Tony Porter, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner (SCC), has launched his online toolbox – a collection of resources to help organisations comply with the surveillance camera code of practice and follow good practice and legal requirements.

The toolbox comprises 4 tools:

The buyers’ toolkit, developed in conjunction with the British Security Industry Association and Alastair Thomas of Alasthom.com, is for small and medium enterprises that are thinking about using surveillance cameras, yet as non-experts want to identify the best solution before they proceed and invest their time and money in a system. Following the guidance in the buyers’ toolkit will help people make informed decisions about whether surveillance can be justified as a solution to their problems. If surveillance cameras are necessary, then the toolkit is full of advice and tips on how to get the best out of your prospective suppliers.

The passport to compliance is aimed at large public-space surveillance camera systems, such as town centre schemes operated by local authorities. It will take you through the necessary stages when planning, implementing and operating a surveillance camera system to ensure it complies with the surveillance camera code of practice. It should be completed for new systems, for upgrades of systems if it significantly alters or enhances the views obtained, when additional cameras are added to a system and/or when existing systems are extended.

The self-assessment tool will help you and your organisation identify if you’re complying with the principles in the surveillance camera code of practice. The four self assessment tools which were previously available – for ANPR, CCTV, body worn video and drones – have now been condensed into one tool.

The surveillance camera specific data protection impact assessment (DPIA) template with associated guidance notes has been developed in partnership with the Information Commissioner’s Office and replaces the Privacy Impact Assessment advice which was previously available on the SCC website. It reflects updated data protection requirements set out in the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Tony Porter said:

I have a statutory remit to encourage compliance with the surveillance camera code of practice and to provide advice about it. To do this, I have worked with a range of organisations to develop various guidance notes, tools and templates which are now available on my website.

These tools will help your organisation comply with the code and its 12 guiding principles, which if followed, will ensure that surveillance camera systems are only operated proportionately, transparently and effectively.

I am grateful to Alastair Thomas, BSIA and the ICO for all their efforts in developing this toolbox.

From helping people buy their first home to government-funded top-ups for savers, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is supporting Talk Money Week and reminding taxpayers how the department can help boost their finances.

Mel Stride MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said:

The tax that HMRC collects funds our vital public services, and also provides financial support to taxpayers and those most in need through programmes delivered by HMRC.

We want to make sure everyone gets the financial help they are entitled to – offering a helping hand so they can take that first step on the property ladder through First-Time Buyers Relief, or supporting them with the cost of childcare through Tax-Free Childcare.

Ways in which HMRC is helping taxpayers boost their finances include:

1. If you are married or in a civil partnership, you can claim up to £238 a year in Marriage Allowance. It is quick and easy to apply online. If you claim at any point in the tax year, you will still receive the full entitlement.

1. Are you on a low income and find it difficult to save money? Help to Save is a new government savings scheme. It rewards savers with an extra 50p for every £1 saved, meaning over 4 years a maximum saving of £2,400 would result in an overall bonus of £1,200.

2. Tax-Free Childcare is available for parents or guardians with children aged under 12, or aged under 17 if disabled. It is available to around 1.5 million households to help with the cost of registered childcare, enabling more parents to go out to work. For every £8 that you pay in, the government will make a top-up payment of an additional £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 for disabled children). You can check whether you’re eligible.

3. Nurses, hairdressers, construction workers and millions of other employees can claim tax relief on work-related expenses – money they’ve spent on things like work uniform and clothing, tools, business travel, professional fees and subscriptions. A simple Check if You Can Claim tool is available.

1. If you are first time buyers of a residential property you can claim First-Time Buyers Relief on your property purchase made on or after 22 November 2017 – this applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland only. This means you will not pay any stamp duty on properties up to the value of £300,000 outside London, or £500,000 in London. You can read further guidance and check your eligibility.

HMRC has also designed an accessible and free resource – Junior Tax Facts – to educate young people on how public money is raised and spent.

Talk Money Week (formerly Financial Capability Week) runs from 12 to 18 November and is the annual celebration of the work thousands of organisations are doing to improve money management across the UK. It aims to get more people talking about money.

Ofqual has today (9 November 2018) launched a consultation on changes to our rules about the length of performances in music and dance GCSEs, AS and A levels.

We propose to change our rules on how performances are marked if a student performs for less than the expected time. We are also clarifying our rules about how music performances that are not based on a traditional written score are assessed and our expectations for the number of dances a learner must perform. Nothing in our proposals would change the way students should prepare for their assessments.

You can find the consultation here, as well as details of how to respond to our proposals. The consultation is open for 4 weeks, and the final date for responses is 9 December 2018.

The first delivery of the new gritters took place in October and will improve safety for drivers and workers due to the vehicles improved technology, ergonomics and enhanced visibility.

Despite weighing 26 tonnes and measuring a maximum of 2.5 meters wide, there have been a number of incidents where gritters have been struck by other vehicles.

Research carried out by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) shows that vehicles stand out more if painted in one block colour and are solid in shape, which is where the new design has come from.

The new vehicles also contain innovative technology which includes being able to pre-programme them with information specific to each gritting route. This enables salt to be spread onto the road automatically, taking into account any specific requirements for bridges, landscape and other road features, allowing drivers to give their full attention to driving at all times.

Our winter fleet manager Jane Wilkins said:

Safety is our top priority and we are always looking at ways we can improve our winter resilience. Using the research carried out by TRL and our own data, we have looked carefully at the number of incidents involving gritters to see what more can be done to improve safety and the service we provide.

The roll out of this £30 million programme started this year with 34 new vehicles in East Anglia. The remainder of the 157 vehicles, will be replaced over the next two years.

We’re working closely with gritter manufacturer Romaquip on the roll-out of the new fleet.

Romaquip technical director Stephen McKeown said:

We are excited to be working with Highways England, manufacturing a new generation of winter vehicles with numerous safety and technical advances. It is a pleasure to work with an organisation that strives to develop and improve their service, actively partnering with us to achieve these goals.

It is clear to see that the specification of these vehicles has been derived from consciously deciding to improve safety for both operators and other road users, and that the innovation to improve efficiency and functionality has also been thoroughly considered.

Romaquip is committed to delivering the best quality machines to all of our customers, we welcome this improvement and look forward to working with Highways England over the years to come.

We currently have 535 winter vehicles patrolling the 4,400 miles of motorways and major A roads across the country.

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.

Advancements in quantum technologies are predicted to have a big impact on our lives – from creating navigation systems that can operate without GPS to new cameras that can see around corners.

To help accelerate progress in this field, the government is funding 4 projects that will use the latest quantum technology to develop prototype devices. Projects will receive a share of £20 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, delivered by UK Research and Innovation.

It follows the Chancellor’s announcement of up to £235 million of further support to develop the next generation of transformative quantum technologies in the Budget 2018.

This includes a new national quantum computing centre, additional investment in the next wave of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, and a training and skills package.

Leading the development of quantum technologies

Projects will receive funding to develop quantum prototypes in 4 fields.

Surveying underground before you start digging

RSK will lead a project with a consortium of businesses and universities to use quantum sensors to detect objects underground. Initially, the technology will be used by road-working companies, but it could also be used in the rail network.

Precise timing

Manufacturer Teledyne e2V (UK) will lead a project to develop a pre-production prototype of a miniature atomic clock.

It will enable services such as energy supply, transport and mobile communications to function in the event of disruption to the current standard timing service, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).

Secure encryption

Toshiba Research Europe will lead a project to develop the UK supply of low-cost integrated chips, which will enable more secure transmission of data using new encryption technologies.

Keeping data safe

Another encryption project will be led by ArQit. It will create advanced receivers to pick up quantum key signals. These keys are used to keep data safe by using quantum technology to let companies know if the data they are transmitting has been accessed.

Making the impossible possible

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

There is a huge future for cutting-edge science in the UK, which is why we are investing in ambitious technologies like quantum in our modern Industrial Strategy.

The projects announced today will benefit ordinary people around the country, from easing traffic congestion to offering more data security for online transactions.

Quantum technology has already developed sensors that can see around corners, and make the impossible, possible. We are backing world-leading innovators to continue this important work.

Working across industry, academia and government

Roger McKinlay, Challenge Director for Quantum Technologies at UK Research and Innovation, said:

The rise of quantum technologies will bring a huge impact on all our lives. In order to secure the UK lead in this area, and make sure that companies based here and UK jobs take a significant share of this opportunity, we must continue to work across industry, academia and government to achieve innovation.

This is why the government’s investment of £20 million through these 4 successful, pioneer challenge-funded projects will put prototype quantum-enabled devices into the hands of users.