Friday newspaper round-up: NHS app, Uber, John Lewis

(Sharecast News) - Undisclosed companies are analysing facial data collected by the NHS app, which is used by more than 16 million English citizens, prompting fresh concern about the role of outsourcing to private businesses in the service. Data security experts have previously criticised the lack of transparency around a contract with the NHS held by iProov, whose facial verification software is used to perform automated ID checks on people signing up for the NHS app. - Guardian Uber is to pay out millions of pounds in missed pension payments to UK drivers dating back as far as 2017 under a deal with the retirement savings watchdog. The ride hailing company was forced to guarantee its 70,000 UK drivers a minimum hourly wage, holiday pay and pensions in March this year after a landmark supreme court ruling over their employment status. Couriers for the group's UberEats food delivery service are not included in the deal. - Guardian

Ford is weighing up whether to build transmission systems for electric cars at its Halewood plant on Merseyside rather than at a site in Germany. The car giant has held talks with government officials about making the new eTrans system in the UK. A commitment would secure hundreds of millions of pounds in investment at the site from the car company, delivering a significant boost to Britain's automotive sector. - Telegraph

Employee-owned John Lewis Partnership has rankled thousands of its workers after paying bonuses to a number of chosen staff when the wider workforce were denied a bonus for the first time in nearly 70 years. It has emerged that the retailer made almost 4,000 "special contribution awards", including to 16 managers, last year out of its 79,000 workforce. The awards are capped at 10 per cent of salary for exceptional service and have been in place for ten years, but last year was the first time the wider partnership bonus has not been paid since 1953. - The Times

Joe Garner is stepping down as chief executive of Nationwide as part of a phased succession plan that also has brought in a new chairman. Britain's biggest building society said that Kevin Parry, its senior independent director, would succeed David Roberts as chairman. Parry will lead the search for Garner's successor. - The Times