Welcome to WiredGov Plus
WiredGov Plus provides a weekly roundup of news from the UK Government and Public Sector. To save your time, we research & validate the links to websites / documents and selectively add additional background links as appropriate.
Please note that previously published newsletters can be accessed from the Newsletter Archive
Summer Break: Please note that whilst the Wired-GOV email alerting system will be operating as normal throughout August, our next weekly newsletter will be published & emailed to subscribers on Monday, 4th September 2017.
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| What about the infrastructure to ‘power’ the alternatives? |
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The Government has confirmed that it will end the sale of all new conventional petrol & diesel cars and vans by 2040, as it unveiled new plans to tackle air pollution. The UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations produced by Defra and the Department for Transport outlines how councils with the worst levels of air pollution at busy road junctions & hotspots must take robust action. The announcement is focused on delivering nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compliance at the roadside in the shortest amount of time. This is one part of our programme to deliver clean air – next year the Government will publish a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy which will address other sources of air pollution. Air quality in the UK has been improving significantly in recent decades, with reductions in emissions of all of the key pollutants, and NO2 levels down by half in the last 15 years. |
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Defra: Plan for roadside NO2 concentrations published DfT: Vans to go greener & cleaner under new plans Guardian: Electric cars will fuel huge demand for power, says National Grid ... Car scrappage voucher scheme to reduce number of diesel cars? Hidden dangers on ‘still’ days |
| Time to judge them by today’s mores? |
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Home secretary Amber Rudd has been urged by Unite, the union, to institute a legal pardon for all those convicted of homosexual offences. Unite wants the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act on 27 July, which decriminalised homosexual acts between men aged over 21, to be a launch pad to extend the Alan Turing ‘pardon’ to all categories of offences. An estimated 15,000 people could benefit. Earlier this year, the Policing and Crime Act extended pardons to those convicted of homosexual offences which were no longer on the statute book. The pardon was modelled on the one granted in 2013 to mathematician Alan Turing, who broke the wartime Enigma codes, but committed suicide in 1954 after a conviction for gross indecency. |
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| Need to curb patients expectations for ‘magic’ pills |
| NHS England recently published detailed plans to cut out prescriptions for ineffective, over-priced & low value treatments. Helping to trim hundreds of £ms from the nation’s rapidly growing drugs bill will create headroom to reinvest all savings in newer & more effective NHS medicines and treatments. |
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Antidepressants were the area with largest increase in prescription items in 2016 Cancer Research UK: Prescription history could help GPs diagnose cancer earlier Free prescriptions are a long term investment in people’s health – Vaughan Gething |
| SME Supplier Locator update... |
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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. |
| Essential for ‘care in the community’ |
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England’s Chief Nursing Officer has launched a 10-point action plan to recognise and develop the roles that general practice nurses have which transform care and can help deliver the plan to make the NHS fit for the future. |
| It’s a ‘critical’ issue |
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A total of up to £1.1m is available to UK businesses for projects that transform screening & speed up the diagnosis of cancer. Innovate UK: Diagnosing cancer earlier & faster: apply for funding |
| They want to ‘help’ their friends |
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The government has announced changes to blood donation rules following a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues & Organs (SaBTO). As a result of the latest clinical evidence, from early 2018, more people will be given the opportunity to donate blood without affecting the safety of the blood supply. Current blood donation rules prevent people who engage in some sexual behaviour from giving blood for a 12 month period. As a result of scientific advances & improved understanding of the tests used, the deferral period for these people will now be reduced to 3 months. |
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DH: More people will be able to give blood following scientific review |
| Healthy funding |
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Up to £8m is on offer for UK businesses to work on innovation projects that tackle the biggest healthcare challenges. This competition is being run under the digital health technology catalyst, which is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The aim is to support the development of digital health products that meet NHS needs. It is a new £35m funding programme over 4 years. We are seeking feasibility or development projects that advance digital health or digitally-enabled medical technologies. These should: •improve patient outcomes, such as through better clinical decision-making and supporting them to manage their own care •offer new approaches to healthcare that transform its delivery •reduce the demand on the health system, make it more efficient and create savings |
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Innovate UK: Digital technology for healthcare - apply for funding |
| ‘Growing our own’ is essential |
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Teenagers are being encouraged to register their interest in taking part in a cyber security schools programme being rolled out as part of plans to help the nation address the risk of a future skills shortage. A new website has been launched where students, teachers & industry can register their interest. |
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DCMS: Students urged to apply for pioneering Cyber Schools Programme Inevitably History repeats itself, as we ‘send’ our youth into ‘battle’ again |
| Building a (cyber) secure future |
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Major new cyber security innovation centre for London. A competition to develop & design the new centre has been launched by the DCMS. London will cement its place as a world-leader in the fight against cyber attacks & threats with an investment of up to £14.5 m in a new innovation centre to develop the next of generation of cyber security technology to help keep the nation safe. The investment will be made over the next 3 years to bolster the UK’s cyber security defences and help make the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business and the safest place to be online. The innovation centre will see government bringing together large firms to work hand in hand with innovative startups & industry experts to develop the new technologies businesses will need to protect themselves. This will help make sure the UK’s entrepreneurs are creating the solutions the market needs and securing crucial investment. It will give startups access to expert technical mentoring, business support and advice to help them to grow in their early stages and contribute to the UK’s thriving £22bn cyber security sector. |
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DCMS: Major new cyber security innovation centre for London ~ techUK: NHS Digital Request For Information For The Security Operations Centre ~ This will be an ‘eternal war’ ~ With more females than males going to University! |
| They want YOUR money |
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Action Fraud is highlighting the latest fraud & cyber crime alerts to watch out for based on reports from the public assessed and analysed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). Action Fraud: The latest fraud & cyber alerts to watch out for |
| Just like plastic objects in the sea, this litter is a potential danger to us |
| UK scientists at the Dstl are leading an innovative experiment to tackle the growing problem of space junk. |
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Dstl scientists tackle growing problem of space junk What Is Orbital Debris? | NASA |
| And we won’t even have to travel at ‘warp speed’ |
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A unique ground-breaking ceremony at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, marked the start of construction of a massive international experiment that could change our understanding of the universe. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) will house the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be built & operated by a group of roughly 1,000 scientists & engineers from 30 countries, including many from the UK. When complete, LBNF/DUNE will be the largest experiment ever built in the United States to study the properties of mysterious particles called neutrinos. Unlocking the mysteries of these particles could help explain more about how the universe works, and why matter exists at all. |
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| What would you do in their shoes (if they have any)? |
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Children on the move into Europe from Africa take the decision to leave home on their own and do not initially intend to go to Europe. For the majority the systematic trauma & abuse they witnessed or suffered in Libya caused them to flee to Europe and take the terrifying Central Mediterranean sea route, according to a new study commissioned by UNICEF and carried out by REACH. |
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Unicef: Children on the move from Africa do not first aim to go to Europe |
| What type of water does one swallow in a swimming pool? |
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As trade talks between the UK and the USA of America begin in Washington, a paper released by the Adam Smith Institute shows how Britain can make symbolic concessions to wrap up a deal as quickly as possible. Poultry market access has been at the heart of EU-US negotiations in the past and is likely to be a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ condition attached to any deal that the UK pursues. One of the major stumbling blocks in previous talks has been an EU ban on imports of poultry meat due to the USA’s use of chlorine rinses. The report argues that allowing the import of chlorinated chicken products would show Britain is willing to agree sensible compromises, and is able to use partial agreements such as TTIP as templates to rapidly make deals with other partners. |
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Adam Smith Inst: Don't get into a flap about chlorinated chicken! |
| Bridging the gap |
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From October 2017, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants who are homeless will have immediate access to hardship payments if their benefit is reduced because of a sanction. They currently have to wait 2 weeks. Homeless Link: Hardship payments to be available immediately to JSA claimants who are homeless |
| ‘Buying’ a house should mean that one completely owns it! |
| Radical new proposals to cut out unfair abuses of leasehold have been announced by the government yesterday (25 July 2017) in a major move that will deliver a fairer, more transparent system for homebuyers. |
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CLG: Crackdown on unfair leasehold practices |
| They ‘launch’ when most of us wouldn’t even dare to just walk along seafront |
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Lifeboat charities encouraged to bid for part of £1m support fund. The money, made available by the ‘Inshore & inland rescue boat grant scheme’, can be used to purchase lifesaving equipment, such as boats, life jackets & safety gear. DfT: Lifeboat charities to receive £1m grant boost |
| Travel advice from FCO |
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The World University Games (Universiade) will take place in Taiwan across 5 cities from 19 to 30 August 2017. Before you go… FCO: Travelling to Taiwan for the 2017 University Games in Taipei |
| Act quickly; don’t let your application process get bogged down |
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A £10m grant scheme to restore England’s iconic peatlands has officially opened for bids. Defra: £10m fund to restore peatland opens for applications |
| Do you need to upgrade? |
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On 30 July 2017 HM Land Registry upgraded the security settings for their online services. They keep an updated list of the browsers they support in their technical manual. HM Land Registry: Access our online services through a supported web browser |
| Up, Up or flight delayed? |
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Shaping aviation to help boost economic growth, connectivity & skills will be at the centre of a new strategy to prepare the industry for the next 3 decades & beyond, the government has announced recently. The public are being consulted on how this vital sector should respond to a range of technological, security, environmental & customer service challenges. It also looks at how the government can support future growth in an industry which directly supports 240,000 jobs and contributes at least £22bn to the UK economy each year. |
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DfT: Government sets out vision for future of UK aviation CCC: UK aviation emissions must be consistent with UK climate change commitments UK secures historic deal to combat global aviation emissions PM seeks UN action to make air travel safer |
| Note that some flights are still restricted! |
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The UK government has lifted a ban on carrying large electronic devices in the aircraft cabin of some flights to the UK from Turkey. Restrictions on carrying large phones, laptops, tablets and accessories into the cabin of UK-bound flights from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia were introduced in March 2017. |
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| Current free flying is unsafe |
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Drones will have to be registered and users will have to sit safety awareness tests under new rules to better regulate their growing use, the government announced recently. Owners of drones weighing 250 grams and over will in future have to register details of their drones to improve accountability and encourage owners to act responsibly. |
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DfT: Drones to be registered and users to sit safety tests under new government rules |
| Helping people become digitally enabled |
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UKOC is very happy to announce that registration for Get Online Week 2017 event holders is now open. The campaign will take place 2-8 October 2017, and this year we’re asking you to hold events that will help everyone to Try 1 Thing - use the internet to do just one thing that they usually do offline. UK online centres: Registration For Get Online Week 2017 Is Open |
| Chances are that you will be found out |
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The ICO has warned employees about the potential consequences of illegally sharing personal data that they have access to as part of their job. ICO warns workers about illegally sharing other people’s personal information |
| Travelling to ‘keep them occupied’ destinations |
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This month the East End's favourite railway celebrates 30 years since its launch. Here are some of the best family destinations you can get to by DLR. TfL: Family favourites are just a DLR ride away |
| Brexit will not stop this sort of judgement! |
| Citizens Advice has responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling that fees for Employment Tribunals are unlawful. The national charity called on government to act swiftly to suspend the fees system and ensure all of those who are out of pocket after paying fees get their money back. |
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Citizens Advice responds to Supreme Court ruling on Employment Tribunal fees IEA: Employment tribunal fees effective in saving unnecessary costs |
| Loyalty rarely ‘pays’ in financial transactions these days |
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Loyal customers who don’t re-mortgage after their fixed term deal can pay £400 extra a year, Citizens Advice research reveals. The charity calculates that 1.2m people would be better off if they switched to a new deal - with 1 in 10 paying over £1,000 a year extra by staying on the standard variable rate. CAB: Loyal mortgage holders hit with £400 average price hikes |
| Councils don’t / cannot afford to pay the true cost |
| Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, has commented on Age UK’s ‘Behind the Headlines’ report on care home charges. |
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LGA responds to Age UK report on care home charges |
| Deliberate policy, or just lack of training? |
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Lloyds Banking Group (Lloyds) has agreed to set up a redress scheme for mortgage customers who incurred fees after they fell behind with their mortgage payments. Following engagement with the FCA, Lloyds acknowledged that when customers fell into arrears, they did not always do enough to understand customers’ circumstances to be confident that their arrears payment plans were affordable & sustainable. As a result, Lloyds has committed to refund all fees charged to customers for arrears management and broken payment arrangements from 1 January 2009 to January 2016. For those mortgage customers who entered its litigation process during this period, this will include any litigation fees that were applied unfairly. Lloyds will also offer payments for potential distress & inconvenience, and consequential loss which customers may have experienced as a result of not being able to keep up with unsustainable repayment plans. |
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FCA: Lloyds Banking Group sets up redress scheme for mortgage arrears customers |
| Get a ‘Buzz’ out of saving Bees |
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A new strategy has been launched to make Scotland a more pollinator friendly place by protecting indigenous bee & butterfly populations. Since 1980 the number of pollinating insects in Scotland (honey bees, bumble bees, the solitary bee, butterflies and hoverflies)- have declined by an estimated 51%, leading to fears of a negative impact on agriculture, food security, the economy and human health. |
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ScotGov: Boost for bees & butterflies |
| Does Councillor ‘training/briefing’ include these responsibilities/ consequences? |
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The police’s investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges relating to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, when an estimated 80 people died in the fire, has been welcomed by Unite, the union. Unite, which is representing about 30 families affected by the tragedy, said that ‘people have to be accountable for their decisions’ in the run-up and aftermath of June’s fire. The police probe relating to corporate manslaughter centres on the actions of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO). |
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Unite welcomes police ‘corporate manslaughter’ probe into Grenfell fire CLG: Update on rehousing former Grenfell residents CLG: New taskforce to support recovery from Grenfell fire disaster |
| Not so healthy in larger quantities |
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Exposure to pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food, in particular for frequent & high consumers of tea & herbal infusions, is a possible long-term concern for human health due to their potential carcinogenicity, say EFSA’s experts. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in tea, herbal infusions and food supplements |
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