News Archive

21/5/2024

Don't Lose Out - Extend Child Benefit For Your 16 To 19 Year Old

How to claim Child Benefit if your child is continuing in further education after their GCSEs.   More than a million parents will receive reminders from this week to extend Child Benefit for their teenagers if they are continuing their education or training after their GCSEs.  

21/5/2024

AI Technology To Help Cut Cancer Waiting Lists

Game-changing AI technology will be rolled out to all radiography departments in England in a matter of weeks - backed by £15.5 million in new Government funding.   Game-changing AI technology rolled out to all radiography departments.  

20/5/2024

 
New Independent Institute To Steer UK Semiconductor Innovation And Support Semiconductor Strategy

UK Semiconductor Institute announced to support key components of the government's Semiconductor Strategy.   a new independent institute will be tasked with building on government's £1 billion strategy to grow the semiconductor sector with independence from government, the Institute will promote the voice of industry.  

20/5/2024

 
Export Of Live Animals Banned From Today

A new ban on exporting live animals came into law today (Monday 20 May) as the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act received Royal Assent, capitalising on a post-Brexit freedoms and bolstering the UK's position as a world leader in animal welfare standards.   The legislation delivers on a key manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animals including cattle, sheep, and pigs for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain.  

20/5/2024

 
Chief Plant Health Officer Urges Increased Asian Hornet Vigilance

Call for public and UK beekeepers to keep watch and report any sightings of Asian hornets this summer.   The UK's Chief Plant Health Officer Professor Nicola Spence is today (Monday 20 May) urging UK beekeepers and the public to be increasingly vigilant to the presence of Asian hornet and report any sightings as we move into the peak summer season.  

20/5/2024

 
Self-driving Vehicles Set To Be On Roads By 2026 As Automated Vehicles Act Becomes Law

Road safety is at the heart of the legislation, with automated vehicles expected to improve road safety by reducing human error.   self-driving vehicles could be on British roads in just 2 years as new law receives Royal Assent.  

20/5/2024

Support For Start-up Businesses

Extra investment to grow and nurture high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs has been announced.   The £5 million package will help deliver end-to-end support for Scotland's start-up companies.  

20/5/2024

 
Update On Driver CPC Reforms

The regulations have been laid in parliament for the planned reforms to Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).   The recommendations were made following a consultation with the vocational driving industry, you can read more details about the recommended reforms on GOV.UK.  

20/5/2024

UKAEA Renews Engineering Framework Agreement To Boost Fusion In England - Scottish Government Still Opposes It

Four-year Engineering Design Services Framework is renewed with nine companies.   The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has renewed its multimillion-pound Engineering Design Services Framework ("the Framework") with nine companies.  

19/5/2024

Businesses Set To Benefit As Uk Concludes Tax Agreement With Peru And Ratifies Deal To Join Major Indo-pacific Trade Bloc

Trade Minister Greg Hands visits Peru as UK ratifies deal to join CPTPP and concludes tax treaty.   UK wraps up key step to joining CPTPP - worth £12 trillion in global GDP upon our entry - by ratifying the terms of our agreement to join the trade group.  

19/5/2024

 
Answer The ** Phone - Richard Murphy

I hate being told when I'm hanging on the phone that whoever I'm calling thinks my call is valuable to them.  Well, if it is, answer the *** call.  

19/5/2024

 
The Future Of Uk Finance - Economic Secretary To The Treasury Bim Afolami Delivers Keynote Speech

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Bim Afolami delivers keynote speech at UK Finance at Bright Blue event in partnership with Virgin Money.   Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for the introduction.  

19/5/2024

 
New Secure School To Protect Public And Cut Crime In England

Serious young offenders will be turned away from gangs and knife crime through rigorous education and training at the country's first Secure School.   new secure school to get young offenders away from crime set to open.  

18/5/2024 : Advisory / Counseling Services

 
Manufacturing Innovation Centre For Moray Receives £5.6m Approval

Plans to establish a new facility in Moray that is expected to support up to 300 manufacturing jobs in the next ten years have secured up to £5.6m capital investment.   The Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved its funding contribution for the new Manufacturing Innovation Centre Moray (MICM), a Moray Growth Deal project that includes more than £4m of UK and Scottish Government funding.  

18/5/2024

 
We Need Proportional Representation, Now

People in the UK like to think we live in a democracy.  But we don't.  

18/5/2024

New First Minister - New Approach On The Economy?

Non Friday 17 May 2024 the new First Minister John Swinney set out his broad economic aspirations for Scotland.  In a speech at the impressive Barclays Glasgow Campus (which he said embodied the ambition he wished to have for the economy), he set out the vision he had for Scotland to have a strong, successful, innovative and dynamic economy.  

18/5/2024

Biggest Inflation Shock In Over 40 Years Has Turned Britain Into A Nation Of Savers

Official data next Wednesday looks set to show inflation returning to close to the two per cent target, drawing a line under a three-year inflation spike that has left British households spending less and saving more, according to new Resolution Foundation research published on Friday 17 May 2024.   With CPI inflation for April set to fall within touching distance of the Bank of England's two per cent target for the time since July 2021, the report examines the scale of Britain’s inflation shock, and how it has affected living standards, spending behaviour and the public finances.  

18/5/2024

 
Paying The Price - How The Inflation Surge Has Reshaped The British Economy

The UK has experienced its highest inflation for more than 40 years, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  But next week will bring the welcome news that inflation has returned close to the 2 per cent target for the first time since July 2021.  

17/5/2024 : Local Authority

Focus On Tourism As Representatives Gather

Yesterday, Thursday 16 May, representatives from the tourism sector in the Highlands gathered in Inverness to take part in a Sustainable Tourism Strategy Workshop hosted by The Highland Council.   The meeting, which was well attended with representatives from across Highland and different interests, follows the launch of the Council's public consultation on its Draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy.  

17/5/2024

 
UK auditors are rubbish at their jobs - Richard Murphy

UK auditors are rubbish at their jobs.  Major audit failures - on Carillion, BHS, Patisserie Valerie and others - prove that, as do the £150 million or so of fines large audit firms have paid for substandard audit work in the last decade or so.