Outage Control Centre

The Office of the Complaints Commissioner (OCC) has published an update on the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS), noting that during August 2024 it received further documents from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to support its review of the FCA’s investigation files into the BSPS complaints. These documents are being reviewed alongside the FCA’s investigation files and are being carefully considered as part of the OCC’s ongoing investigation into the BSPS complaints. A further update about all the BSPS complaints will be published on the OCC’s website on 4 October 2024.

Formerly Office for Civil Nuclear Security: It was a unit within HSE which regulated security arrangements in the civil nuclear industry, including security of nuclear material in transit, exercising statutory powers. This was primarily in order to protect against the threats of terrorism and nuclear proliferation. The OCNS is now part of the ONR and its responsibilities fall under the ONR Civil Nuclear Security (CNS).

Optical character recognition

The Open Data Institute (ODI) is organising a webinar featuring the Executive Chair and Co-founder of the ODI, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, to discuss critical issues in data and artificial intelligence (AI). Scheduled for 6 March, the event will be chaired by Director of Global Policy and Corporate Affairs at ODI, Emma Thwaites. Sir Nigel, a renowned expert in AI and web science, is expected to share insights on current developments in data governance, AI policy and open data initiatives. This webinar aims to provide valuable perspectives for participants across all knowledge levels, reflecting the ODI's commitment to fostering understanding and dialogue in the evolving landscape of data and AI technologies.

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has released a research report examining how narratives have shaped humanitarian responses to Russia's war in Ukraine. The study, analysing actions in Ukraine, Poland, and the UK, highlights tensions between solidarity narratives and traditional humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality. It identifies conflicting portrayals of Ukrainians as both vulnerable aid recipients and resilient resistors, as well as divergent views on localisation success. The report recommends that governments hosting Ukrainians should move towards an offer of long-term status and support for integration of Ukrainians who choose to remain in host countries.

Operational Experience

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an association of industrialised economies which provides inter alia economic research and policy recommendations for its members

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) have held a roundtable on artificial intelligence (AI) in finance, highlighting the rapid adoption of predictive systems, including machine learning and generative AI in banking and insurance. The roundtable heard that these technologies have improved efficiency in operations, risk modelling, fraud detection and financial crime prevention.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has announced that participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits reached an agreement in principle on 31 March 2023 to modernise the OECD Arrangement. The modernisation package will allow countries to offer more generous and flexible financing terms for a wide range of climate-friendly and green projects. The reform is expected to come into effect later in 2023, once participants have completed their formal internal decision-making processes and agreed to the revised text.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a new aircraft sector understanding (ASU) text concerning Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) contracts as part of the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits (the OECD Arrangement). These updates took effect on 2 April 2025 and will be incorporated into the next version of the OECD Arrangement.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the 2025 edition of its International Migration Outlook, analysing recent developments in migration movements and the labour market inclusion of immigrants across OECD countries. The 49th edition reviews 2024 migration data and monitors policy changes in migration governance and integration. It also features two special chapters—one examining the role of firms in immigrant integration and another on the international migration of health professionals—highlighting the continued impact of migration on OECD labour markets and health systems. The report notes that while overall permanent migration to most OECD countries declined in 2024, the United States experienced rising inflows and a record foreign-born population, with migration patterns increasingly shaped by seasonal work and humanitarian movements.