Students invited to apply now for finance as the application service launches for 21/22

Press release

Students in England are being encouraged to apply for student finance as soon as possible to ensure their finances are in place for the new academic year.

Full-time undergraduate students in England are being encouraged to apply now for student finance, as the application service opens for the 21/22 academic year. So far this year, The Student Loans Company (SLC) has funded over 1 million students and anticipates an increase in applications for academic year 21/22.

The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/ and students should do so as soon as possible to ensure their finance is in place for the start of term. Students should apply now even if they are unsure what course they will be doing or what university they will attend.

The application service opened during SLC’s Student Money Week (1-5 March). Throughout the week, students and their parents and partners will be able to access information about the application process via a series of online Q&A sessions and Facebook events hosted by SLC’s team of expert customer advisors.

Applying for student finance is straightforward and students can make the process easier by following the tips below:

  • Apply Early

    Apply as early as possible to make sure your finances are in place before your studies start. The deadline to apply is 21 May for new students and 25 June for continuing students. Even if you don’t know what course you are doing, you should apply now, just use the course you think you are most likely to do and you can update the application later if required.

  • Make sure you understand how much funding you may be entitled to

    You can apply for Tuition Fee Loans to cover your fees and Maintenance Loans to help with living costs. You can use the student finance calculator to get an estimate of how much you could be entitled to https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator

  • Have your important documents at hand

    Have your National Insurance Number and UK passport details to hand before you start your application as you will be asked for this information when you apply.

  • Provide your supporting evidence online

    Don’t forget to submit any evidence you are asked for. All evidence apart from some forms of ID or residency evidence can be submitted digitally via your online account.

  • Ensure that you tell us if you have studied before

    If you have studied before it could affect your eligibility – even if your previous course was self-funded. Make sure to submit your application early so your entitlement can be confirmed.

  • There may be circumstances where you are able to access some extra money, for example if you are disabled, have children or are studying for a medical, social work or teaching course. You can find out more about what is available here. https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help

  • Follow Student Finance England (SFE) on Facebook and Twitter

    Students can get all the latest information on student finance and put their questions to our customer advisors via the SFE social media channels.

Derek Ross, SLC Executive Director of Operations, said: “The launch of the application service signals that it is time for students to get on with the important business of organising their finances. We expect it to be a busy year with more applications than ever and are urging students to apply now. Students that apply before the deadline can be confident knowing their finance will be in place for the start of term.”

“Resources are available online to help students and their parents and partners with their applications and they can also follow Student Finance England on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest student finance information.”

New and returning students can apply online at https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/

Published 3 March 2021



Job Advert for 2 Biologicals Assessors

News story

Details about 2 vacancies for Biologicals Assessors in the VMD’s Biologicals team.

Veterniary Medicines Directorate Building

Job Title

Biologicals Assessor

Grade

Grade 7

Office base

Addlestone, Surrey

Salary & Pension

£52,289 per annum with Pension Scheme

Annual Leave entitlement

Commencing at 25 days

Role

These exciting and interesting jobs put you at the heart of the important work of the VMD’s Biologicals Team and your primary role will be to authorise biological/immunological veterinary medicinal products in the UK.

You will be responsible for the scientific evaluation of data packages against UK requirements for quality, safety and efficacy and making recommendations on the suitability of the product for use in animals.

Your work will play a major role in availability and assuring quality, safety and efficacy of these products in the UK. You will also play an influential role in shaping the regulation and scientific assessment of novel products in the veterinary medicines’ arena.

Qualifications

You must have a higher degree obtained by research in a relevant biological scientific discipline together with the experience outlined in our online prospectus.

Skills

You will have practical experience in the development and/or manufacturing processes of biological/immunological medicinal products and postgraduate experience which has given you a thorough working knowledge of biological medicinal product development and/or manufacturing processes, for example in the pharmaceutical industry.

How to apply

You must make your application via the Civil Service Jobs Website where you will find a full job description including salary details.

Closing Date

31st March 2021

Published 3 March 2021



Change of British High Commissioner to Ghana: Harriet Thompson

Press release

Ms Harriet Thompson has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana and Non-resident British High Commissioner to the Republic of Benin.

Ms Harriet Thompson has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana and Non-resident British High Commissioner to the Republic of Benin in succession to Mr Iain Walker who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Thompson will take up her appointment during Summer 2021.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Harriet Clare Thompson

Married to: Nicholas Paul Thompson

Children: Three

Year Role
2019 to 2020 Lagos, Head of Mission and Deputy to the British High Commissioner in Nigeria
2016 to 2019 Abuja, Deputy Head of Mission and Deputy to the British High Commissioner in Nigeria
2015 to 2016 HM Revenue and Customs, Head, Fraud Investigation Service Transformation
2015 Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Team Leader, Strategic Review of Business Energy Efficiency Policy
2011 to 2013 DECC, Head, Institutional Arrangements, Electricity Market Reform
2010 to 2011 DECC, Head, International Climate Change Negotiations
2009 to 2010 Home Office, Head, Strategic Centre for Organised Crime, Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit Review
2008 to 2009 Freetown, Governance Advisor, Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative, Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture
2006 to 2008 Home Office, Deputy Head, Delivery Unit and Project Manager, Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit
2003 to 2006 Brussels, Second Secretary (Trade), UK Permanent Representation to the EU
2001 to 2003 Department of Trade and Industry, EU Policy Advisor, Energy, Digital Communications

Further information – Newsdesk

All the latest news is available on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office page of the gov.uk website at: www.gov.uk/fcdo

Published 3 March 2021



Medical matters

Many common medical conditions can affect your ability to drive and could put you and other road users at risk. Around 49 million people hold a GB driving licence with around 757,000 drivers telling us about their medical condition last year. But how do medical professionals know which conditions will affect our driving?

To help clinicians assess their patients’ fitness to drive, we provide an ‘Assessing fitness to drive: guide for medical professionals’ (AFTD) and update it every 6 months.

My role and AFTD

I joined DVLA in March 2015, bringing around 38 years’ experience – first as a doctor, then a surgeon, and finally as an A&E consultant. This background has been essential in this job, reminding me that there’s an individual behind each case.

I work with DVLA management colleagues as well as being the professional lead for DVLA doctors and act as the conduit between DVLA doctors and the General Medical Council (GMC).

Part of my role is to lead on updating AFTD.

AFTD helps clinicians decide if a patient’s ability to drive might be impaired by a medical condition, treatment, or even certain medications. They use AFTD to advise their patients if they need to tell DVLA about their medical condition and if they can meet the medical standard to drive.

It also helps clinicians provide advice on driving while DVLA makes medical enquiries about the patient.

Dr Nick Jenkins, DVLA’s Senior Doctor.

Medical panels

Twice a year, we host Secretary of State medical panel meetings about each type of condition that could affect driving and these panels corresponds with a chapter in AFTD .

The medical panel comprises of independent nationally and internationally renowned medical experts in each field: me as Senior Doctor (or my deputy), staff from our medical areas, and lay members who offer the perspective of those using our services. We talk about any changes in medicine related to the topic, any issues that have arisen in that field, and any complex medical cases.

Last year this worked slightly differently. When the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the first lockdown in 2020, we immediately turned our focus on contingency planning for the autumn round of panels and how we would host them through conferencing software.

The autumn panels played out seamlessly and we’ve had some great feedback from those involved. It’s really given us opportunities to work smarter.

After the panel meetings

Once we’ve agreed what changes need to be made we make arrangements to update AFTD. Some updates are more complex than others, so we work closely with the relevant medical charities to make sure the changes cover everything needed.

The guidance is updated and published on GOV.UK. As soon as the guidance goes live, we tell DVLA colleagues, the GMC and our email subscribers. We’ll also have updated the corresponding medical pages within ‘Check if a health condition affects your driving’ (an A-Z guide of medical conditions).

By law you must tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. The A-Z guide helps you meet your legal responsibility, as it tells you which conditions you need to tell us about (and the ones you do not).

What happens after you’ve told us about your medical condition

We may need to make further investigations, get reports from your consultant, or contact your doctor. This can sometimes take a bit of time, especially if doctors are busy, but while your application is with us you may still be able to drive under Section 88 of The Road Traffic Act. You should speak with your doctor about the Section 88 criteria and decide whether you should drive while you are waiting for a licence to be issued.

Most people who report a medical condition, which can be done online, get to keep their driving licence. We may issue a short-term licence (1 to 5 years) if you’ve got a medical condition considered to be progressive.

This is because we’ll need to assess the ongoing stability of the condition or consider the risk of recurrence of an episode being below a certain threshold. Examples of this kind of condition are dementia, epilepsy, and diabetes.

If you’re a driver and have had, or currently suffer from, a medical condition or disability that affects your driving, you must tell DVLA.

If you’re a medical professional you can keep up to date with any future changes to the guidance, including changes to medical standards, by signing up for our email alert service. Simply go to the option named ‘DVLA Stakeholders’ and select ‘Medical Professionals’.

Follow DVLA on Twitter, follow us on Facebook and connect with us on LinkedIn. You can subscribe to the DVLA digital services blog.

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Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Lebanon: Ian Collard

Press release

Dr Ian Collard OBE has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic.

Dr Ian Collard OBE

Dr Ian Collard OBE has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic. Dr Collard will take up his appointment during Summer 2021.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Ian Frank Collard

Married to: Tamara Collard

Children: Four daughters

2020 to present Kabul, Deputy Head of Mission
2017 to 2019 FCO, Head, Counter-Terrorism Department
2013 to 2017 Panama City, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
2011 to 2013 FCO, Head, North America Department
2012 FCO, Olympics Silver Command, Counter-Terrorism Department
2008 to 2011 Washington, First Secretary (Political)
2005 to 2008 New York, Second Secretary (Political), UK Mission to the United Nations
2003 to 2004 FCO, Desk Officer, UN/International Organisations Department
2002 to 2003 FCO, Desk Officer, Middle East Department
2002 Joined FCO

Published 3 March 2021