Jul42017
The water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country for the week ending on April 06, 2017 was 50.435 BCM, which is 32% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This percentage was at 33 for the week ending on March 30, 2017. The level of April 06, 2017 was 129% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 105% of storage of average of last ten years.
Jul42017
Emma
Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families, commenting on
the Children’s Commissioner’s report on measuring the number
of vulnerable children, said:
“The shocking
findings of this report should serve as a wake-up call to this Government who
have so far refused to even measure the scale of the problem let alone come up
with effective policy solutions.
“From the 800,000
children suffering from mental health difficulties, the 46,000 thought to be in
gangs, or the 119,000 homeless or in unstable housing, these figures lay out
the startling facts about the lives of vulnerable children who have largely
been ignored by this Government.
“The
Government should be taking action now to support every child and ensure that
they are safe, secure, and have a roof over their head.
“Labour will
enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law, as we tackle
the root causes of vulnerability, such as housing, crime, and poverty, deliver
universal infant free school meals to address food poverty and school based
counselling in secondary schools to support vulnerable children, as we ensure
every child gets the best possible start in life.”
Ends
Jul42017
Calon Cardio-Technology is preparing the UK’s first artificial heart pump for a 50-patient clinical trial in 2018.
The pioneering medical technology spin-out from Swansea University, based in the Institute of Life Science 2, has developed a miniaturised ventricular assist device (VAD) to be implanted directly into the left ventricle of a failing heart. This follows support from Finance Wales and Innovate UK.
Up to 60,000 new cases of advanced chronic heart failure are diagnosed every year in the UK, and 40% of those diagnosed die within 12 months.
Calon Cardio’s MiniVAD assists the weakened heart rather than replacing it. It could have a dramatic impact on quality of life for a significant number of patients.
It can slow or stall heart failure progression and prolong the life of patients waiting for a heart transplant. The MiniVAD is driven by an embedded electric motor and is powered by a battery pack worn by the user.
Existing VADs on the market are expensive, require extensive surgery for implantation and have been known to cause complications by damaging proteins and cells in the blood.
The MiniVAD addresses these problems with a smaller, lighter pump that requires less invasive surgery and causes less damage to the blood by allowing it to flow more gently. This also means it is more cost effective.
Innovate UK awarded Calon Cardio and Swansea University a Biomedical Catalyst grant of £1.66 million in 2013, to gather the necessary performance and safety data before applying to begin human clinical studies.
Stuart McConchie, Chief Executive of Calon Cardio, said it was the most-advanced pump of its kind, adding:
This is for a very sick group of people and there are millions of them in the world, and hundreds of thousands in the UK.
It is the first British pump to be built for this purpose: to treat blood which is flowing through the pump extremely gently and to minimise damage to the blood.
Patients don’t have return to hospital for correction of adverse events related to blood handing, so the absolute cost benefit becomes substantial.
Jul42017
The Principal & Chief Executive of SRUC, Professor Wayne Powell, will sit on the new Women in Agriculture taskforce announced at the Royal Highland Show by the First Minister.
Jul42017
He is urging people and organisations to come forward with ideas which could be developed into new Welsh taxes.
The Wales Act 2014 provides the Welsh Government with powers to put forward proposals for the development of new taxes in areas of devolved responsibility. These proposals must be agreed by the National Assembly, UK Government and both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
During a debate in the Senedd today, the Finance Secretary will outline his intention to test the new Wales Act powers and outline some of the tax ideas which have already been put forward by the Bevan Foundation. These include ideas around tourism and takeaway packaging and funding social care.
The Finance Secretary will also suggest that taxation could be used to change behaviours or to discourage activity which has negative social impacts.
The debate follows the passage of two tax Bills by the National Assembly for Wales, which pave the way for the introduction of two devolved taxes in April 2018 – land transaction tax, which replaces stamp duty land tax and landfill disposals tax, which replaces landfill tax.
Professor Drakeford will say:
“In nine months’ time the Welsh Government will raise our own taxes for the first time in almost 800 years. It marks a new relationship between the Welsh Government, the National Assembly, the Welsh taxpayer and devolved public services.
“The power to propose new taxes is an important lever, which we can use to change behaviours and deliver improvements for our communities. That is why I want to start a genuine debate about how we use these powers to support our commitment to fairness, wellbeing and growth.
“A number of ideas have already been put forward in the Bevan Foundation’s report Tax for Good. Other ideas for new taxes to support Welsh ideas, such as a tax to fund social care have also been suggested.
“Alternatively, we could use these powers to change behaviour or decrease negative practices, such as targeting land-banking through a levy on unused land. New taxes also presents us with an opportunity to build on Wales’ strengths, where we could consider taxes which aim to increase levels of recycling or perhaps look at a tourism tax.
“I am keen to consider all ideas and want to start a conversation around new taxes – with all political parties; with the public; businesses and organisations across Wales. I urge everyone to get involved, share their ideas with us and help us shape future Welsh taxes.”
A shortlist of ideas for new Welsh taxes will be considered in the autumn.
To get involved and put forward your ideas, please email FinancialReformMailbox@wales.gsi.gov.uk .