General News

DFID: Thousands more children in the UK & overseas could get involved in the government’s Global School Partnership Programme thanks to new starter grants. The new funding provides 1,000 £250 starter grants for teachers to develop global education within the curriculum and establish school partnerships with developing countries.
 
They are funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and can be used towards lesson cover & travel costs for teachers to attend information workshops and also in-school training to build development education expertise.
Press release ~ Global School Partnership Programme ~ UKaid ~ British Council ~ Cambridge Education Foundation ~ UK One World Linking Association (UKOWLA) ~ Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)
 
Newswire – SfEStandards for England has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Audit Commission, which will see the 2 organisations agreeing to share information on ethical standards in local authorities.
 
The Memorandum will allow SfE and the AC to share information with one another where they are of the view this ‘might help either organisation to fulfil its functions’.  The AC can also alert SfE if it uncovers a potential breach of the Code of Conduct during the course of its work, while SfE can share information, gathered as part of an investigation, which may be useful to the AC - such as evidence relating to financial management or governance.
Press release ~ Standards for England ~ LA Code of Conduct ~ Audit Commission
 
NE: Natural England’s Hen Harrier Recovery Project, together with the RSPB, has recorded the worst hen harrier breeding figures since monitoring work began and its status as an English breeding bird is now on the brink.
 
A harsh winter and a possible shortage of prey in spring meant some pairs failed to breed, while those that did had fewer chicks. While there is no evidence of illegal killing or nest destruction associated with this year’s breeding failures, illegal persecution has led to today’s critically low breeding numbers and patchy distribution.
Press release ~ BASC Policy On Raptors ~ RSPB – Hen Harriers ~ RSPB – Birds of Prey
 
WAG: Education Minister Jane Hutt last week lent her support to an annual celebration of the role played by Wales’ youth workers and the groups they run. Youth Work Week, which started on 1 November 2009, is a Welsh Assembly Government supported initiative designed to encourage more young people to get involved in regular community-based activities and to persuade more people to become volunteers & youth workers.
 
The Youth Work Week website contains a host of information including local listings of activities as well as information for youth workers, such as suggested activities to organise for young people and advice for those wishing to become youth workers.
Press release ~ Youth Work Week website ~ WAG: Youth volunteering
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency’s Chief Scientist Andrew Wadge has posted a blog detailing the science behind the FSA’s salt campaign in the wake of an article in The Times last week.  The article challenges the evidence behind the campaign.
 
But Dr Wadge points out that the Agency’s advice to consume no more than 6g of salt a day is ‘based on independent expert advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and this is based on a wide range of published scientific evidence (approximately 200 studies)’.
 
The 6g intake limit that the Agency recommends for adults is consistent with advice from the world’s leading scientific bodies, including the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine in the US.  He also criticises the use of some of the studies that The Times cites in favour of its case.
Press release ~ Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) ~ Andrew’s blog ~ Check the label by phone ~ The Times article on salt intake ~ FSA: Salt
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency has been notified that a 58 months old cow has entered the food supply without being tested for BSE.  BSE testing is mandatory for cattle slaughtered for human consumption at over 48 months of age.
 
However, as all the specified risk material (SRM) was removed and it is unlikely that the cow was infected with BSE, any risk to human health is very low.  SRM is those parts of the animal that contain almost all BSE infectivity.
Press release ~ BSE controls explained: Main controls on production
 
FSASome Conforti brand pasta products sold by TK Maxx and Homesense are being recalled from customers because they might be infested with insects.  The Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert for Information.  If you have bought an affected product you can return it for a full refund.
Press release ~ Product Recall: Pastifico Conforti brand Pasta (HomeSense) ~ Product Recall: Pastifico Conforti brand Pasta (T K Maxx) ~ FSA Food Alert ~ HomeSense ~ T K Maxx
 
FSASainsbury's has recalled its Belgian Wholenut Dark Chocolate with the 'best before' date of17 September 2010, because the product might contain pieces of hard plastic.  The Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert for Information.
Press release ~ Sainsbury's recalls one date code of its Belgian Wholenut Dark Chocolate due to possible contamination with plastic ~  Sainsbury's
 
FSAAsda has withdrawn its Extra Special Chocolate Coated Nut Selection with a 'best before' date of 30 April 2010, because the product contains barley gluten, which is not mentioned on the product label.  The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert advising anyone who is intolerant to barley gluten not to eat this product.
Press release ~ Asda Stores Ltd withdraws a certain batch of Asda Extra Special Chocolate Coated Nut Selection
 
CO: Activities took place across England last week to mark this year’s Compact Week, which encourages & engages government departments, regional bodies, local authorities and other public sector partners who have Local Compacts.
 
This year, Compact Week had its own new website where people associated with Local Compacts could find out more about Compact Week, register & promote their local events & activities and order merchandise & resources.
 
In addition, the Commission for the Compact launched the new Compact Knowledge Bank, an online resource that contains essential research papers & documents associated with the Compact.
Press release ~ Compact Week 2009 ~ Compact website ~ Compact Knowledge Bank
 
HEFCERound five of the HEFCE – Department of Health Clinical Senior Lectureship Awards is now open for nominations.  Applications are invited from qualified clinicians with research experience in any medical specialism, including primary care and dentistry.  It is anticipated that up to 30 Clinical Senior Lectureship Awards will be made for this round in 2010.  The deadline for submissions is 1 February 2010.
Press release ~ Further information and an application pack
 
ACEArts Council England has published the criteria it uses to make decisions about which organisations to fund regularly. The criteria is intended to provide greater clarity & transparency about how ACE makes funding decisions.
 
The ACE currently provides around £350m each year to regularly funded organisations (RFOs) and The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding explains the framework ACE uses to assess whether an organisation should receive regular funding. The document describes 2 sets of criteria, the:
* first set looks at the organisation itself, to ensure that it is a good, well-managed organisation
* second set ensures that the organisation fits into the overall arts infrastructure that ACE is seeking to support
Press release ~ Criteria for Arts Council England regular funding
 
WAG: From Wednesday 4 November 2009, a special loan of Rembrandt van Rijn’s (1606-1669) Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet from Penrhyn Castle will be on show at National Museum Cardiff alongside original etchings and Netherlandish portraits from Amgueddfa Cymru – NationalMuseumWales’s own collection.
 
Museum visitors will be given the opportunity to enjoy the Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet (1607-1685) for free until 21 March 2010, after which it will return to Penrhyn Castle near Bangor – its home since the 1860s.
Press release ~ WAG: Arts ~ Amgueddfa Cymru - Rembrandt in Focus
 
PCS: The PCS union has echoed concerns over the impact of ‘efficiency savings’ expressed recently (3 Nov) by the House of Commons Justice select committee in a report on the ‘role of the prison officer’, which PCS claims supports the union’s view that cuts in funding for prison officers would damage efforts to reduce re-offending rates.  Despite a rising prison population, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is required to make savings of approximately £900m by 2011.

50% of the MoJ's total budget is spent on the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS), half of which is allocated to prisons.  The committee identified that 72% of the Prison Service's budget goes on staff, concluding: “It seems inevitable, therefore, that the MoJ is looking for a significant cut in funding for prison officers further reducing the ratio of prison officers to prisoners.” 
 
The committee went on to criticise the government’s policies to cluster prisons and create large prisons housing 1,500 inmates warning that they were: “likely further to deskill the prison officer’s role to that of a 'turnkey'.”
Press release ~ House of Commons Justice select committee - Role of the Prison Officer ~ Related JC press release ~ PCS
 
CWGC: Football legend David Beckham has lent his support to an imaginative new education resource from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which teaches students about the sacrifices made by footballers during the two world wars.
 
Glory Days – Football in Times of War is a 10 minute DVD aimed at engaging teachers & students. Introduced by David Beckham (& supported by the Daily Mirror newspaper) it has been sent to all schools in the UK in time for Remembrance Day.
Press release ~ Commonwealth War Graves Commission ~ The Glory Days – Football in Times of War website
 
DCSF: The call is out to all schools inviting them to help children both here and in some of the world's poorest countries.  This unique campaign, led by the School Food Trust in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has re-launched for January 2010 and is open now for registration.
 
Pupils take part by donating just 10p extra for each school lunch they have during the campaign week. That is enough to buy a whole meal for a child in the developing world, through the WFP's School Feeding Scheme.
You can take part by signing up online.
Press release ~ School Food Trust ~ WFP's School Feeding Scheme
 
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is launching the new Fellows and Scholars programme, aimed at providing more chances for NHS public health & clinical professionals in England to work with NICE.
 
The new programme will create opportunities for NHS staff to undertake projects and work with the Institute to improve the quality of care within their local health communities.  
A wide range of staff, including public health & allied health professionals, doctors, nurses and health service managers, are encouraged to apply. Health professionals have until 31 December 2009 to submit their applications.  NICE will then appoint its Fellows & Scholars in spring 2010.
Press release ~ NICE Fellows and Scholars
 
CRC: The news that the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group are to sell off almost a thousand branches, and reports that HSBC are to close over 50 branches this year, raises fresh concerns that many rural localities will lose their last remaining bank, according to the Commission for Rural Communities.

The Campaign for Community Banking Services has highlighted the need for government to require banks to have a legal duty to provide banking services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, as is the case in the United States. This might be a shared banking facility owned by several banks. 

These developments give greater emphasis to the government’s plans for the Post Office to have an expanded role in the provision of financial & banking services.
Press release ~ Campaign for Community Banking Services ~ Post Office to have an expanded role in the provision of financial and banking services
 
MoD: The first Merlin helicopter crews are ready to deploy to Afghanistan following pre-deployment training in the United States. The Merlins, from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, will provide vital support to ground operations & increase the capacity of UK helicopter lift in Afghanistan by a further 25%.  Merlins can carry up to 20 personnel and will provide an additional capability to the Chinook & Lynx.

The entire fleet is undergoing a £45m upgrade programme that will allow the helicopters to improve performance in the harsh conditions and protect against threats.  Modifications include new rotor blades for ‘hot & high’ conditions and improved defensive aids against hostile threats.
Press release ~ Joint Helicopter Command ~ Merlin HC Helicopter Mk3
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