chain. Studies suggest the agreement – which largely concerns the cost of clearing goods for import & export – will greatly reduce costs, time & the number of documents required for goods to cross borders. They also suggest the TFA could add over £70bn to the global economy, of which the UK is expected to benefit by up to £1bn (not including any future trade with the EU under WTO rules) and could reduce worldwide trade costs by between 12.5% & 17.5%. EC Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström said: "Better border procedures and faster, smoother trade flows will revitalise global trade to the benefit of citizens and businesses in all parts of the world. Small companies, that have a hard time navigating daily bureaucracy and complicated rules, will be major winners." |
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DIT: Historic WTO agreement will reduce exporting red tape and boost UK trade EU welcomes entry into force of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement EU must take lead in linking trade in agriculture with the SDGs A Brexit plan that Parliament can debate without giving away UK ‘negotiating secrets’! RUSI: Negotiating Britain’s EU Departure: From Tears to Hard-Headed Calculations |
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| Concentrate on positive opportunities, not ‘maybe’ downsides |
| As the House of Lords continues its debate on Brexit, a new report by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, calls upon the UK to use Brexit as an opportunity to make the much-needed changes in the digital sector to position the country as a digital world leader. |
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Mastering Digital Business: BCS Publishes Guide to Preparing for Digital Transformation Computing At School launches new resources to develop computing subject knowledge |
| If you take illegal advantage of people’s charitable giving you will be ‘punished’ |
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The three regulators responsible for making sure organisations understand and obey the rules around fundraising have recently held a joint conference aimed to inform, educate and provide clarity to the sector. Around 300 trustees, decision-makers and fundraisers heard from UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, Paula Sussex, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission and Gerald Oppenheim, Head of Policy at the Fundraising Regulator during a conference at Manchester Town Hall on 21 February 2017. The Fundraising and Regulatory Compliance Conference was jointly organised by the three regulators to set out the regulatory requirements & expectations for fundraising bodies and their boards under current & forthcoming data protection legislation. The Fundraising Regulator also launched its guidance on consent at the conference. The ICO has already fined the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the British Heart Foundation. In addition, it has informed another 11 charities of its intent to fine them for breaching the Data Protection Act. The ICO is now focusing its attention on improving compliance within the charity & fundraising sector. |
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ICO: Three regulators unite to help fundraisers comply with the law ICO issues 11 charities with Notices of Intent to fine them ICO investigation reveals how charities have been exploiting supporters Fundraising regulator: Consultation on changes to the Code of Fundraising Practice |
| Their skills include working within tight budgets. dealing with ‘behavioural, mentoring & physical’ problems and time management / multi-tasking |
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An employer toolkit to help businesses recruit & retain more single parents & care leavers has been launched. People from disadvantaged groups face challenges that many others do not – such as having to work around childcare requirements, lack of formal qualifications or gaps in their employment history. Ministers want to help more people from these groups to get into lasting employment and reap the benefits that come from work. Employers are encouraged to use the free ‘See Potential’ toolkit, which includes guidance on recruitment practices, tips to support people to stay in work and a directory of organisations that are able to assist in making workplaces more inclusive. 9 out of 10 companies who hire from disadvantaged groups say that doing so has brought them benefits such as improved brand reputation and production growth. |
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| When they need Media Consultants to ‘sell’ the concept, one wonders as to the merits of the proposals |
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Expensive ‘guerrilla marketing’ tactics are to be used to persuade people in Yorkshire, Humber and north Lincolnshire that ‘the noise’ about NHS cuts needs to be ‘turned down’. Marketing & communications specialists were asked ‘to express an interest’ in the £10,000 9-month contract to run from April for the Humber, Coast and Vale Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). Unite, the union with 100,000 members in the health service, said that such ‘bizarre’ expenditure when the NHS was faced with a financial crisis was ‘completely unacceptable’. Unite national officer for health Sarah Carpenter said: “The protests against the cuts that the NHS is currently experiencing need to be turned up, not turned down. Unite has argued for some time that the 44 STPs across England are a secretive agenda designed to impose even more cuts on NHS frontline services and patient care”. …… The latest row comes hard on the heels of protests by Unite at Humber NHS Foundation Trust’s plans to slash health visitors and school nurses by 25%. |
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Protests at NHS cuts in Yorkshire to be combated by ‘guerrilla marketing’, warns Unite Campaigners to protest against plans to slash Humber health visitors by 25% LGA responds to research on early years provision for children in care ‘No backsliding’ on number of visits to families by health visitors, says Unite Privatisation engulfs London’s King’s College Hospital, says Unite |
| Forget HS2; HS3 would be better value and it would help restore the North/South balance |
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London will see £1,500 more in transport spending per person than the North over the coming years, the latest analysis from leading think-tank IPPR North reveals.
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IPPR: New transport figures reveal London gets £1,500 per head more than the North – but North West powerhouse ‘catching-up’ ~ Instead of imposing the controversial, noisy & dubiously beneficial HS2 on the Shires, why not start with the ‘urgently needed’ HS3 & other road / rail improvements in the North ~ This ‘Train’ looks like it might leave the platform next year ~ DfT: Full speed ahead as HS2 gets Royal Assent |
| But will it just become the ‘SNP News Channel’? |
| Scotland’s new BBC TV channel is a welcome step in the right direction, but must be properly resourced, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said. |
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| A broad range of opportunities |
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The Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship programme is now open for applications with a closing deadline of 3 April 2017. There are 750+ positions across 46 locations across England, Scotland & Wales. The talent programme allows you to earn a salary starting from £19,500 (£22,000 minimum in London) while you work towards a Level 4 apprenticeship, gaining the skills & experience that you’ll need for a successful career in the Civil Service. Apprenticeships are available in:
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| One ‘good/valid’ example of why the NHS costs more each year |
| A one-off bowel screening test reduces the risk of developing bowel cancer by more than one third and could save thousands of lives, according to a study published in The Lancet. The test - which examines the lower part of the large bowel - prevented more than half of potential bowel cancers from developing in that area and two thirds of deaths were avoided. |
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Cancer Research UK: One-off bowel scope cuts cancer risk for at least 17 years NICE recommends wider use of tests to detect cancer-causing genetic condition |
| Get up and get moving |
| The Chief Nursing Officer for England backs a new campaign to get patients out of their pyjamas and up & out of bed. |
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NHS England: We should all support #EndPJparalysis – Professor Jane Cummings ‘Frailty’ may be inevitable with age, but its ‘management’ can still allow an ‘active’ lifestyle |
| Editorial Commentary: What about a bit of media balance? |
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Quite reasonably (many think) the media has recently been full of negative comments about President Trump, who often seems to invite the ‘attacks’ with his somewhat ‘aggressive’ pronouncements/actions. However, there does seem to be a certain lack of ‘balance’ in the predominance of attacks on his personality and enactment of his campaign promises, when seen against other world leaders, such as President (‘for Life’) Putin. For example, just how many media outlets picked up on 2 recent news items about Russia and gave them equal prominence?: *On 7 February the Russian Government passed into law an amendment which decriminalises domestic violence in Russia. It reduces ‘battery within the family’ from a criminal to an administrative offence, with weaker sanctions for offenders. This law is somewhat at odds with a recent announcement from the UK; PM Theresa May announced plans for a major programme of work leading towards bringing forward a Domestic Violence and Abuse Act. So why didn’t this story receive more prominence in the media? *On 8 February 2017 a Russian court convicted Russian opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, on charges of embezzlement. The original case in 2013 was re-run after the European Court of Human Rights said Alexei Navalny was denied a fair trial. An FCO Spokesperson said: “We are concerned at the conviction handed down to Russian opposition politician, Alexei Navalny. The judgement once again raises questions about the selective application of the rule of law in Russia. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the same charges in 2013 were politically motivated”. One wonders just how many mainstream media outlets have featured the item (on a continual basis), which effectively ensures Putin will have no effective opposition in the next Russian Presidential ‘elections’? One would suggest that those vociferous critics of President Trump just remember that he was democratically elected and that US voters will be able to tell him ‘You’re Fired’ (& go back to TV) in 2020. Or that (until then) the Senate, Congress and US Supreme Court (and others) will no doubt ‘contain’ his more ‘extreme’ policies / actions. The same cannot be said in regards to President Putin who, when he is not busy ‘ensuring’ his own political victories, also busies himself ‘undermining’ those of other countries. In no way is one suggesting that criticisms of Trump’s policies should stop, but let us have a bit more media balance please! |
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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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Defence Secretary calls on NATO to be fitter, faster, more agile DExEU: David Davis visits Baltic leaders to discuss future relations PC&PE: Fast-tracking of Brexit Bill should not set a precedent techUK: Data Centres and Brexit techUK: CETA is a boost European Tech, with lessons for the UK post-Brexit ScotGov: Scottish rural funding confirmed ScotGov: Third sector vital to EU stability ScotGov: EU staff in higher education ScotGov: Brexit meeting update CBI: It's time for plain speaking on immigration BIG: Soil Association receives £1.25m National Lottery funding to improve food for older people |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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Cebr: Scotland has a growth problem and a deficit problem – but over time they can be fixed…. NCFE: Devolution Road – marking the milestone in employment & skills |
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