Future vaccine modifications that respond to new variants of coronavirus to be made available quickly to UK recipients, without compromising on safety, quality or effectiveness. Authorised COVID-19 vaccines that are modified in response to new variants will not need a brand new approval or "lengthy" clinical studies, according to new guidance from the ACCESS Consortium - a coalition of regulatory authorities from the UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland.
Rishi Sunak has unveiled his second budget as UK chancellor a year into the coronavirus pandemic and during the worst economic collapse in centuries. Our panel of experts offer their views on what he has announced.
Initial IFS response IFS Director Paul Johnson said: "What we can be sure of is that Rishi Sunak has spent big again, extending some support right through 2021 at a cost of an additional £60 billion or more. As a result borrowing is now forecast to again be above 10% of national income in the coming financial year.
A few comments from various sources today. Budget response: No mention of productivity Chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled his budget, designed to help the economy recover from the effects of covid-19.
From the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The Spring 2021 Budget is due to be delivered on 3 March, and will be the first one since the UK entered a series of lockdowns and Great Britain left the EU's Single Market and Customs Union.
Parliament set to be second worst for living standards on record. The Chancellor made the right judgement in yesterday's bigger than expected Budget, by supporting the recovery in the next two years before turning to raising taxes in the middle of the decade - but he may have more work to do in order to plug gaps in support, tackle the living standards scarring from the crisis, and avoid another tight squeeze on public services, according to the Resolution Foundation's overnight analysis of Budget 2021.
From the Fraser of Allender Institute of Strathclyde University. Rishi Sunak's 2021 budget was delivered in three parts.
From The Conversation web site. What a difference a year makes.
500 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 24,723 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results - 2.5% of these were positive.
Council confirms funding for Wick John O'Groats Airport The Chair of the Caithness Committee, Cllr Nicola Sinclair has welcomed the decision by the Highland Council, as part of its collaborative budget setting meeting held earlier today (Thursday 4 March), to earmark £300,000 to go towards the creation of the public service obligation for Wick John O’Groats Airport. The money will go with the funding already secured from the Scottish and UK Governments.
Property Tax or Stamp duty payable on buying a house in England has once again been given and extension to reliefs in the budget. The Scottish Government is under pressure to extend a relief on property sale taxes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the equivalent scheme in England would run until the end of June.
More than 10,000 tests for people without symptoms. More than 10,000 tests have been carried out on people without coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms since 18 January, according to the latest Public Health Scotland figures.
Eligible residents across the Highlands could benefit from up to 100% Scottish Government grant funding available for First Time Central Heating. This would be delivered through the installation of an air source heat pump, new radiators and new controls.
Release of documents to assist committee inquiry. Additional legal advice documents relating to the judicial review brought by Alex Salmond have been published by the Scottish Government.
The Government has announced a plan to guarantee mortgages with five per cent deposits, encouraging banks to lend to those with smaller savings pots. In the Budget on 3 March 2021, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed that the Government would back the home loans, which will be available on homes costing up to £600,000.
Researchers in the north of Scotland and Wales are trialling a new method of measuring tidal currents which could revolutionise the marine renewables industry. The project, led by scientists from the University of the Highlands and Islands, will use drones to film the movement of water then apply algorithms to determine its speed.
When you think of bees, a hive humming with activity probably comes to mind. But most of the world's 20,000 bee species don't call a hive home.
The CNSFund has committed over £79k to community groups in Caithness & North Sutherland in its recent grant rounds. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a wide range of community-led projects throughout the Dounreay travel to work area are to benefit from the grant support.
In advance of Nicola Sturgeon appearing as witness at committee on Wednesday 3rd March and under threat by the conservatives of a vote of no confidence in Deputy Minister John Swinney legal advice tot eh Scottish Government has now been published. Key legal advice received about the judicial review brought by Alex Salmond has been published by the Scottish Government today.
Drip Capital, based in the US, takes the winning spot as the leading business lending company, with the brand seeing an increase of traffic by 17,000% Invest in your blog content: Brands that saw increased traffic to their blog in 2020 also saw an uplift in traffic and traffic value The UK is becoming the second-largest fintech market in the world with growing investment and startups. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, business lending is expected to see a surge due to many new businesses being launched and existing businesses needing support that may not be available from banks.
