WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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Proactive cyber defence rather than just reactive |
BEIS has announced the launch of new funding designed to make the UK a “world leader” in ‘designing out’ many forms of cyber threats to online services & digitally enabled products. £70m of investment through the Industrial Strategy Fund will support research into the design & development of hardware so that it will be more secure & resilient from the outset. The government said that the aim is to ‘design out’ many forms of cyber threats by ‘designing in’ security solutions, which will help to “eradicate a significant proportion of the current cyber risks for businesses and services in future connected smart products”. A further £30.6m of government investment, provided by UK Research and Innovation through the Strategic Priorities Fund, will aim to ensure smart internet connected devices are safe & secure. In addition the DCMS has committed to funding 4 new projects across England to encourage more women, BAME and neurodiverse candidates into a career in cyber security, with each benefiting from a total investment of at least £500,000. The funding forms part of the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) which is designed to help identify, train & place untapped talent from a range of backgrounds into cyber security. |
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techUK: DCMS fund new projects aimed at increasing diversity in cyber techUK: Government announces £100m investment in new cyber security R&D Crucial Academy: Diversity in Cyber Security QA: Cyber Software Academy for Women West Midlands Combined Authority Skills Deal Hacker House Ltd: Hands on Hacking, Training and Employer Portal BEIS: 'Designing out' cyber threats to businesses & personal data NCA: Users of illegal websites targeted in joint law-enforcement activity 46% of Councils Exposed to Cyber Security Threats Protecting e-structure critical to UK infrastructure/daily life No ‘brawn’ required |
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A ‘miracle’ when looking back to 1987 |
The Health & Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has set out a commitment to end transmission of HIV in England by 2030. He said this will happen through better prevention, detection & treatment. The work to end transmissions will be supported by £600,000 in funding from Public Health England’s HIV Prevention Innovation Fund. The funding will go to 13 innovative UK schemes to help reduce the risk of people getting HIV and reduce stigma. An expert group will also be created to develop an action plan. Prevention will be at the heart of the plan, along with measurable action points for groups of people who are at risk of infection. Innovative antiretroviral treatment has meant people diagnosed with HIV living in the UK can lead normal and long lives. With more people in Britain on lifesaving treatment that ever before, fewer people will become infected as a result. New cases of HIV fell by 28% in the last 2 years. Work to stop HIV is also focused outside of the UK. The government has invested £1.2bn in in the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and UK Aid is expanding access to life-saving HIV treatment. |
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DHSC: Health Secretary announces goal to end HIV transmissions by 2030 Anyone remember those original HIV/Aids Advertisements? DHSC: Innovative HIV prevention projects reached 170,000 people in 2018 LGA responds to government's commitment to reach zero HIV transmissions DHSC: Let's pledge to do our part to end HIV DIFD: International Development Secretary opens AIDSfree Cities Global Forum |
Moving people & jobs north of London |
A consultation launched last week seeks views on the preferred route for the central section of the new Growth Arc East-West Rail line – helping towards meeting a key recommendation from the NIC. The consultation seeks views from residents & businesses on the best route to link Bedford and Cambridge, a key part of offering improved rail links across the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Arc. This will link up to the existing Western end of the route, towards Oxford. In its report the National Infrastructure Commission advised that this, and the proposed new Oxford-Cambridge Expressway, should be designed to make the most of every opportunity to deliver much-needed new homes to the area, including considering the opportunities for new towns & villages. The report, Partnering for Prosperity, argued that 1m new homes would be needed between now & 2050, to support the future economic growth of the area, increasing its contribution to the national economy from £90bn to £250bn a year. |
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NIC urges Growth Arc residents to have their say over East-West Rail route Oxford to Cambridge Expressway - Highways England Oxford to Cambridge Expressway | Buckinghamshire County Council National & local leadership needed to meet Growth Arc potential Growth Arc’s economic future “can be secured while protecting the environment” Enabling work near-complete on ‘vital’ East-West rail link Expressway decision could help boost long-term prosperity of Growth Arc Oxford to Cambridge Expressway: road scheme update Corridor announced to unlock full potential of England's economic heartland Exhibition opens to showcase ideas for developing the Growth Arc VeloCity wins Growth Arc Ideas competition The Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford Arc: Responses to the Commission’s report Multi-£m transport projects show commitment to UK’s new Silicon Valley The implications of the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway – Savills Oxford to Cambridge Expressway | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust |
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. |
A very small ‘Pot’ to fill a bottomless ‘hole’ |
The LGA Transport spokesman has responded to an announcement of £22.9m in government funding to help some councils lead research & trials on new road surface materials & pothole repairs. Cllr Martin Tett said; …….. “While innovation will help councils who are fixing a pothole every 21 seconds, funding challenges remain for local authorities to deal with long term maintenance of their local roads and the £9.3bn repair backlog of road repairs to provide better roads that are safer and more resilient to constant use. The Government needs to address this in the forthcoming Spending Review.” |
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Editorial Commentary; Even-handed headlines please! |
While the papers has often been biased in favouring either Socialist (Guardian) or Tory (Telegraph) viewpoints historically, that has not been a major issue as readers have usually been able to find one ‘to their taste’. When it comes to Brexit however, the main electronic media seems (including & especially the BBC who should by charter be impartial) seem to (consciously or unconsciously) have decided to favour putting over mainly the ‘Remainer’ points of view by giving more ‘exposure’ to those of that opinion. Be honest, when did you see the BBC give much in-depth analysis of the potential benefits of Brexit? BBC pushes ‘Fake News’ Brexit fears Pro-Brexit voices drowned out in BBC news programmes ... – Civitas One simple way to give some balance in their reporting would to change some of their terminology. They could to start by referring to a ‘No Deal’ Brexit (NDB) as the ‘UK Backstop’ position, if the EU/EC refuses to agree a mutually beneficial agreement. After all, just as with the ‘Irish Backstop’, the UK doesn’t want to implement a NDB, but it is our ‘insurance’ against the EU refusing to negotiate sensibly on an Exit Deal / FTA, rather than just ‘demand & threaten’. Perhaps the BBC could also start using the phrase ‘moving to trade under WTO terms (like the USA, India, etc.)’ rather than; ‘crashing out’, ‘cliff edge’, and ‘leaping into the unknown’! Civitas: Economies trading with the EU under WTO rules have done better than the UK Once one changes the language of reporting it does make the UK’s negotiating position seem more reasonable and if one also replaces scare stories with more factual reporting, we can then start working towards an agreement that benefits all EU countries (even if that upsets the EC and its drive to a United States of Europe)! B4B: Remainers have given the EU the status of a religious cult B4B: Repeated claims that Sterling is losing value are fake news B4B: What a Boy Scout could teach UK supermarkets One last point to demonstrate the ‘power of language’. What do you think would be the opinion of UK voters (& MPs) if the Irish Backstop had continually been referred to in the UK media as the ‘Irish Bear trap’ ? PX: The ‘Backstop’ Paralysis: A Way Out Citizens' rights: UK and Irish nationals in the Common Travel Area Editorial commentary; Take a few steps outside the Westminster Bubble Editorial Commentary; Lies, Damned Lies. Statistics & Treasury Brexit Forecasts |
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