The Maritime, Enterprise, Innovation and Research (MEIR) unit are looking for key technologies that will significantly improve the ability for unmanned/ autonomous systems to operate in the underwater environment, by expanding their use and employ-abi… read more
We are contacting organisations from 4 January 2018 with updates and guidance on next steps about their bids for 2018 civil contracts work. This follows the closure of tenders for Civil Legal Advice (CLA) and face to face contracts on 10 November 2017… read more
On instructions from the Secretary of State, His Excellency the Governor has formally appointed Mr James Lewis QC as the Honourable the Chief Justice of the Falkland Islands.
Mr Lewis was officially sworn in by the Governor at a ceremony held at Government House on Thursday 4 January.
Governor of the Falkland Islands, Nigel Phillips CBE commented:
“I am delighted to be able to welcome James as the new Chief Justice for the Falkland Islands.
“James and his wife have a longstanding interest and connection with the Islands, a huge breadth of experience in the judiciary and working with other Overseas Territories. I know James will receive a warm welcome from the community.”
A specialist in both civil and criminal cases, Mr Lewis was called to the bar in 1987 after serving for a number of years with Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. He was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2002.
Mr Lewis commented:
“I am very much looking forward to taking up the appointment of Chief Justice and getting to know the Falkland Islands.
“My interest in the Falkland Islands was first sparked whilst on standby for the Falklands war as a young second lieutenant in 1982. Subsequently my wife visited the Falkland Islands in 1983 as a journalist and guest of the 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards. Indeed, at home we display a framed copy of the front page of the Penguin News published on the day victory was declared (presented to my wife by the then editor of the paper).
“My interest in the region has been further inspired by my recent expedition to the Antarctic this year when I visited both Scott’s and Shackleton’s huts, islands in the Ross sea, and the New Zealand subantarctic islands.”
Mr Lewis and his wife, have another connection to the Islands: “My wife’s former secondary school teacher, who became a family friend, was the late Geoff Moir DFC, who taught at Fox Bay West and was very involved with the Falkland Islands Association.”
Mr Lewis takes over from Simon Bryan QC, the previous Chief Justice who has recently been appointed as a High Court Judge.
Governor Phillips said:
“On behalf of the whole community I would like to thank Simon for his support over the last few years and wish him and his family well for the future.”
read moreDetection of allergen in some foods is complex, requiring multiple technical approaches
This workshop is building on previous joint Knowledge Transfer events, and it is the first in a new series of government-funded events. The workshop will focus on providing advice, guidance and best practice on the application of a range of complementary analytical techniques for the detection of allergens in spices. The aim of the workshop is to provide participants with an analytical roadmap for detecting allergens.
The workshop will include presentations by Dr Chun-Han Chan from the FSA’s Allergen team and Greg Corbishley from BART ingredients who will offer an industry perspective. There will also be opportunities for round-table discussions. There is further information about the programme, location and times in the attached flyer.
The workshop is free for public analysts. Please book your place early by contacting: training@lgcgroup.com
Defra, FSA and FSS working in collaboration with the Government Chemist (funded by BEIS), have agreed a framework for the provision of knowledge transfer on food standards and food safety analysis to public analysts and industry laboratories for three years (2017 – 2020). This workshop will be the first KT event to be delivered in this jointly funded programme.
There are currently around 400 commercial and community radio stations that are limited to broadcasting to small geographic areas on analogue (FM/MW) frequencies under outdated regulations. The new approach means these stations will be able to reach a wider audience to the areas they serve on digital radio.
Over 60 per cent of households now own a digital radio and the changes are designed to encourage a widespread rollout of small radio networks, within county areas, on a Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) platform.
Digital Minister Matt Hancock said:
Local radio is much loved and vitally important as a source of objective and in touch local news. As more power is devolved locally, and as local newspapers struggle, local radio’s role in the community is becoming more and more critical. So we are working hard with stations and listeners to make sure the rules are up to date, and give local radio the chance to use new digital technology to reach audiences, new and longstanding, old and young. Today’s publication marks another step forward in that work. I’m very grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this progress.
Ford Ennals, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Radio UK said:
We welcome publication of the DCMS consultation on small-scale DAB which is an important enabling technology that can help hundreds of local commercial and community stations broadcast on DAB for the first time. This consultation is particularly important as there is much work still to be done to fully consider the best use of the limited spectrum available and how small-scale can work most efficiently alongside existing local and national DAB multiplexes to help maximise the benefits to listeners.
The Government will now consult on the best approach for a licensing process that is appropriate for small scale DAB radio multiplexes, with the aim of having a new licensing arrangements in place by the end of the year. The consultation will run for 8 weeks, and closes on the 28 February 2018.
Ash Elford, Digital Development Manager, Angel Radio, who runs the small-scale multiplex in Portsmouth, said:
After over two years of successfully broadcasting local DAB services to Portsmouth, it is good to see a process for the full-time licencing of many more local multiplexes for cities and towns starting to take shape. We hope that the successes we have achieved so far with technical innovations and broadcasting smaller commercial, niche and community services can be replicated across the UK as soon as possible.
David Duffy, Director, Niocast Digital, who run Manchester’s small-scale DAB multiplex, said:
Niocast welcomes the small-scale DAB consultation as an important next step in the development of digital radio across the UK.
Dean Kavanagh of Switch Radio and Multiplex Manager, BrumDAB SSDAB in Birmingham, said:
We welcome the news of the upcoming DCMS Small Scale DAB consultation. As we have seen already, this additional layer of DAB has brought with it significant benefits for listeners – unlocking a world of new and exciting programming that otherwise would not have had a home. This consultation represents the first steps towards providing this exciting platform for all.