WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Readers please note that:
Not all items published in the last week are listed for each news source, but note that when you click on an item, scrolling down it will also display the last 7 day’s items for that channel (if item clicked on has less than 10 articles in that period, then the last 10 articles will be displayed regardless of date)
A news source may be listed in more than one section if the different items cover different topics (ex.; ScotGov may be listed in General …. & Health, …. & Policy…. & Consultation …. & ICT …. and Business …… sections
We will try to ensure that we list at least one item per news source (if they have published any in the past week)
Building up to a ‘perfect storm’ to drive demand for changes |
Tech giants do not face enough competition – reducing consumer choice & innovation. An independent panel of experts says UK competition rules must be updated for the digital age. Tech giants have become increasingly dominant and ministers must open the market up to increase consumer choice and give people greater control over their data, an independent review said last week It found these proposals could boost the economy by encouraging the development of new platforms to compete with established players. Opening markets up would also lead to new services that revolutionise how we use digital apps and programmes. For example, an aggregator service could bring together a person’s content & data from several social media platforms and make it easier to browse & message friends & family who use different apps. Customers will be able to switch services more easily, taking their custom elsewhere and with greater control over their data. Lists of friends could be transferred to new social media sites and search histories could be transferred to a new search engine. The panel has made 20 specific recommendations for the government. These can be found in the full report. Editorial Comment: The timing of this report, combined with the recent event in New Zealand, which was made worse (if that is possible) by the lack of speedy action by social media companies to remove video footage of the event, reinforces growing demands for changes to be enforced on Tech giants |
Researched Links: |
HM Treasury: Tech giants do not face enough competition – reducing consumer choice & innovation CMA welcomes Furman Review recommendations techUK responds to Furman Review into digital competition PC&PE: It's time to rein in big tech, says Lords committee Cabinet Office: Semantic Visions wins $250,000 Tech Challenge to Combat Disinformation Buckingham Palace: A message from The Queen to the people of New Zealand DCMS: Digital Secretary meets those affected by online harms Are governments among the worst offenders of ‘Fake news’? Disinformation’ also impacts on health matters! CMA to launch in-depth investigation of Tobii / Smartbox merger Beesley Lecture - ‘Regulating the tech giants in the digital age’ Make tech companies liable for use of "harmful and misleading material" on their sites Trolling does not enhance democracy! Could it be adapted for terrorist propaganda too? They have ‘made ’$bns’, so they can afford to spend ‘$ms’ to ‘police’ their sites |
God help us if no new antibiotics are developed soon! |
Hospital staff must alert senior doctors if patients with suspected sepsis do not respond to treatment within an hour, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to save thousands more lives. Every trust must take action to spot & treat the killer blood condition, which costs 37,000 lives a year, under guidance that is being mandated by NHS England. The guidance, drawn up with the Royal College of Physicians, The Royal College of GPs, NICE and the UK Sepsis Trust, states that ‘staff should look for sepsis at an early stage in patients coming to A&Es and those who are already on wards’. And hospital teams should also take sufficient note of non-specific symptoms & concerns expressed by relatives & carers such as acute changes in behaviour. Hospitals will be contractually obliged to ensure they fully comply with the guidance coming in from April 2019. NHS England is also working with the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health and others to develop a national Paediatric Early Warning System to match the existing adult NEWS2 tool. |
Researched Links: |
NHS England: NHS Long Term Plan to reduce toll of ‘hidden killer’ sepsis NHS to test new rapid care measures for patients with the most urgent mental & physical health needs BEIS: New investment in European Bioinformatics Institute to tackle life threatening diseases Death of young woman from sepsis was avoidable, Ombudsman finds Increase in awareness of sepsis New test for sepsis could improve survival rates thanks to Dstl scientists Seven glasses a day, keep UTIs at bay NHS improvements to help fight sepsis |
Editor’s choice of other Health, Social care & Homelessness related items of note: |
DHSC: Community pharmacy funding: interim arrangements agreed DHSC: New funding to research health impact of climate change DHSC: Public Health England publishes air pollution evidence review NHS England: Urgent same day care to spare half a million more patients unnecessary hospital stays ScotGov: Ready Steady Baby’ guidance updated Reform Thoughts: The NHS Winter Crisis Thousands set to benefit from blood pressure treatment under new NICE guidance Homeless Link: Promising practice - Gender-informed approaches to supporting women who are homeless |
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. |
Public expenditure used to influence society |
Businesses who want to secure future government contracts will be urged to show they can also help improve society by tackling issues such as modern slavery & climate change. During the Social Value Summit in London last week, the government launched a shake-up of the way government contracts are awarded to make sure they consider their social impact – by looking at areas such as the employment of disabled people, the use of small businesses, the prevention of modern slavery and the protection of the environment. This was a key measure outlined in the Government’s Civil Society Strategy, published by the DCMS. The move will help deliver the government’s target of a third of contracts going to SMEs by 2022. It will also identify modern slavery risks in the government supply chain and make sure everything the government does, including procurement, works towards the key priorities of protecting the environment and making sure everyone has the opportunity to make the most of their talents. This announcement will support the more than 100,000 social enterprises working in the UK which employ over 2m people. The social enterprise sector has been a great British business success story and it is right that the government does more to support it. A 12-week public consultation will be held on the proposals, to seek feedback from suppliers, public bodies and members of the public. |
Researched Links: |
Cabinet Office: Businesses urged to do more to help improve society Civil Society Strategy: building a future that works for everyone - GOV.UK New 'Social Value' contracts to revolutionise government procurement HMT: Female representation in the City is rising thanks to Treasury Charter MoJ: So is policy intrinsically a 'pink' job, and tech a 'blue' job? DfE: Education Secretary speaks to leaders of diversity network At last, an ‘Honour’ given to someone who deserves/has earned it! £706,126 for 7 community ownership projects Sheffield social enterprise to deliver £3m to creative projects across Northern Powerhouse PM's Social Enterprise roundtable: 18 June 2018 40m+ men, women & children suffering across the world PC&PE; A ‘cancer’ in our society |
Editor’s choice of other Business / Commercial items of note: |
BEIS: Third wave of the UK’s science & innovation audits published BEIS: Audit regime in the UK to be transformed with new regulator BEIS: Government has launched its first holiday pay advertising campaign Defra: Farmers advised to apply early for this year’s funding schemes ScotGov: Scotland’s £4bn Space Sector Innovate UK: Collaborate in a business-academic partnership - apply for funding Dstl's first virtual reality collaboration is a success Space Agency: UK to tackle danger of the solar wind and find new Earth-like planets RLA: Urgent action needed to tackle scandal of empty homes NEPO: Using the Contracts Register to identify business opportunities NDA: Apprenticeships take centre stage FSA have launched new tools for withdrawing or recalling unsafe food |
Editor’s choice of other Policy & General items of note: |
MoD: New Gurkha battalion to be established as brigade grows MoD: 10,000 troops from 13 countries arrive in the UK for major exercise NAO: Reforming the civilian workforce LGA launches Twenty-first Century Toolkit to support women, parents & carers TfL: One-month countdown begins as capital gets ready for central London ULEZ Reform: Co-production: Putting The Public Back Into Public Services HM Treasury: Spring Statement 2019: what you need to know Defra: UK takes step forward in global marine protection DfT: New extended drone no-fly zone in place now WAG: Report on public’s understanding of tax devolution in Wales welcomed PC&PE: Bribery Act 2010 “an exemplary piece of legislation”, say Lords Committee EU: New energy efficiency labels explained EC reviews relations with China, proposes 10 actions EC welcomes agreement to better protect geographical indications |
Editorial Commentary; Does the repatriation of Brexit payments and their ‘reallocation’ also justify a re-think of the Barnett formula? |
A recent press release from the NAO sets out how HM Treasury allocates funding to Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland (the devolved administrations): ‘At Spending Reviews, which take place every 2-4 years, HM Treasury decides how much funding it will allocate to each of the devolved administrations. Initial funding allocations are based on the funding they received in the previous year plus a population-based share of funding for changes in planned UK government spending. HM Treasury uses the Barnett formula to calculate these changes. The highest spend per person on public services was in Northern Ireland (£11,190), followed by Scotland (£10,881), Wales (£10,397) and England (£9,080). As a large part of funding is simply rolled forward annually and unaffected by population changes, funding per person is increasing for the devolved administrations as their populations increase at a slower rate relative to that of England. Outside of Spending Reviews, the devolved administrations can receive extra funding when spending priorities change and more funding is provided to UK government departments. The devolved administrations are not required to use their funding allocations for the same service or area of spending as the UK government. For example, more than 50% of the additional funding given to the devolved administrations at the 2018 Budget resulted from their share of the increase in funding to NHS England, but there is no requirement for this to be spent on the same services within the nations’. The report describes how the basic allocations are calculated, how additional sums become payable and some of the rules that apply to how/where it can be spent. It is probably the best explanation of the Barnett formula since this supposedly ’temporary’ measure was introduced over 4 decades ago! If Brexit is delivered, the devolved administrations are ‘demanding’ that their existing ‘EU grants’ be continued, but surely this provides an ideal opportunity for a complete review of central funding to the devolved administrations and England’s regions? It could provide an opportunity to highlight just how much revenue is raised by each of the four areas and clarify what each of them currently spends on the different services. It would also be reasonable to insist that in future additional funding, as per the above increase to NHS England’s funding, be spent on NHS funding for the devolved administrations! |
Researched Links: |
NAO: Investigation into devolved funding NAO report: Investigation into devolved funding Editorial Commentary; It all comes down to money in the end! |
|
Still a ‘hot topic’, with widely spread views, for those who put fingers to keyboard in order to ‘share their views’: |
Researched Links: |
10DS: PM - We can deliver the change you voted for 10DS: Prime Minister's press statement in Strasbourg: 11 March 2019 10DS: PM statement in the House of Commons: 12 March 2019 10DS: PM statement in the House of Commons: 13 March 2019 Cabinet Office: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster statement: 11 March 2019 HM Treasury: Temporary tariff regime for no deal Brexit published DIT: UK & Pacific Islands sign trade continuity agreement EU News: Joint press conference with UK PM Theresa May The continuity of the EU peace & reconciliation programme in NI is crucial in the context of Brexit ScotGov: Funding to Prepare for Brexit ScotGov: Students returning after Brexit WAG Health Minister in Brexit impact meeting WAG: Economy Minister in Geneva for Brexit Talks with Automotive Sector WAG: £1.2m for Local Government Brexit preparations WAG: Additional £1.7m to help Welsh business weather Brexit FSA Chair reaffirms commitment to highest food safety standards after EU Exit techUK: Delay to Article 50 now imperative – techUK techUK responds to No Deal tariff regime PC&PE: Divided Government must provide Parliament with clarity ahead of crucial vote PC&PE: Scottish Government must have a guaranteed role in future trade negotiations PC&PE: ‘Costly and time-consuming duplication’ in Brexit preparations PC&PE: Brexit - Risky & rushed activity must not become ‘new normal’ PC&PE: Extend Article 50 and hold indicative votes to find way forward OE: What changes has the Attorney General proposed to the backstop? OE: Under which conditions would the EU27 agree to an Article 50 extension? IFG: Questions over Home Office role in immigration after Brexit Adam Smith Inst: Half marks for tariff reductions B4B: The EU is a Major Drag on the UK economy B4B: The backstop: a violation of human rights? B4B: Project Practicality – the WTO Deal B4B: EU Adds Fourth Lock to Withdrawal Agreement B4B: Political Declaration a Brief Analysis B4B: May’s Brexit Pantomime Act 5 B4B: Pulling the Wool. The PM’s Last Gasp |
- General News, Charities & Third Sector
- Health, Social Care and Homelessness
- National & Devolved Policy Statements & Initiatives, Legislation / Legal
- Consultations
- Reports and Other Publications not listed in other sections
- EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
- ICT and Data Management / Security
- Business and Other Briefings / News – (Government Funding Opportunities)