BBC Research & Development is the cutting-edge team within the BBC responsible for many innovations in broadcasting and online technologies over the decades, like colour, stereo, and DAB – you can find out more about their history in this article from the BBC 100 website.
They publish a range of accessible articles on their website, and have a regular podcast. Now they have launched a newsletter to help people stay up to date with their latest work in technology, engineering and research.
There are two options:
email alerts sent each time a new article is published on the R&D website
an occasional roundup that collects recent articles.
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 Date: Tuesday 28 July 2026 Location: Online via Teams
We are so pleased that Northern Ireland has become the first part of the UK to offer paid leave to parents who experience pregnancy or baby loss before 24 weeks.
To learn about these changes and also how to creating a supportive work environment for a colleague who may have experienced baby loss as well as how to navigate the other various bereavement statutory employment entitlements when it comes to pregnancy loss and baby death please join us for this session.
To register and receive the link to the meeting, please email mpsstaff-wwg@parliament.uk from your Parliamentary account.
The Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben, has been shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, marking the first time a conservation project has ever been shortlisted.
Described by RIBA’s judges as a “veritable masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship,” the restoration combined traditional skills and crafts with cutting-edge upgrades that made the building fit for the 21st century, and preserving it for future generations.
Over five years, the Tower underwent its most extensive restoration to date. Crumbling stonework was repaired, the clock mechanism meticulously restored, and vital improvements were made to fire safety, energy efficiency, and access. Specialist craftspeople and companies from across the UK played a key role, combining heritage skills with innovative solutions to ensure Big Ben continues to ‘bong’ for generations to come.
We have been publishing cartoons by Hoby on the w4mp site for many years, and we know readers enjoy them. However their accessibility has always been an issue. From time to time we’ve experimented with ways to describe the cartoons in the alt-text of the image but it’s now clear that, with the right prompt, LLMs are good at the job.
Here’s the latest cartoon:
Hoby Cartoon for August 2025
And this is what Google Gemini came up with, given the prompt:
“this is a four frame cartoon featuring two characters, Trey and Sir Justin. Trey works for Sir Justin who is an MP. Please generate a description suitable for alt-text”
A four-panel, black and white cartoon featuring an MP, Sir Justin, and his aide, Trey.
Panel 1: Trey is at his desk in an office, with Big Ben visible out the window. He is on the phone with his boss, Sir Justin, who says, “Hello? Trey? Hi, it’s Sir Justin. Listen, you must be bored couped up in the office with all this nice weather we’ve been having.”
Panel 2: A close-up on Trey listening to the phone. Sir Justin continues, “Why don’t you come down to the constituency for a change of scenery and some fresh air?”
Panel 3: Trey looks flattered as Sir Justin says, “I need some help with an important event and I think you’re the only one with the requisite skill and expertise.” Trey replies, “That’s very flattering sir, thank you!”
Panel 4: The scene cuts to a golf course. Sir Justin, dressed in golfing gear, is holding a club. A dejected-looking Trey stands beside him, holding a heavy bag of golf clubs. Sir Justin thinks to himself, “Can’t believe I fell for that. Especially as it’s not the first time.” He then says to Trey, “Five iron please.”
Which is pretty good. So we’ll start doing this regularly.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has overall responsibility for setting the policy and regulatory framework for England. In the 2023 Plan for Water, it set out the challenges of growing demand for water and the impacts of climate change. It highlighted the need to cut waste, improve water efficiency, and invest in new infrastructure to deliver clean and plentiful water.
In this report the NAO look at the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks in incentivising investment in the water sector and achieving the outcomes set for the sector and whether government and regulators are clear what outcomes the water industry needs to achieve and the investment needed; if regulation is successfully incentivising investment and meeting desired outcomes and targets; and if regulators can respond to the current investment challenges.
The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. It supports Parliament in holding government to account and helps improve public services through its audits.
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 Date: Thursday 3 July 2025 Location: Online Via Teams Registration: via ACT
Take part in an exciting adventure around Parliament, tailored to your group’s needs, during some of our quietest times.
Who can apply You can apply if you are a dedicated SEND school, or a SEND specific group and all of your learners have SEND needs.
What happens on the day Your group will discover the wonders of Parliament through a sensory tour, and learn more about how laws are made. They will also dive into exciting activities in the Education Centre, such as dressing-up or designing their own law.
The Education Centre will try to make the day as flexible as possible and adapt to the students’ pace, working with you to pitch the sessions appropriately to meet your students’ needs, to ensure a memorable and enjoyable day.
About the application process You can apply from 3 February via a digital form on the Parliament website. This form will be closing on 25 February at 10am. On the application from, you will be able to tell them more about your group and their specific needs, and your preferred time of the day to visit.
How to get help with your travel costs There is a travel subsidy available for SEND Schools and SEND groups visiting UK Parliament for SEND Quiet Day. You could be eligible to claim 85% of your travel costs back up to £2,400. Read the terms and conditions for eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Sometimes, it is necessary to redact documents before sending them out, and many offices resort to printing out the document and getting busy with a black marker pen, before copying or scanning in the document.
However, if you have an Apple Mac, then the in-built Preview app has a redaction tool which is really easy to use.
Simply open your document in Preview, click Tools >> Redact and then select the text or image you wish to redact. Save and then close the document, and that’s it.
Once you have closed the document, the redaction cannot be undone.
You can also use the Preview app to insert pages from one PDF into another, simply by dragging and dropping them across to make one single document.
