REHIS News

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has told MPs that the government’s promised Clean Air Strategy will be published this summer, following the conclusion of local elections across the country in May.

Mr Gove revealed the expected deadline for the strategy during an evidence session to MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee on 18 April, looking at the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, which was published in January.

The Sanitary Science Class of 1978 at Napier College is planning to hold it’s 40^thAnniversary reunion in Edinburgh on 27 October 2018 for a meal.  

The 1978 Class did have a succesful 25^threunion and is now planning its 40^th. 

A rogue landlord who rented flats in a block where a fatal fire broke out has been banned from letting property.

Harpal Singh was found to be illegally leasing 14 properties in Glasgow without a licence. The landlord who rented flats in a block where a fatal fire broke out in 1999 has been banned from letting property.

In 1999, two students - James Fraser and Daniel Heron - died after they became trapped inside a basement flat owned by Harpal Singh when a fire broke out in the property. A third boy, Christopher Lewis, was saved by firefighters.

The International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) in conjunction with Makerere University Environmental Health Students’ Association (MUEHSA) announce the call for abstracts for the 3^rd IFEH Academic and 16^th MUEHSA Scientific Conference that will take place from 9^th to 11^th April 2019 at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Uganda.

The Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group (CAFS) has been strengthened with specialists in health, environmental science and regulation.

The group who oversee clean air in Scotland, has been joined by two new representatives; the British Heart Foundation Scotland with interests in health, environmental science and regulation and Professor Campbell Gemmell, an expert in environmental science, policy and regulation.

On the 6 April 2018 the Soft Drinks Industry Levy came into effect, a key milestone for the government’s bid to tackle childhood obesity.

The tax on soft drinks, commonly referred to as the ‘Sugar Tax’, has already resulted in over 50% of manufacturers reducing the sugar content of drinks since it was announced in March 2016 – the equivalent of 45 million kg of sugar every year.

Glasgow city council has outlined proposals for the introduction of Scotland’s first low emission zone, aimed at tackling air pollution in the city centre.

The details were discussed in an update report to the Environment, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction City Policy Committee on Tuesday 20 March.  

The new zone, covering the city centre, is due to come into effect at 23.59 on 31 December 2018.

Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland’s (REHIS) funding of £50,000 is being matched by Food Standards Scotland to expand the delivery of the Elementary Food Hygiene Course. This will provide up to 10,000 secondary school pupils with the resources to complete the training in 2018.

A report assessing which of Scotland’s protected geological features are at risk from climate change was published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The report, possibly for the first time, analyses important geological and geomorphological features on all legally protected Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Scotland.

Businesses in Scotland of all sizes and sectors are urged to enter the accredited environmental awards scheme VIBES – Scottish Environment Business Awards.

The VIBES Awards recognise businesses which have shown commitment, action and achievement in their aims to improve their environmental performance, enhance the competitiveness of their business and support wider goals of sustainable development.

The 2018 categories are: