Tag: travel

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Scandal as NZ Government seeks to buy unavailable second-hand ferries and keep ‘very end-of-life’ wharf

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From Radio New Zealand today: KiwiRail says it is now looking at buying second-hand ships for the Cook Strait ferry service, and is asking what to do about the terminals. It has blamed poor project governance in part for cost escalations in its Interislander replacement Project Irex, sunk when the government balked in December at rising terminal rebuild costs. Chief executive Peter Reidy told MPs at a select committee at Parliament there are only 22 second-hand ships worldwide that fit the bill – such as being rugged enough for the Strait – and none are for sale. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/509283/kiwirail-considers-buying-second-hand-ships-for-cook-strait-ferry-service And from … Continue reading Scandal as NZ Government seeks to buy unavailable second-hand ferries and keep ‘very end-of-life’ wharf

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More than 50 English hospitals still have worse mortality outcomes than QEUH in Glasgow

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In November 2023, we could write for the period July 2022 to June 2023 : More than 50 English hospitals have worse mortality outcomes than QEUH in Glasgow Today, we can repeat a similar tale for the period October 2022 to September 2023. The funnel plot below, and previous examples reported here, comparing predicted deaths with actual deaths, shows two things in particular: The funnel plot below for NHS England shows two things in particular. Continue reading More than 50 English hospitals still have worse mortality outcomes than QEUH in Glasgow

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Anger as New Zealand ministers told ferries needed ‘urgent attention’ BEFORE project axed

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Yesterday, we heard that aging Australian ferries were being brought back into service to replace cheap Chinese-built ferries blowing up. Today, we hear: KiwiRail told ministers its ill-fated ferry project required “urgent attention”, just days before it got axed. The Interislander operator today released its briefing to the incoming ministers, which had been prepared at the end of November. Shortly after the report was written, the project to buy two new ferries and upgrade two ports was axed when the government refused to spend an extra $1.5 billion. In recent times, we’ve heard of cheap Vietnamese-built privately-owned ferries running aground on Orkney … Continue reading Anger as New Zealand ministers told ferries needed ‘urgent attention’ BEFORE project axed

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Ferry fiasco as older Australian ferries have to be brought back into service when cheap Chinese replacements fail

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From North Beaches Advocate tomorrow: Emerald-class ferry fiasco Feb 12, 2024 – Unreliable engines will be replaced with ‘renewable ready’ upgrades in the three Emerald-class Manly ferries. Concerns over the reliability of the new Generation 2 Emerald-class ferry fleet have been mounting since they first entered service in October 2021. Although criticised for being Chinese built, the shipbuilder claimed the design of the ferries and propulsion systems were all sourced in Australia.As the new Generation 2 Emerald-class fleet entered service, the older Freshwater-class ferries were due to be retired, but gradually, all but one has re-entered service as concerns over safety and reliability issues mounted. https://www.northernbeachesadvocate.com.au/2024/02/12/emerald-class-ferry-fiasco/ Cheap … Continue reading Ferry fiasco as older Australian ferries have to be brought back into service when cheap Chinese replacements fail

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Oz Government-owned ferries fiasco – exploding Chinese engines and taking-off in heavy swells

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Four Emerald class ferries, owned by the Government of New South Wales, with Chinese engines, serve the Sydney Manly area in Australia. Two are currently laid up. In 2022, the Sydney Morning Herald reported: Captains of the new Manly ferries have been warned not to sail directly into waves near the entrance to Sydney Harbour in heavy swells in case their vessels become airborne, a leaked internal memo has revealed. The advice was to masters of the second generation Emerald-class ferries, which are at the centre of a fierce debate over whether they can handle large swells as well as … Continue reading Oz Government-owned ferries fiasco – exploding Chinese engines and taking-off in heavy swells

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NHS Scotland does 97% of ops on time

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From Public Health Scotland, today: In the quarter ending December 2023, there were 20,837 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland. Only 515 (2.5%) were cancelled by the hospital due to capacity or non-clinical reasons. From Public Health Scotland a year ago: In the quarter ending December 2022, the total number of planned operations across NHS Scotland during December 2022 was 17,269. This represents a decrease of 19.1% from 21,336 in November 2022 but is 14.6% higher than the number planned in December 2021. 493 (2.9%) were cancelled by the hospital due to capacity or non-clinical reasons. From these data, … Continue reading NHS Scotland does 97% of ops on time

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English health expert on BBC 4 today – ‘Scotland has much better uptake of immunisation, better identification of children with complex needs and disabilities, better breast feeding rates’

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On BBC 4 this morning but nowhere on BBC Scotland, this: 1 in 4 children in England was NOT seeing a health visitor by the time they turned one…..Alison Morton is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Health Visiting…..40% cut in workforce [in England]….Is it particularly an England problem in that Scotland provides 11 health visits and Wales 9?…. knock on consequences into other services…soaring rates of A&E attendances. The younger ones are the highest users of A&E. The rate has increased by 42% in the last 10 years in England, whereas in Scotland, they don’t have this problem because … Continue reading English health expert on BBC 4 today – ‘Scotland has much better uptake of immunisation, better identification of children with complex needs and disabilities, better breast feeding rates’

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Water bills reporting does not add up Scottish charges which are lower for better water

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From BBC Business today: The average annual water and sewerage bill is expected to rise by 6% in England and Wales, up £27 to £473, says suppliers’ trade body Water UK. In Scotland, water and waste charges will go up by 8.8%, a rise of £36. From BBC Scotland yesterday: Water bills in Scotland will increase by 8.8% from April. Scottish Water said the rise was needed to provide “significant investment” in replacing ageing infrastructure and improving services. The publicly-owned company dismissed reports that it was already planning similar-sized increases for a further two years beyond 2024. This year’s increase … Continue reading Water bills reporting does not add up Scottish charges which are lower for better water

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CalMac now significantly more reliable than both comparable North American ferry services

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Today, we read in Global News (Canada) that BC Ferries are running at only 85% reliability, as they head in to the year, with 20 of 41 vessels due for major maintenance and stricken by a staffing and breakdown crisis. https://globalnews.ca/news/10263918/bc-ferries-repair-update/ BC Ferries and Washington State Ferries, serving archipelagos with around 30-40 vessels and 40-50 locations, in northern waters, are the most comparable with CalMac, though both operate at lower latitudes and in less stormy conditions. As several island reps have told BBC Scotland, we should learn from other ferry services. CalMac is running at around 99% reliability in the … Continue reading CalMac now significantly more reliable than both comparable North American ferry services

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Edinburgh flats fire today – Gee, I wonder why the building did not have to be evacuated?

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From BBC Scotland today: A man has died in a fire at a block of flats in Edinburgh. Four fire engines and a height appliance were dispatched to the blaze in Calder Gardens at about 00:45. Crews were able to extinguish the blaze, but a 56-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured in the incident and the building did not have to be evacuated. None of the media have sought to link this to Grenfell for obvious reasons. Why was there not a Grenfell incident? For any new readers and folk you might share … Continue reading Edinburgh flats fire today – Gee, I wonder why the building did not have to be evacuated?