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New technology continues to progress at a fast rate. It can be difficult to keep up or see the opportunities for your business. Some new bite-sized introductions have been published by the Government Office for Science that may help.

The Health and Safety Executive are reminding employers about their responsibilities to protect workers from the health risks that come from working with display screen equipment (DSE), including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations apply to any worker that uses DSE on a daily basis for continuous periods of an hour or more.

Following a confirmed case of foot and mouth disease at a cattle farm in Hungary’s north-west, new import bans have been announced. The commercial import from Hungary and Slovakia of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other non-domestic ruminants and porcines such as deer and their untreated products, such as fresh meat and dairy, are now banned.

In their latest blog, ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) revealed some insights from their latest helpline and early conciliation data. They report that the demand for their services continues to trend up. Their helpline service handled around 158,500 calls in the final quarter of 2024, which is an increase of 11% on the previous quarter. Web traffic has also increased significantly: up by nearly 20% on the previous year.

The Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) will be using their latest round of funding totalling £1.6 million to help support 58 UK artists to tour the world. The funding will help small and medium sized music companies with their marketing and promotion campaigns for their artists touring abroad. The aim is to attract new fans, overseas touring opportunities and revenue.

The government has announced plans to lay legislation that will end the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). The PSR currently looks after payment systems such as Faster Payments and Mastercard. However, its role will be consolidated into the Financial Conduct Authority.

News reported last week said that the Chancellor has put together draft plans for spending cuts to welfare and other government departments. At the time of the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that there was a £9.9 billion buffer available against the Chancellor’s own self-imposed borrowing rules.

The Public Procurement Act 2023, originally set for implementation on 28 October 2024, has now officially come into force. This legislation introduces new rules designed to make it easier for smaller businesses to compete for and win public sector contracts.

The Future of Roads Minister, Lillian Greenwood, has confirmed that the plug-in van grant will be extended for another year. The plug-in grant means that businesses can obtain grants of up to £2,500 when buying an eligible small van up to 2.5 tonnes and up to £5,000 for an eligible larger van up to 4.25 tonnes.

A new deal for GPs has been agreed between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA). Proposed reforms that were accepted by the BMA include an overall funding uplift of £889 million for the 2025/26 GMS contract. This represents a 7.2% boost to the contract, which is higher than the increase to the NHS budget as a whole.

The UK government has announced a major funding boost for rural areas, with up to £38 million allocated to support infrastructure, essential services, and business growth in the countryside. The aim is that the funding will help to create jobs and drive economic growth while improving quality of life for rural communities.

The government has announced its plans for new policies that it expects will make farming more profitable. Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “The underlying problem is that farmers do not make enough money for the hard work and commitment they put in.” He went on to say that his focus “is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable.”

The National Cyber Security Centre have published new guidance for organisations on network security fundamentals. Using networks has become fundamental to many businesses, ensuring they continue to operate and stay secure.

Pulpex, a sustainable packaging company, has received £43.5 million from the National Wealth Fund in exchange for an equity share of the business. The Scottish National Investment Bank is also investing £10 million with a further £8.5 million coming from existing investors. This investment will help Pulpex build its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility near Glasgow. You might wonder why there is so much interest in Pulpex!

The Environment Agency (EA) have reported an increase in soil run-off incidents in Devon and Cornwall during January. There were 25 incidents of heavy rain carrying loose soil running from fields – almost double the number of incidents reported in January 2024. This can be bad news for farmers as crops, top soil, organic matter and nutrients are lost in run-off incidents. In addition, there are then the costs of recultivating those fields.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves met recently with major financial firms at Canary Wharf, encouraging them to invest in emerging markets to boost Britain’s economy. A key initiative launched at the meeting was the “London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt,” which aims to improve debt financing in developing countries by bringing together private sector and government stakeholders.