Latest news with #PlanforChange
North Wales Live
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Prime Minister meets trainee pilots and sees a flight simulator at RAF Valley
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met trainee pilots and their families and was shown a flight simulator on a visit to RAF Valley on Anglesey. The No 10. leader made the visit yesterday to help mark Armed Forces Day today as he prepared to attend the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno. Armed Forces Day takes place on the last Saturday of June. It is a chance to show support for the men and women who make up the UK's military units. The PM was joined at RAF Valley by Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens MP. Today on Armed Forces Day there will be events to support serving personnel, service families, veterans and cadets. They will take place across the country with a national event in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday It comes as the Government confirms plans for the first time that all government departments will have to legally consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when making new policy. More details of the legal duty will be set out in due course but could include initiatives such as extending travel benefits to the families of veterans and the bereaved, or flexible working for partners of serving personnel who are required to move as part for their role in the Armed Forces. The Government says this delivers on a manifesto promise and is part of the Government's commitment to renew the nation's contract with those who serve and following the Strategic Defence Review, which underscored the role the Armed Forces play in protecting our national security, which it says is the foundation of the Government's Plan for Change. The Government says it is committed to renewing its contract with the Armed Forces community, delivering two above inflation pay awards for service personnel and an extra £1.5bn investment this parliament to improve forces' family housing through the Strategic Defence Review. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'Across the country and around the world, our service personnel and their families make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protect our freedom and our way of life. 'When I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us. Through the new Armed Forces Covenant, we are delivering on that promise - ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve - that is our duty."
Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Launch of New Total-Body Scanner Extends UK's World-Class Imaging Platform to Scotland
Scotland's first total-body scanner is now operational at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. It is co-managed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, delivered by the National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP), and run by UKRI's Medical Research Council, Innovate UK and Medicines Discovery Catapult. NPIP is funded by a £32m investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK is driving the adoption of this game-changing technology through NPIP, which is a strategic concentration of clinical capability that attracts industry investment. It also establishes a platform for the development of new precision radiopharmaceuticals: an area in which the UK can regain a world-leading position. This expanded national network improves patient care in Scotland by adding further diagnostic capacity and enhancing cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and inflammatory disease diagnosis and treatment. It also attracts industry to trial their newest drugs in the region and inventors to develop and test world-class AI and diagnostics tools. These objectives align closely with the UK government's Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Cowan, a patient at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, commented on his experience of the total-body PET scanner: 'After coming into hospital with a stroke, the doctors could not tell me what had caused my stroke which was worrying for me. I seized the opportunity to volunteer to take part in a research project using the very latest total-body PET scanner and it was able to pinpoint exactly what had caused my stroke, where the blood clot had come from and what treatment I needed. I am delighted that this scan has given me peace of mind and ensured that I am on the right treatment.' NPIP UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: 'Many of the great medical discoveries of the last century have roots in Scotland. 'Edinburgh's new total body scanner will help more patients to live longer, healthier lives through earlier detection, faster diagnoses and more effective treatment in complex illnesses like cancer, dementia and heart disease for years to come. Backing our top researchers with cutting edge technology will be key to the next medical breakthroughs that improve lives and drive the economic growth at the heart of the UK Government's Plan for Change.' Celebrating the launch, Professor Chris Molloy, Chief Executive of MedicinesDiscovery Catapult, said: 'The national platform we have created allows the combined power of technology and data to be harnessed, attracting industry to test their new treatments here in the UK for the benefit of our patients and our economy. It shows what's possible when strategic public funding, clinical expertise, industry knowledge and academic excellence come together around a shared national purpose. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'These revolutionary scanners help save lives and create large-scale capability for radiopharmaceuticals and AI-enabling datasets.' Professor Chris Molloy, CEO, MDC Dr Juliana Maynard, Director of Operations and Engagement, NPIP, said: 'We see the NPIP network asbothCritical and Clinical National Infrastructure; a connected nationwide network for data sharing, discovery and innovation we could only dream of a decade ago. Using these total-body PET scanners, we can observe disease in real time, across the entire body and now, throughout the entire country. That's game-changing for drug discovery and treatment in the UK and, more importantly, for how quickly patients can benefit from it. 'Researchers will gain access to vastly improved clinical data, not only by tapping into the network for their own trials, but from every study connected to the platform. This will create an unprecedented level of collaboration in imaging, putting the UK on the world map as a centre of excellence.' Glenn Wells, Deputy Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UKRI, said: "UKRI's Infrastructure Fund plays a pivotal role in enabling researchers and innovators across the UK to access world-class facilities and equipment that drive meaningful advances in healthcare. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "The National PET Imaging Platform will unite the clinical imaging community across the UK through a network of cutting-edge total body PET scanners. These scanners deliver enhanced speed, diagnostic accuracy, patient comfort, and accessibility. The platform will foster deeper collaboration between academia, industry, and clinical practice, and will support research across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, including those that have been historically underserved, such as endometriosis." NPIP Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, said: "Scotland's first total-body scanner becoming operational at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh is a game changer for patients and our world leading medical research sector. Funded by the UK Government, this scanner will help save lives by enabling earlier disease detection. It will also provide for a better patient experience and give our experts new insights into drug development. 'Scotland's life sciences sector is a core strand of the UK Government's 10-year Industrial Strategy launched this week to improve people's lives and grow the economy as part of our Plan for Change."
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Successive governments have failed to turn bus services around, watchdog says
Attempts by successive governments to improve bus services and attract more passengers have failed, according to the spending watchdog. Services have been reduced and passenger numbers are below pre-coronavirus levels, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The study, which covers England outside London, warned that the sector's commercial viability has weakened as revenues have fallen and costs have risen. It warned that rural and suburban areas face a 'cycle of decline' whereby services are withdrawn because of low demand, which leads to a further fall in passenger numbers and more cuts. Most local bus services are run by private companies, who set routes and timetables aimed at making a profit. Some services seen as socially necessary are financially supported by local transport authorities. Public funding to bus operators accounted for half their revenue in 2023/24, at £1.8 billion. In February 2020, then-Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson pledged £3 billion in funding over five years for buses. The Department for Transport (DfT) published a national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better, in March 2021, which set out that the department wanted services to be more frequent, cheaper and better integrated with other forms of transport. The NAO said the total number of bus journeys made in the year to the end of March 2024 was 1.78 billion, down 9% from 1.96 billion in 2019/20. Over the same period, the mileage covered by buses fell by 15%. Following Labour's success in the July 2024 general election, the Bus Back Better strategy is no longer government policy. The DfT's Bus Services Bill – which is at committee stage in the House of Commons – will lead to an overhaul of buses by giving all local transport authorities new powers to run their own services. But the NAO noted that this franchising model is 'difficult and expensive' to adopt, and recommended that the department should better target the support it gives different local transport authorities depending on their needs. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: 'Bus travel should be an easy and reliable transport choice but governments' attempts to improve services have not always worked. 'DfT should work with local transport authorities and the bus sector to maximise the impact of the available resources in reversing the decline in bus usage.' A DfT spokesperson said: 'Better buses are around the corner and are central to the Government's Plan for Change— connecting communities, strengthening the local economy, and boosting access to jobs. 'After decades of decline, we're providing a record £1 billion investment to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country. 'Our landmark Bus Bill, now progressing through parliament, will protect routes and prevent services from being scrapped – putting buses back into local control and bringing passengers back to the heart of buses.' Graham Vidler, chief executive of industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said commercial operators 'delivered growth' in many towns and cities by investing in new routes, zero-emission buses and more frequent services. He went on: 'With a level of public investment still low by European standards, passenger numbers outside London grew by 15% last year and 83% of customers said they were satisfied. 'We do not recognise the description of an industry with weakening commercial viability. 'What's crucial going forward is that public funding delivers the outcomes that matter to passengers. 'More buses to more destinations with quick, reliable journey times should be front and centre of investment plans.' Unite national officer Wayne King, said: 'Unite is unsurprised to hear of these findings. We have seen it in the decimation of rural bus services, hitting communities that need regular quality bus services the most. 'While public funding has provided profit for private companies communities are left in travel poverty with poor pay and conditions for workers in the sector. There has also been an increase in travel poverty among passengers.
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Government told to set out plan to tackle ‘significant challenges' with T-levels
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called on the Government to set out its plan to tackle the 'significant challenges' that remain with rolling out post-16 T-level qualifications in England. T-levels have a 'critical role' to play in providing young people with the skills needed to address vital skills gaps across the economy, according to the report from the cross-party group of MPs. But it added that the 'success' and value for money of T-levels relies on increasing student numbers. The first T-levels were introduced in September 2020 to help meet the needs of industry and prepare students for work. The two-year courses, which are considered to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels, are being gradually rolled out in England. But the PAC report said only half of Year 9 to 11 students had heard of T-levels in 2023, and only a third of employers, who offer industry placements required to finish the T-level, are aware of them. The Department for Education's (DfE) latest forecast of 66,100 T-level starters in September 2029 is significantly more than the 25,508 students who started the qualification in September 2024, it added. The PAC also found that women and disadvantaged students are underrepresented in some T-level courses such as engineering. The MPs have called on the DfE to develop a structured plan, within six months, setting out its 'campaign approach' to increasing student awareness and enrolments in T-levels. The DfE should address how the curriculum can be tailored to appeal to a diverse student group while meeting employers' needs, they added. The PAC report warns that it has been 'unclear' to students, teachers and colleges how T-levels fit alongside other technical qualifications. It comes after the Government announced plans in December to scrap more than 200 vocational qualifications that had either no enrolments, or fewer than 100 per year over the last three years. As part of the review of post-16 qualifications, the Government said it will keep about 70% of vocational courses, including BTecs, which the previous Conservative administration had announced it would cut. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the committee, said: 'T-levels have the potential to be a significant force for good in equipping young people with everything they need for their burgeoning careers. 'But without the wider awareness in industry and critical mass of student enrolments, T-levels may remain very much a minority pursuit, when they could become a natural and enriching step in many students' lives.' He added: 'Government must enter campaign mode to inject life into T-Levels to build enrolments, focusing in and capitalising on local employment needs.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this government is cementing 120,000 new training opportunities for young people in key sectors such as construction, engineering, health & social care and digital, and we are encouraged by the strong growth in awareness, uptake and positive outcomes from T Levels. 'Our recent moves to slash red tape will help support T-Levels as a high-class vocational qualification, ensuring they provide a strong, hands-on experience for students, and high-quality training opportunities to build a workforce fit for the future. 'We will consider the recommendations of the PAC carefully, to help continue to increase the number of young people benefitting from these qualifications, and set out our response in due course.'
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Successive governments have failed to turn bus services around, watchdog says
Services have been reduced and passenger numbers are below pre-coronavirus levels, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The study, which covers England outside London, warned that the sector's commercial viability has weakened as revenues have fallen and costs have risen. It warned that rural and suburban areas face a 'cycle of decline' whereby services are withdrawn because of low demand, which leads to a further fall in passenger numbers and more cuts. Most local bus services are run by private companies, who set routes and timetables aimed at making a profit. Some services seen as socially necessary are financially supported by local transport authorities. Public funding to bus operators accounted for half their revenue in 2023/24, at £1.8 billion. In February 2020, then-Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson pledged £3 billion in funding over five years for buses. The Department for Transport (DfT) published a national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better, in March 2021, which set out that the department wanted services to be more frequent, cheaper and better integrated with other forms of transport. The NAO said the total number of bus journeys made in the year to the end of March 2024 was 1.78 billion, down 9% from 1.96 billion in 2019/20. Over the same period, the mileage covered by buses fell by 15%. Following Labour's success in the July 2024 general election, the Bus Back Better strategy is no longer government policy. The DfT's Bus Services Bill – which is at committee stage in the House of Commons – will lead to an overhaul of buses by giving all local transport authorities new powers to run their own services. But the NAO noted that this franchising model is 'difficult and expensive' to adopt, and recommended that the department should better target the support it gives different local transport authorities depending on their needs. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: 'Bus travel should be an easy and reliable transport choice but governments' attempts to improve services have not always worked. 'DfT should work with local transport authorities and the bus sector to maximise the impact of the available resources in reversing the decline in bus usage.' A DfT spokesperson said: 'Better buses are around the corner and are central to the Government's Plan for Change— connecting communities, strengthening the local economy, and boosting access to jobs. 'After decades of decline, we're providing a record £1 billion investment to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country. 'Our landmark Bus Bill, now progressing through parliament, will protect routes and prevent services from being scrapped – putting buses back into local control and bringing passengers back to the heart of buses.' Graham Vidler, chief executive of industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said commercial operators 'delivered growth' in many towns and cities by investing in new routes, zero-emission buses and more frequent services. He went on: 'With a level of public investment still low by European standards, passenger numbers outside London grew by 15% last year and 83% of customers said they were satisfied. 'We do not recognise the description of an industry with weakening commercial viability. 'What's crucial going forward is that public funding delivers the outcomes that matter to passengers. 'More buses to more destinations with quick, reliable journey times should be front and centre of investment plans.'
