Tag Archives: GB

News story: Public sector pay awards for 2017-18

Pay awards for armed forces, NHS staff and doctors and dentists set out by government.

The government has today (28 March 2017) set out the pay awards for armed forces, NHS Agenda for Change staff and doctors and dentists in line with the policy of an average 1% pay rise in 2016-17.

The government asked the following Pay Review Bodies to examine how an increase to base pay could be applied in line with the government’s policy of an average of 1% across the workforces:

  • Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB)
  • NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB)
  • Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB)

The government has accepted the recommendations for the armed forces, NHS Agenda for Change staff and doctors and dentists to receive an average of a 1% pay increase.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, said:

It is always important to recognise the amazing work undertaken every day by our armed forces, doctors and dentists and NHS staff. The settlement for these key workforces protects jobs and helps repair the public finances. The OBR has forecast that the current pay policy will protect approximately 200,000 jobs across the UK.

I am pleased that we are able to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies, and I thank them for their work.

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HM Government •

News story: Cancer innovation challenge in Scotland: apply for funding

Organisations can apply for a share of £325,000 to find new ways of recording and integrating data on patient outcomes and experiences.

Up to £325,000 is available to fund the development of innovative technologies that find new ways of integrating data into Scotland-wide healthcare processes. The aim is to improve patient care.

These technologies should record and integrate cancer patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient reported experience measures (PREMs). This will:

  • improve experiences of treatment, care, and personal outcomes
  • explore the clinical and psychosocial impact of new and established cancer treatment
  • make better use of NHS resources by reducing waste and inefficient practices
  • speed up the adoption of new technologies into the NHS through efficient evaluation mechanisms
  • create high value research infrastructure with global reach

This competition has 2 phases. Up to £125,000 (including VAT) is available for phase 1, and up to £200,000 (including VAT) for Phase 2:

  • Phase 1: technical feasibility. Projects should last up to 3 months and range in size up to a total cost of £25,000
  • Phase 2: development and evaluation. Projects should last up to 6 months and range in size up to a total cost of £100,000
  • this competition opens on 31 March 2017
  • you must register before 15 May 2017
  • you must apply by 29 May 2017
  • there will be an information session for potential applicants on 19 April 2017 in Edinburgh (register by 10 April)
  • organisations can carry out the project on their own or work with others

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition. The Data Lab – funded by the Scottish Funding Council – DHI Scotland and Stratified Medicine Scotland will fund this competition.

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HM Government •

Press release: Improvements for drivers on M1 in East Midlands

Motorists using the M1 in the East Midlands are set to benefit from better, more reliable journeys as part of a £120m upgrade starting next week.

Highways England will be improving 7.5 miles of the vital route in a project which will make journeys faster and more reliable by providing a much needed extra lane in each direction, particularly around East Midlands Airport.

The work, which starts on 30 March, is part of a major government investment worth £15bn to build a modern and resilient road network.

Highways England project manager David Cooke said:

Drivers currently experience congestion and unreliable journey times at busy periods and traffic is predicted to increase, particularly with the growth expected at East Midlands Airport.

By upgrading this stretch of motorway, Highways England will reduce congestion and improve travel times and make journeys more reliable.

This work will also support the economy and boost economic growth within the region by improving traffic flow on the motorway reducing the cost of economic delay to commuters and business traffic.

The M1 is a strategic route that carries more than 130,000 vehicles per day between Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It will be upgraded to smart motorway between Diseworth (junction 23a) and Risley (junction 25).

The scheme will also introduce new CCTV cameras and electronic information signs and signals on gantries – these will show the variable mandatory speed limits and manage traffic flow and incidents.

Emergency refuge areas will also be installed throughout the length of the scheme with the installation of a reinforced barrier and hardened central reserve to further improve safety.

Between Diseworth and Kegworth (junction 24) the hard shoulder will be used at peak times, and between Kegworth and Risley it will be permanently converted to a fourth traffic lane.

The work is due for completion in winter 2018.

Elsewhere, motorists are also being reminded that there will be a contraflow in place on the M1 between junction 24 for Kegworth to A453/ A42 Finger Farm Roundabout (near East Midlands Airport) while development work starts on the East Midlands Gateway scheme.

For more information about the smart motorway upgrade, visit the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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HM Government •

News story: £100 million a year boost for energy intensive industries

Regulations to save heavy electricity users like steel and chemical companies around £100 million a year in energy costs have been laid in parliament today.

The government expects the new measures to benefit over 130 eligible energy intensive companies across the UK in sectors including steel, chemicals, glass and cement. The new measures will exempt these companies from a proportion of costs of the Contracts for Difference scheme, which is designed to encourage investment in low-carbon energy generation.

Contracts for Difference are won through a competitive process which drives down costs and guarantees companies a certain price for the low-carbon electricity they produce for a set number of years. This gives them the support and certainty they need to attract investment and get projects off the ground.

The costs of funding the scheme are recovered through a levy on energy suppliers which is passed on to domestic and business energy bills. This only makes up a minor part of most electricity bills, but has a more significant impact on those industries that use a lot of electricity.

The government committed in the Industrial Strategy green paper to minimise business costs and commission a review of the opportunities to reduce the cost of achieving our decarbonisation goals in the power and industrial sectors.

Energy Minister Jesse Norman said:

We want the UK to be one of the best places in the world to build and grow a business, and that means creating the right conditions for companies to thrive and succeed.

These industries are worth £52 billion to the UK economy, support 600,000 jobs and produce essential products that people use every day. That is why we have taken this action to support them.

Although energy costs on average account for 3% of UK business expenditure, there are 15 sectors where this reaches 10%.

In addition to the support announced today the government is continuing discussions with the European Union about securing further exemptions from policy costs for energy intensive industries. In the meantime a compensation scheme for the policy costs of the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariff schemes remains in place.

  1. The government launched a consultation into the proposed Contracts for Difference exemption for energy intensive industries last year. The response to this consultation has been published today.

  2. The other policy costs the government is seeking exemptions for energy intensive industries from are the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in-Tariffs. Discussions with the European Union are continuing about securing these exemptions and we will make a further announcement in due course.

  3. The energy intensive companies receiving relief are typically located in areas with above average unemployment. Over half of energy intensive industry compensation is paid to sites in the bottom 18% of local authorities by claimant count.

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HM Government •