PRAGATI Exercise
Sixteen PRAGATI meetings have been held since inception of PRAGATI meeting from 25.03.2015 till 31.12.2016.
World Wetlands Day being celebrated today at Bhoj Wetlands, Bhopa
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 each year to mark the Day the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971.
News story: Defence Secretary hails global outlook of Midlothian naval engineers
Sir Michael Fallon visited MacTaggart Scott, who design, build, install and maintain engineering systems for the Royal Navy – the company’s “shop window” – and 40 of the world’s navies, including the US, French, Canadian, Australian and South Korean.
The visit is part of the Defence Secretary’s on-going engagement with Scotland’s industrial base, 10% of which is defence-related, directly supporting 11,000 Scottish jobs with thousands more sustained. During the visit he met with some of the company’s 32 engineering apprentices, which make up nearly 18% of the firm’s industrial workforce.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
MacTaggart Scott is a terrific example of the benefits that combining innovation, a global outlook and an entrepreneurial spirit can deliver for Scotland as part of the UK.
They are a leading hub of international naval innovative design, manufacture and maintenance and should also be applauded for investing in our young people through their apprenticeship programme.
MacTaggart Scott designed, built and installed the huge lifts that will carry jets and helicopters between the flight decks and hangers on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, currently being built in Rosyth. They also design and build helicopter handling systems, and are competing for contracts relating to the new Clyde-built Type 26 on which the first steel will be cut this summer.
Remarkably, the company has been involved in every submarine built for the Royal Navy since 1915, and manufacture and provide support to a range of specialist submarine equipment, including stealth mast raising equipment for periscopes, optronics and communications equipment, sonar handling gear, hydroplane, rudder and ballast tank valves and actuators for submarines across the globe.
Bill Marsh, Managing Director of MacTaggart Scott said:
Our innovative work for the Royal Navy’s surface ships and submarines provides us with a vital shop window which sees half of our £35m turnover come from export.
Our ambition is to design, manufacture and install vital equipment and provide through life product support to every single Royal Navy ship and submarine.
- MacTaggart Scott is a privately owned engineering company founded in 1898 and employs 350 people, 32 of whom are apprentices.
Defence Budget
- The UK is investing £178bn in a decade long equipment programme.
- The UK Defence budget has a “double lock” which ensures that it will rise every year by at least 0.5% annually, above inflation and always exceed 2% of GDP.
UK
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Trade with the rest of the UK makes up over half of Scotland’s exports, and is four times the value of exports to the rest of the EU.
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The UK Government is firmly committed to the future of Defence in Scotland and its continued vital role in Defence.
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Scotland is home to military bases that provide essential capabilities for the Defence of the UK as a whole.
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By 2020, Scotland will be home to all of the Royal Navy’s submarines, one of the Army’s engagement and resilience Infantry Brigades, one of three RAF fast jet main operating bases and new P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Improving access to critical care key – Vaughan Gething
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething today outlined how the NHS is working to improve care for critically ill people in Wales. The delivery plan for the critically ill to 2020 is published today [Thursday 2 February].
Thursday 02 February 2017
Mr Gething said:
“This plan, developed by critical care specialists, sets out how the NHS will meet the needs of people who are critically ill, or are at risk of becoming critically ill. It also outlines plans to improve the early identification of patients, which is key to preventing unnecessary transfers to busy critical care units.
“We know that there is work to do to improve access to critical care in Wales and we are seeing progress; the group has identified areas where bed numbers could be increased without significant staffing increases.
“This plan has been developed by The Critical Care Trauma Network and Critically Ill Implementation Group and outlines the actions we need to take over the next three years.
“Wales faces the same challenges we see elsewhere in the UK in terms of recruitment and rising demand for critical care, and we expect health boards to collaborate and plan services on a regional basis to deliver high-quality care.
“We have seen an improvement in survival rates in recent years and also reductions in the numbers of patients who are re-admitted to critical care soon after leaving it, which is encouraging. This plan outlines how health boards can work together to build on this progress for the future.”
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After years of dither and delay, it is welcome that progress is finally being made on runway expansion – Andy McDonald
Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary,
commenting on the Government’s statement on Heathrow, said:
“Labour
has consistently been pushing for a decision on runway expansion in the South
East of England so after years of dither and delay, it is welcome that progress
is finally being made.
“However,
there are still outstanding issues including how Heathrow expansion can be
squared with meeting the UK’s climate change objectives and demonstrating that
local noise and environmental impacts can be minimised.
“This
can be achieved, but only in the context of a coherent aviation strategy that
works for the country not just London. It starts with confirming our membership
of the European Aviation Safety Agency, as well as action on cleaner fuels and
improving road and rail access to our international gateway airports.”