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General News
Ofcom: Ofcom is creating the opportunity for TV viewers to receive up to 10 additional HD channels through their rooftop aerial. The new capacity will be made available on digital terrestrial TV (DTT) by using airwaves freed up by the digital switchover, located at 600 MHz, and could triple the number of HD channels currently available on the platform.
Ofcom will award the licence to run the new ‘multiplexes’ – the infrastructure needed to broadcast the channels – to transmission company Arqiva, the sole applicant for the licence. The BBC has already expressed interest in launching new HD services. These and other channels could go live in some parts of the country by early 2014.
TUC: Scrapping vital protections for agency workers and limiting the amount of compensation employees can receive for unfair dismissal will punish the victims of ill-treatment at work and let bad employers off the hook, says the TUC.
New measures announced recently by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), will see the government cut back on the enforcement of basic rights for agency workers, including the right to be paid in full and not to be charged upfront fees.
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is commissioning work to develop guidance that focuses on best practice in relation to providing food to vulnerable patients. The focus is on patients who are at increased risk of contracting listeriosis within NHS hospitals, private hospitals, nursing homes and similar healthcare settings.
The work forms part of the Listeria Risk Management Programme, which aims to reduce the number of cases of listeriosis in the UK. The guidance will provide practical support for staff in hospitals and similar healthcare establishments.
CAB: As wedding season approaches Citizens Advice has revealed details of some of the 3,000 wedding problems in England & Wales reported to the Citizens Advice consumer service between April 2012 and March 2013. It also provides top tips to protect yourself when planning a wedding.
FCO: Foreign Secretary William Hague has welcomed Intelligence & Security Committee findings that allegations against GCHQ are unfounded.
MoJ: Anyone applying for a lasting power of attorney (LPA) to choose someone they trust to make decisions for them if they lose mental capacity will be helped by a 15% cut in the application fee announced by Justice Minister Helen Grant.
From 1 October 2013 the application fees for registering both LPAs and the older enduring powers of attorney (EPA) will both be reduced from £130 to £110.
Monitor: Monitor has stepped in to ensure Heatherwood & Wexham Park NHS Foundation Trust draws up a recovery plan to deal with poor care & shortfalls in A&E. The health regulator has taken action following a warning notice from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that the trust breached essential standards.
The trust is giving Monitor binding undertakings to put right the concerns raised by the CQC within 3 months. In addition, it has agreed to review its oversight of clinical quality, strengthen its ward management, and ensure it has adequate capacity (both beds & staff) to meet future demand for both emergency and elective care.
The trust has been in special measures for the last 4 years, originally because of failure to meet national A&E targets and subsequent financial problems.
The trust has been in special measures for the last 4 years, originally because of failure to meet national A&E targets and subsequent financial problems.
TfL: People are being advised to plan ahead & use public transport to avoid road disruption during the Prudential RideLondon cycling festival over the first weekend in August, when there will be road closures in central London and a large number of road & bridge closures across east, central & southwest London, as well as parts of Surrey.
DFID: The Global Health Trials Scheme is looking for new proposals that help tackle the major causes of mortality & morbidity in the developing world. The UK Department for International Development, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust recently announced the launch of the 4th call for proposals under the JHTS.
The purpose of this scheme is to ‘provide funding for the best proposals to generate new knowledge about interventions that will contribute to the improvement of health in low & middle-income countries’. A total of £15m is available, which is expected to fund several awards. All outline proposals should be submitted before 16:00 BST on the 1 October 2013.
EA: Anglers are being offered the chance to take a friend or family member fishing for free as part of the Environment Agency’s support for National Fishing Month. The fishy 4 weeks, running between 19 July - 26 August, were launched at last weekend’s Country Land & Business Association (CLA) Game Fair.
Angler’s can download the popular ‘Take a Friend Fishing’ voucher between 20 July - 28 July, offering a licensed angler the chance to take a friend or family member fishing without them having to buy their own rod licence.
ScotGov: Scottish shoppers used 750m carrier bags in 2012 – the highest rate of usage per person in the UK. The Scottish Government announced last month that it is introducing measures which will see Scottish retailers charging a minimum of 5p per bag by October 2014 in a bid to reduce carrier bag use.
CO: Cabinet Office and Air Products Plc have formally concluded their deal for a long term contract to deliver electricity to government for 20 years at a fixed price. This will significantly lower the cost government pays for energy and will support the creation of hundreds of local jobs. Latest calculations in finalising this deal means savings of £97m can be expected over the life of the contract.
MoD: The remains of an RAF bomber crew lost just weeks before the end of the Second World War have been laid to rest with full military honours. The plane, Boston BZ590, belonging to the Royal Air Force’s 18 Squadron, was crewed by 3 members of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, all aged 20, and a 21-year-old from the Royal Australian Air Force.
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