WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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Editor’s choice of other ICT items of note: |
DfT; New digital service to minimise disruptive roadworks |
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Similar schemes have worked before |
A nationwide pilot to bring migrant workers to UK farms has been announced by the Home Secretary and Environment Secretary. The 2-year pilot will mean fruit & vegetable farmers are able to employ migrant workers for seasonal work for up to 6 months. 2,500 workers from outside the EU will be able to come to the UK each year, alleviating labour shortages during peak production periods. Soft fruit production in the UK has grown dramatically, by 130% in the last 20 years. To ensure that this growth continues and the UK is at the forefront of the next agriculture revolution, farmers must also look at ways that technology can reduce demands for labour. However, automated harvesting solutions are not universally available and so in the short term, this pilot will support farmers during peak production periods. This pilot will also explore how to keep British horticulture competitive, as almost all other OECD countries source seasonal workers to pick fruit and vegetables. |
Researched Links: |
Defra: New pilot scheme to bring 2,500 seasonal workers to UK farms UK farmers given support for seasonal labour with new pilot scheme NFU and labour body set out tips to maximise seasonal recruitment .. The strawberry-picking robots doing a job humans won't - BBC News CBI: Open & controlled – recommendations for a new approach to immigration Minister hears from farmers at Royal Cornwall Show ASI: Auction work visas after Brexit Home Secretary commissions major study on EU workers NIESR General Election Briefing: ‘Agriculture in the UK’ Government statistics inadequate for the needs of agriculture (Previous) Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme and the Food Processing ... Comment: Surely we can come up with some compromises on ‘Free Movement of people’ |
Editor’s choice of Business / Commercial items of note: |
MHCLG: Government announces further protections for tenants against unfair letting fees |
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. Against this ambitious 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. Recent arrivals to the SME Supplier Locator service include:
Click here to find out more. |
They have the time & resources to act |
The Home Secretary has set out the scale of online child sexual exploitation, with a 700% increase in child abuse images being referred to the National Crime Agency in the last five years. Up to 80,000 people in the UK presenting some kind of sexual threat to children online and material increasingly featuring younger & younger children. In a speech at the headquarters of the NSPCC, the Home Secretary vowed to lead the cross-Government effort in the response to the evolving threat of online CSE, including funding for law enforcement, intelligence agencies and a new prevention drive. He called on the technology industry to work in partnership with each other and with government to stop online child sexual abuse, sharing solutions and best practice to improve the response. |
Researched Links: |
Home Office: Tackling child sexual exploitation online Home Office: Keeping our children safe techUK response to Home Secretary speech on keeping children safe IWF comments on the Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s speech |
Some might say ‘Flogging is too good for them’ |
The Sentencing Council has published a new guideline (comes into force in courts in England & Wales on 1 January 2019) for how those guilty of child cruelty offences should be sentenced. When someone is prosecuted for harming a child, the offence charged will vary according to the circumstances, and it is important to distinguish the offences in this guideline from other offences that may be charged, such as assault, murder and manslaughter. There are also cases in which a child is harmed and one person is charged with assault and another with allowing the child to suffer serious physical harm. Publication of the guideline marks the first time that there has been sentencing guidance for the offences of causing or allowing a child to die or suffer serious physical harm and failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. The guideline also provides revised guidance for the offence of cruelty to a child, replacing previous guidance issued in 2008. |
Researched Links: |
Good care helps prevent them from being ‘lost’ in the system Hopefully more joined-up working will help reduce this problem Statistics should be regarded with ‘care’ Paedophiles are not the only danger to female children Tough laws discourage female genital mutilation The UK steps up to lead global drive to tackle violence against girls and women Often it’s a case of ‘Woman’s inhumanity to girls’ Responding to child abuse and neglect - a view from NICE ScotGov: Understanding forced marriage in Scotland There is no ‘honour’ in marital ‘kidnap & imprisonment’ Right to choose: Spotting the signs of forced marriage - Nayana |
Editor’s choice of other Policy & General items of note: |
DCMS: Cairncross seeks views on threats to press MHCLG: Building stronger communities through English language learning DWP: Secretary of State urges parents not to “miss out” on National Insurance credits |
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