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General News
DH: From 1 August 2011, people will have to answer questions about organ donation before they can complete their driving licence application through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) website. Expanding on an existing scheme with the DVLA which has seen more than 8.5m people sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register, the Government now hopes to increase registration even further through a number of prompter questions urging people to consider joining up.
ScotGov: The National Museum of Scotland opened to the public last week, revealing a £47.4m transformation which has created one of the world's great museums - presenting the sciences, humanities & culture, all under one roof.
The centrepiece of a 15-year master-plan, the project has taken just over 3 years to complete with fundraising efforts exceeding target by almost £1m.
Ofgem: Environment Minister, John Griffiths, has launched the Welsh language version of the Energy Best Deal on-line initiative at the Eisteddfod in Wrexham. The consumer awareness campaign is run jointly by Citizens Advice and energy regulator Ofgem.
Through a series of short videos, consumers are made aware of their ‘energy rights’ when it comes to dealing with energy companies. The videos cover dealing with doorstep sales people, debt & disconnection, and getting help for consumers struggling to pay their energy bills.
NA: The National Archives has replaced its library catalogue of published works with a new open-source system called Koha. Named after a Maori custom that can be translated as ‘gift or donation’, Koha is software that is freely available for download from the internet. The system is being supported by PTFS Europe, and will provide both cost & time savings for NA.
EH: With the weather warming up there’s nothing better than escaping the daily grind for a relaxing day out – or even a short break. Here are English Heritage’s top places to escape to in the summer, from hill-top castles and amazing coastal views to cosy cottages in the country.
Directgov: ePassport gates have just been installed at Heathrow & Gatwick. This means that automated border controls are now in place at 15 transport terminals across the UK, including all the major airports. Find out what the new ePassport gates mean for you as a passenger.
PCS: IT workers who maintain the records of millions of people for the Department for Work and Pensions have voted almost unanimously for industrial action over plans to offshore their work. The staff, employed by Hewlett Packard on the government contract, will refuse to co-operate with the process of exporting work from Newcastle, Lytham & Sheffield to Bangalore in India - a move which could lead to the loss of more than 200 posts.
The data that DWP collects includes very personal & valuable information about people's benefits. The union believes this is the first time it has been proposed to send the live records of so many people overseas.
PCS: PCS wants the government to immediately halt the axing of thousands of jobs in Revenue & Customs after a committee of MPs branded the department's service to the public ‘unacceptable’. The 13 MPs on the committee conclude that further cuts to staffing & resources make little sense.
HMRC has axed 30,000 jobs since 2005 and another 10,000 posts are earmarked to go. The department has been employing thousands of people on short term contracts and paying staff to work overtime in an attempt to mask the impact of job cuts. In call centres, where HMRC has invested in 1,000 additional staff, the numbers of calls answered has increased from 44% to 71%.
OFT: The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has successfully completed Stage One of the OFT's Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) for its Lettings Code. It has been developed to give consumer landlords and their tenants greater protection when dealing with letting agents and better redress if things go wrong.
NA: Building on the success of the Open Government Licence, The National Archives has extended the scope of its licensing policy, encouraging & enabling even easier re-use of a wider range of public sector information.
The UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF), the policy & legal framework for the re-use of public sector information, now offers a growing portfolio of licences & guidance to meet the diverse needs & requirements of both public sector information providers and re-user communities.
Directgov: From 1 August 2011 householders can get government funding to help install renewable heating systems such as biomass boilers & solar thermal panels. Money will be available for up to 25,000 installations over the next year, with grants being awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
EH: After decades behind virtually closed doors, its treasures overgrown & largely unknown, English Heritage is reviving one of Britain's most important, yet most secret, gardens - Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. With the first phase of a 20-year restoration project now completed - helped by a £1.14m Heritage Lottery Fund grant - this wonderful 90-acre historic landscape & French-style mansion is ready to take its rightful place among the country's great garden attractions and give both locals and tourists a superb new day-out.
DCMS: MorecambeBay, the Glens of Antrim and the Lomond Hills are among 11 spectacular UK landscapes earmarked for financial support. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced that £18.3m has been set aside for the schemes through its Landscape Partnerships programme. The 11 applicants who have passed the first stage of the process will now have to submit a more detailed proposal to secure the funding.
The investment, which is set to attract a further £8.1m of match funding from other sources, will enable the conservation of distinctive landscapes and provide other benefits, such as apprenticeships for disadvantaged young people and courses on traditional rural practices such as drystone walling.
PI: The Planning Inspectorate’s website is scheduled to close by the end of September 2011, as part of the Government’s web rationalisation programme which is looking to reduce the number of Government websites.
They have already moved all their appeal and other casework information to the planning portal where it sits alongside their on-line appeals system. All that now remains on the site is corporate information such as annual reports, management information etc. This will be moved to the DCLG & Wales Government’s websites shortly and their site will then be closed.
STFC: 96 new open star clusters, hidden from previous surveys by the dust in the Milky Way, have been revealed by the sensitive infrared detectors of the world’s largest dedicated, infrared, survey telescope, VISTA. Based in Chile, the telescope is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). This is the first time so many faint and small clusters have been found at once.
BIS: 3 senior city figures have been appointed to form the Advisory Board for the Kay Review of UK equity markets & long-term decision making. The Review was announced in June 2011 by Business Secretary, Vince Cable to ‘investigate the way investors, shareholders, regulators and the boards of UK-listed companies can best serve the long-term interests of British businesses and the economy’.
Its membership confirmed, the Board will now begin its work in earnest before launching a formal consultation in the autumn 2011. An interim report will be published early next year with the final conclusions and recommendations for Government expected to follow in Summer 2012.
FSA: As Muslims observe Ramadan, the Food Standards Agency advises that people should consider avoiding drinking bottled water described or labelled as Zam Zam water. This is because tests have shown ‘Zam Zam’ water sold in the UK, or brought into the UK for personal consumption, may contain high levels of arsenic or nitrates (at up to 3 times the legal limit).
Zam Zam water is sacred to Muslims and comes from a specific source in Saudi Arabia. Under Saudi law, Zam Zam water cannot be exported from Saudi Arabia for sale. Any water on sale in the UK that is labelled as Zam Zam is therefore of uncertain origin.
ScotGov: Scots are being urged to learn the laws of a country before they travel in a bid to avoid costly prosecutions. Research by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office showed that 71% of Scots don't always find out about the laws of the country they are visiting before heading abroad, putting themselves at risk of unwittingly breaking the law. Almost 30% were not aware that they would be prosecuted under local law if committing an offence abroad.
FSA: Some packs of Kettle Chips with a ‘best before’ date of 29 October 2011 are being recalled because they might contain pieces of plastic that look similar to the crisps. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Information Recall Notice.
CQC: The Care Quality Commission has announced Acting Together, a new partnership scheme that enables CQC to call on people who use services to advise on & contribute to its work. Acting Together includes involving people as Experts by Experience on inspections of health & social care services and in visits to monitor the use of the Mental Health Act. The first 3 partners for the scheme are Age UK, Challenging Behaviour Foundation and Choice Support.
MoD: A state-of-the-art new shot detection system called Boomerang III has been introduced in patrol bases & checkpoints on the front line of Helmand province to alert troops immediately to the source of incoming fire. It detects shots fired at bases and, using a high tech display, indicates the location of the enemy firing point,
ACE: Arts Council England has signalled its commitment to the continuation of the Future Libraries programme, in partnership with the Local Government Group (LGG) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS). It will continue with the partnership approach for Future Libraries 2, a 2-stage programme that will run from autumn 2011 to the end of March 2013.
UKOC: Some of you may have noticed than since UK Online Centres launched their new version of Online basics on the Go ON website, you're having some trouble loading the OB course window. UKOC pleased to tell you that there is a relatively easy fix.
WAG: The Welsh Government’s e-Crime Wales initiative was a winner at the Nominet Internet Awards 2011, which highlights UK companies, charities & individuals that are making a difference on, or through, the Internet.
e-Crime cost the Welsh economy close to an estimated £1bn last year, and e-Crime Wales took home a special award for its efforts in co-operating the private and public sectors to tackle the problem. The e-Crime Wales website has a host of practical information including downloadable factsheets, guides & videos, as well as a ‘report a crime’ function, to help businesses stay safe online.
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