Policy Statements and Initiatives

WAG: Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing is encouraging everyone to enjoy the Welsh countryside this summer by cycling.  For family routes based on the national cycle network, Sustrans' Routes2Ride website  is really useful for planning a bike ride for all abilities.  In addition, Wales is one of the best places in the world to go mountain biking (Mountain Biking Wales).

Another great way to choose an on road cycling destination this summer is to look at the Cycle Breaks packs which showcase quiet routes in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia.  You can order brochures and download maps online at the Cycle Breaks Wales website.
Press release ~ Walking and Cycling Strategy for Wales
 
WAGFarming Connect, the Welsh Assembly Government’s integrated support service for farm & forestry businesses in Wales, has awarded a number of new contracts which will enhance & strengthen the services currently provided.  The contracts will take effect later in August 2009 and run for up to 3 years.
 
All eligible farm & forestry businesses which have registered with Farming Connect since last July can claim back 50% of the costs of all the above, while businesses with Young Entrant status (i.e. where one partner is under the age of 40 years at the time of application) are entitled to claim back 80% of the costs for the Whole Farm Plan and Farm Advisory Service.

Many other services, including all the Farming Connect Development Programmes, are fully subsidised. Farming Connect is funded through the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013, which is financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and WAG.
Press release ~ Farming Connect ~ Rural development plan for Wales 2007 - 2013 ~ WAG - Farming and countryside ~ European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ~ New Contracts
 
DECC: A new 95mw power plant, capable of turning 600,000 tonnes of waste each year into electricity & heat (to be built at Ince in Cheshire) has been approved by the Government.  The waste, which would have otherwise gone to landfill, will instead be used to generate electricity to power a new Resource Recovery Park.  Excess electricity will also be exported to the National Grid.
 
The approval follows a public inquiry held into both the power plant and the Resource Recovery Park, which recommended that consent should be granted for the construction & operation of the plant and also that planning permission be given for the Resource Recovery Park.
Press release ~ Decisions on Planning Applications and Appeals ~ Ince Resource Recovery Park
 
DCMS: Local councils in England are to get a fresh opportunity to join the Government’s free swimming initiative. Councils that are only offering free swimming for people aged 60 & over at the moment are being given the chance to provide it for people aged 16 & under as well – and local authorities not participating in the scheme at all will be able to join, providing they offer free swimming for both the age groups.
 
Any councils offering free swimming for both age groups, as a result of this move, will be able to apply for a share of a capital modernisation fund of £25m to build new pools, or renovate existing ones, in 2010/11.
Press release ~ DCMS – Free swimming programme ~ Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme
 
DCSF: The Fire Fighters Charity and the Communities and Local Government Fire Kills Campaign have joined forces to encourage schools across England to work with their local fire & rescue service and help launch a National Schools' Fire Safety Day on Wednesday 14 October 2009.
 
Supported by the DCSF, this year's campaign will focus on 'planning a safe escape' and will be specifically targeted at Key Stage 1 children.  The main objective for the Day is for Year 2 children to learn 5 related key messages, which they can take home & relay to their families.
Press release ~ National Schools' Fire Safety Day ~ Fire Fighters Charity ~ CLG - Fire Kills Campaign
 
ScotGov: Funding totalling £4m is to be provided by the Scottish Government to improve play opportunities among 5 to 13 year-olds. 'Go Play', which will run over 2 years, will help improve facilities & services in areas where children have the least opportunities to develop through play.  For example, through creative approaches to play using Scotland's natural environment and play workers working within the community.
 
Voluntary groups will be able to submit funding bids from mid-September, with support available for regional bodies, small grassroots community organisations and medium and large scale charities.  Inspiring Scotland - the national charity which uses skills & money to improve the lives of Scotland's most vulnerable people - will manage the fund and work with these groups to increase their capacity for providing play opportunities.
Press release ~ Early Years FrameworkInspiring Scotland ~ Jeely Piece Club ~  Play Scotland ~ Pilotlight Scotland
 
ScotGov: More than 1,250 Scottish jobs can be created or safeguarded with the help of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) from the Scottish Government. RSA is the Scottish Government's main national scheme of financial assistance to industry.  It is aimed at encouraging investment & job creation in the Assisted Areas (AAs) of Scotland.  It also encompasses support available to SMEs in other areas (referred to as Tier 3).
 
Recent changes to Tier 3 assistance mean that small businesses can now qualify, subject to meeting scheme criteria, for up to 20% (10% for medium-sized companies) of eligible project costs.  Tier 3 coverage has been extended to areas of Scotland which had not previously been eligible for RSA support.
Press release ~ RSA Scotland ~  RSA Annual Summary
 
HO: ‘Synthetic cannabinoids’, often known on the street as ‘Spice’, are as harmful as cannabis and should be made illegal, according to advice given to the Government by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
 
The harmful so-called ‘legal high’ is sold as herbal material, but scientists have found that the plant-based mix, which contains neither tobacco nor cannabis, is coated with synthetic cannabinoids that imitate the effects of the active ingredient in cannabis called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
 
These synthetic cannabinoid products are being sold mainly though ‘head shops’ and the internet for as little as £20.  Young people think they are safer herbal alternatives to cannabis, but they have the potential to be more harmful because users don’t know the mixture and quantity of chemicals in the product.
Press release ~ ACMDs advice to government on synthetic cannabinoids ~ Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
 
WAG: A major press & radio campaign has been launched to remind people of the symptoms of swine flu and what they should do if they have them.  The campaign will complement the leaflet that was sent to all households across Wales earlier this year and the work of health professionals in keeping people up to date on the latest situation through the media.
 
The campaign also comes as tourist season in Wales is in full swing and while visitors will be welcomed from the UK & abroad, it is important to get the message across of where they can get help if they feel ill. Latest figures show that the number of people contacting their GP with flu-like symptoms has fallen.  It is normal for there to be fluctuations but it is predicted that the rate will increase again with further waves of the virus over the next year.
 
Wales, along with Scotland and Northern Ireland, have decided not to join the interim National Pandemic Flu Service that was launched in England recently to cope with the increase in pressure on health services there.
Press release ~ WAG - Swine flu ~ WAG - Health and social care ~ National Pandemic Flu Service
 
WAG: Wales will be the first in the UK to introduce a screening programme to identify people who are at risk of heart attacks due to high cholesterol. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) - is an inherited condition which causes high levels of cholesterol from birth and, if untreated, leads to coronary heart disease and heart attacks in young adults. It is estimated that up to 6,000 people in Wales have Familial hypercholesterolaemia, but as many as 4,800 may be unaware they have the potentially life-threatening condition.
 
The Welsh Assembly Government in partnership with the British Heart Foundation is funding the roll-out of a screening programme (which has been piloted & evaluated since 2005) to find people at risk of the condition.
Press release ~ WAG - Coronary Heart Disease ~ British Heart Foundation
 
ScotGov: 45 science projects across Scotland are to receive a share of £650,000 from the Scottish Government's Science Engagement Scheme, designed to make science more accessible to the public. The SE Grants scheme is run by the Scottish Government's Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser (OCSA) and supports projects that make science accessible, complement the school curriculum, provide opportunities for the public to meet scientists & discuss their work, and inspire the public about science issues & opportunities.
Press release ~ Science Engagement Scheme ~ Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser (OCSA) ~ STEM Scotland
 
HO: Experts from industry & academia are being invited to provide groundbreaking innovations to help combat the threat of terrorism as part of the government’s recently launched Science and Technology Counter Terrorism Strategy.

The 3-year Strategy published aims to:
* Understand future threats & opportunities;
* Develop effective solutions
* Work with our international partners on counter terrorism-related science and technology

Alongside the strategy, a brochure has been produced for science & technology experts, to put them in touch with key contacts.
Press release ~ Science and Technology Counter Terrorism Strategy ~ Innovative Science and Technology in Counter-Terrorism (INSTINCT) ~ ‘Countering the terrorist threat: ideas and innovation – how industry and academia can play their part’.
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