ScotParl: In what is believed to be the first Parliamentary project of its kind, the Scottish Parliament Community Partnerships Project will work with blind & partially sighted young people, difficult to reach young people, and people from black & minority ethnic backgrounds to help them get involved with & influence the activities of the Parliament.
The first phase of the project will begin during the next few weeks. Parliament staff will visit public sessions organised by the partners. They will talk about how the Parliament works and how people can interact & influence policy development and legislation.
Press release ~ Scottish Parliament Community Partnerships Project ~ Haggeye ~ Action for Children (AfC) ~ Multi-Ethnic Aberdeen Ltd (MeAL)
CLG: Councils will get over a hundred million pounds to help maintain the building of the family and first-time buyer homes still desperately needed Housing Minister Margaret Beckett has announced. The 2008-09 Housing and Planning Delivery Grant will provide additional direct funding top up for councils to ensure that new homes are built where families need them.
Press release ~ 2008-09 Housing and Planning Delivery Grant Allocations ~ CLG - Decent Homes and housing finance
DH: We all need to be more active and eat more healthily to halt the rising tide of obesity. If we do nothing, by 2050 90% of today's children will be overweight and at risk from serious diseases - that's the latest message issued by Health Secretary Alan Johnson as he launched the Change4Life coalition.
Change4Life is a lifestyle revolution involving thousands of local organisations and charities which will help mums, dads & families eat well, move more and live longer. Under the banner Change4Life, the Government is aiming to galvanise support from everyone in the country from grass roots organisations to leading supermarkets and charities.
Through Change4Life, the Government is aiming to reduce the number of people who are obese or overweight and prevent the problem escalating to a point where the experts say it is likely to cost the NHS an estimated £50bn by 2050.
Press release ~ Change4Life ~ Healthy Weight, Health Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England ~ 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives toolkit: A Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies' ~ DH - Obesity ~
DH: Corner shops in the North East will be the first in England to pilot an £800,000 scheme to get the country eating more fruit & veg. and reduce obesity. 12 stores have already signed up to the pilot with the aim of 120 coming on board by next May. Shops involved in the pilot will sell a wider range of fruit & vegetables and display them prominently within their stores.
In return, the DH will assign a project co-ordinator to work with each store and offer advice on maximising profits, minimising waste and displaying & promoting the new fresh produce to the local community. Shop keepers will also be able to link up with local initiatives, such as cooking clubs, in a bid to help their customers learn how to build fruit and vegetables into their diet. A similar scheme is already up and running in Scotland, where corner shops have seen an increase in profits ranging from 2% up to as much as 400%.
HO: The number of jobs available to foreign workers through the shortage occupation route will be reduced, the Home Office has announced. The shortage occupation list sets out those jobs for which there are not enough resident workers, and will be used as part of the skilled worker tier (Tier 2) of the Australian-style points system, which will be launched on 27 November 2008.
Under Tier 2 companies must pass the Resident Labour Market test by proving they cannot fill the post with a resident worker before they can bring in someone from outside the EEA. If the job is on the shortage list the company will not need to pass the test. The number of positions available to migrants has been reduced from one million to just fewer than 800,000. The previous shortage occupation list covered 1 million jobs.
Press release ~ WMS - PBS shortage occupation lists 11 Nov 08 ~ Shortage occupation list - Q&A ~ Tier 2 - skilled worker category ~
WAG: A major new campaign to encourage boys to embrace the joy of reading has been launched by the Deputy Minister for Skills John Griffiths. Drawing on research into boys’ literacy and targeting boys aged 9 to 14 who are reluctant readers, the campaign - Read A Million Words Together - encourages boys to read with other boys and with male family members, such as fathers, brothers, uncles, grand fathers and others in a caring capacity.
A copy of ‘Me Read No Way!’ has been sent to all schools in Wales. The book promotes teaching methods which have already been proven to work with boys. The guide focuses on thirteen key strategies to encourage boys to become readers and to motivate them to read inside & outside of the classroom.
Press release ~ WAG – Education and Skills ~ Basic Skills Cymru team ~ Me Read No Way! ~ Read A Million Words Together
ScotGov: Grants worth £4m have been awarded to a range of international development programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The funding, from the Scottish Government's International Development Fund, will be allocated over three years to Scottish-based organisations working with partners in Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia and the Darfur region of Sudan. The grants amount to £1m per country over three years.
Press release ~ ScotGov - Sub Saharan Africa Development Programme Funding Allocations ~ ScotGov International Development Policy ~ ScotGov International Framework ~ Opportunity International (UK) ~ Concern Worldwide ~ Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) ~ Tearfund
ScotGov: A new forum to support individuals to protect themselves against flooding has been launched. The Scottish Flood Forum - funded by the Government, set up by the National Flood Forum and supported by SEPA - will raise awareness of flood warnings & self-help measures, while providing an independent voice for flood victims.
The forum will also promote a more sustainable approach to flood risk management through awareness, avoidance, alleviation and assistance. A commitment to sustainable flood risk management is a key element of the new Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament.
Press release~ National Flood Forum ~ SEPA - Flooding ~ Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill ~ Pitt Review – press release and reports ~ ABI Flooding Q&As ~
WAG: The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that it has signed an international deal to help tackle the effects of climate change. The agreement, between the WAG and the UN Development Programme, will help regional governments in Africa to create their own climate change action plans – and gain the expertise to bid for the funds to deliver them.
The Mbale region of Uganda has been chosen by the UN as one of the first regions to benefit from the scheme, but it is hoped that regions in Zambia, Mali and the Gambia, which have links with Wales, will also benefit.
DECC: As part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's 25th offshore oil & gas licensing round, 171 new licences are being offered to 100 companies covering 257 blocks of the North Sea.
Following a screening exercise, it has been decided that 46 of the blocks applied for should be subject to more detailed assessments of the likely effects of oil & gas activities on certain protected nature conservation areas. A decision on whether to grant licences for these blocks will be subject to the results of the environmental assessments.
The UK's Oil and Gas sector currently provides 70% of the country's energy and benefits the UK balance of payments to the tune of £45bn a year. It is by far the largest single industrial UK investor and supports over 450,000 jobs though out the economy.
Press release ~ 25th Oil & Gas Licensing Round ~ Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) - Post Adoption Procedures
WAG: More than 40 leading organisations representing the construction sector in Wales have teamed up to sign the first green building charter of its kind in the UK. They are committing themselves to support progress towards a built environment that contributes low or zero net carbon emissions as quickly as practically possible.
The coalition will play a major role in the development of low/zero carbon buildings ahead of the UK Government’s target of achieving zero carbon new homes by 2016 and achieve a major step change in Wales by 2011. It will also work towards significantly increasing the energy efficiency of the existing building stock in Wales, contributing towards the WAG target of 3% annual reductions in emission reductions from 2011 onwards.
Press release ~ WAG – Climate Change ~ WAG – Sustainable Development ~ WAG – Environment, Sustainability and Housing ~ Sustainable Development Commission ~ Design Commission for Wales ~ Federation of Master Builders ~ National House-Building Council ~ The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment ~ CBI Wales ~ Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 ~ BREEAM excellent standard
Cabinet Office: Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Women and Equality, has claimed that Parliament has acknowledged it is not representative of society and that it needs to change. She was opening a debate in the House of Commons on a motion to establish a Speaker's Conference, which will consider & make recommendations on how to improve representation of women, disabled and minority ethnic people in the House of Commons, so that it better reflects society.
The Government expects the Conference to consider other issues such as Sexual Orientation as part of their discussions. It will operate like a Select Committee and consist of 17 MPs from across the political parties.
The Conference was requested by the Prime Minister as part of the 'Governance of Britain' agenda. The last Speaker's Conference was in 1977. There have only been five in the last century. In 1916-17 the Speaker's Conference secured cross-party agreement on the principle that women should have the right to vote, which led to the Representation of the People Act 1918, which extended the right to vote to women over 30 years old.
ScotGov: Bread which can help control diabetes, a tomato extract that may reduce heart disease and super berries containing high doses of vitamins are some of the developments being produced by Scottish Government supported scientists, working across the food chain to help to improve our health and boost the food & drink industry.
Scientists from the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, Macaulay Institute, Moredun Research Institute, Scottish Agricultural College and the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) are working across the whole supply chain to improve methods of production, processing & supply and help develop healthy food & drink choices to improve the Scots diet.
Press release ~ How Scotland’s science research institutes are contributing to our health and Scotland’s food & drink industry ~ University of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health ~ Macaulay Institute ~ Moredun Research Institute ~ Scottish Agricultural College ~ Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) ~ Healthy Eating, Active Living; An Action Plan To Improve Diet, Increase Physical Activity and Tackle Obesity
HO: Binge drinkers arrested for alcohol related offences in nine police force areas across the country will be compelled to face up to the consequences of their drinking. The Home Office is providing an additional £1m to police & drug alcohol teams for the roll-out of nine new alcohol arrest referral projects.
Under the scheme, offenders arrested for alcohol-related offences are referred to alcohol specialists who, over one or two sessions, assess the offender's drinking behaviour, the health risks to the individual and provide help & advice on reducing their alcohol consumption. Those with more complex alcohol misuse problems, and who are given a conditional caution, can be referred to more in-depth advice sessions. If they do not attend these advice sessions, they can be prosecuted for the original offence.
Press release ~ Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy ~ Evaluation of six Scottish Arrest Referral Pilot Schemes ~ Home Office – Alcohol related crime ~ Ealing ARPS – List of Trigger Offences
DWP: Good progress has been made in implementing the recommendations from the Major Incident Investigation Board (MIIB), the Government has claimed as it responds in detail to the MIIB's work. The Board has produced four substantive reports stating findings & recommendations (together with a further four progress reports) and the government has responded to those concerning the 'Design and operation of fuel storage sites' and 'Emergency preparedness for, response to and recovery from incidents'.
With regard to the remaining two substantive reports, one - The explosion mechanism advisory group report - is being progressed by a specialist group of regulators, academics, and industry representatives. For the other - Recommendations on land use planning and the control of societal risk around major hazard sites - Government consideration will be led by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will respond substantively in due course, once the recommendations have been fully considered.
Press release ~ The Buncefield Investigation: The Government and Competent Authority’s Response ~ Major Incident Investigation Board (MIIB) ~ Buncefield Investigation ~ Reports and recommendations arising from the Competent Authority's response to the Buncefield incident
DIUS: Learners will be more able to study in 'bite-sized chunks', building up a portfolio of accredited training which suits their individual needs under a new system approved by FE Minister Sion Simon. By 2010 all key vocational qualifications will be approved by Sector Skills Councils and readily available to learners in small, credit-based units of learning.
The new Qualifications and Credit Framework will enable people to gain qualifications at their own pace, from a number of sources, in a way that suits them - and to carry the modules with them if, for example, they change jobs. Employers will find it easier to find or develop employees with the skills they need for business success.
Press release ~ Qualifications and Credit Framework ~ Employer training accreditation ~ Association of Colleges (AoC) ~ Learning and Skills Council (LSC) ~ Sector Skills Councils
HO: The next generation of architects are being encouraged to consider & include innovative counter terrorism measures in their designs as part of a new Home Office competition. Students from across the country are invited to take part in the 'Public Spaces, Safer Places' initiative which asks them to think about security features and safety issues when designing a fictional public space.
The competition is a response to one of the recommendations Home Office Security Minister Lord West made last year in his review of how best to protect crowded places from terrorism. In particular, the need to do more to raise awareness of counter terrorism measures among professional bodies, such as architects and designers. The competition will close at the end of December 2008 and an award ceremony will be hosted by the Home Office in March 2009.
Press release ~ RSA Projects – Designing in Counter Terrorism ~ Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ~ Police National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) ~ Home Office Security Website
ScotGov: First Minister Alex Salmond has welcomed the publication of the European Commission's Strategic Energy Review which identifies a North Sea Offshore Grid as an infrastructure priority, saying:
"Never before have we been so well placed to become the green energy capital of Europe. The Commission's report designates the Blueprint for a North Sea Offshore Grid one of the six proposed infrastructure priorities……
This move is of great importance and significance to Scotland with our potential to generate up to 25 per cent of wave, wind and tidal power for the whole of Europe. Only yesterday, we published our pre-scoping study to define the potential of a full study for the North Sea grid”.
Press release ~ European Commission's Second Strategic Energy Review ~ Pre-Scoping Study to Determine Grid Requirements to Connect Renewable Energy off the Coasts of Northern Europe ~ Energy Policy: An Overview ~ Scotland's Energy Future ~ European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney ~ ScotGov – renewable energy ~ Scottish Renewables
ScotGov: A company developing a system to balance electricity supply & demand is one of 22 research projects to receive a share of £2.4m Scottish Government funding. Edinburgh-based Flexitricity Limited will receive £163,748 from the SMART:SCOTLAND awards scheme to help develop a system which enables electricity suppliers to accurately match electricity supply to demand, helping the National Grid to access electricity securely and avoid waste.
SMART:SCOTLAND provides grant assistance to support technical & commercial feasibility studies and research & development projects to develop a pre-production prototype of a new product or process.
