Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Japan opens doors to British cooked poultry meat [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 October 2023.

British cooked poultry meat will soon reach Japanese tables thanks to a new market access deal that will benefit UK farmers, meat processers and exporters. The industry estimates that this market could be worth over £10 million in the next 5 years.

UK poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021, but Avian Influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.

The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high value exports to Japan can be made. Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export cooked poultry to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats. The opening of this market for UK cooked poultry products demonstrates Japan’s confidence in the high standards of UK poultry production methods.

Negotiations were led by Defra and their Agriculture Attaché and colleagues based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council (BPC), South Kesteven District Council and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Food and Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

British poultry is rightly celebrated as some of the best in the world and I’m delighted that new high value products can now be enjoyed in Japan.

I’d like to pay tribute to our Agri-food Attaché network who work hard to secure trade opportunities like this and fly the flag for UK farmers.

Dr Jorge Martin-Almagro, UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, said:

This market access agreement is one more positive step forward for the UK poultry industry and is testament to the quality of their meat.

In the face of ongoing challenges posed by Avian Influenza, it is a real achievement to have secured a deal which allows the exports of these valuable UK poultry products.

Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston said:

This is a significant win for British poultry farmers and producers who can now export their top-notch produce to this vast and lucrative market.

Unlocking trade barriers around the world increases opportunities for British businesses and is key for growing exports, driving economic growth and creating new jobs as we look to hit £1 trillion of exports every year by 2030.

British Poultry Council Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths said:

We welcome the good news of market access for cooked poultry meat exports to Japan. Industry has worked closely with Government over the years to open doors for businesses producing world class standards of safe, affordable, nutritious food and high value poultry breeding stock.

Following today’s announcement, we thank the Defra market access team and all Government officials involved for securing exciting opportunities for BPC members, putting food on every table round the world despite the big challenges at hand, including successful negotiations of regionalisation for highly pathogenic avian influenza. We look forward to continuing our work building, maintaining and enhancing crucial markets and relationships – both existing and new.

Ayeisha Kirkham, Head of Service (Public Protection) at South Kesteven District Council said:

The district council has overseen food hygiene regulation at Moy Park in Grantham, one of Lincolnshire’s largest employers, for several decades. It has been a pleasure working with the company and other agencies to help them satisfy the high expectations of the Japanese officials who visited the site in March.

Supporting economic growth and local businesses is a priority for the council, including global food export at a time when import and export has presented national challenges.

Beatriz Curran, International Business Development Manager at Moy Park said:

We are incredibly proud to be the first UK business set to benefit from this fantastic export opportunity. As a company, we are wholly focused on the highest standards of food safety, integrity and animal welfare and so we are thankful to collaborate with industry and partners to successfully reach this new market.

With the momentum from this progress, we are confident that we can grow this export opportunity even further across our facilities given the technical excellence, focus and energy of our talented team and partners.

Japan is also a valuable market for high quality UK breeding poultry, with a further market access agreement secured in recent weeks. The agreement ensures that any future avian influenza outbreaks only lead to temporary restrictions on exports from affected regions, rather than a countrywide ban. The UK are world leaders in the supply of poultry genetics, and this deal will allow Japanese poultry companies to continue access to UK high-grade stock.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK drives new international rules to claw back ill-gotten gains [October 2023]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 27 October 2023.

The landmark change will mean more criminal proceeds are recovered.
- New standards for confiscating proceeds of crime confirmed today to ensure crime does not pay.
- Landmark change requires countries to have non-conviction confiscation powers already in use in the UK.
- More criminal proceeds to be recovered as implementation of higher minimum standards enable improved cross border cooperation.
International action on confiscating the proceeds of crime is to be toughened after a global standard setter today, 27 October, unveiled new rules that represent a major step forward in the fight against economic crime.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the global Anti-Money Laundering standard setter has announced it is adopting a new set of strengthened standards for seizure and confiscation, as a two-year project co-led by the UK reached its conclusion.

Law enforcement needs a suite of tools to disrupt and disincentivise criminals and strip them of their ill-gotten gains. Over 200 countries worldwide are signed up to the new wide-ranging standards, which for the first time include requirements for non-conviction based confiscation – a useful alternative or supplement to criminal proceedings and an already well used route in the UK to disrupt crime.

The UK’s domestic confiscation powers have been expanded in recent years, leading to the record recovery of almost £340m in 2022 to 2023 – a 75% increase compared to £194m in 2017 to 2018. Of this, £160.1 million was recovered using the UK’s non-conviction based powers.

Treasury Lords Minister Baroness Penn said:

“These new requirements for countries around the world make a difference here at home too – helping disrupt economic crime even when it crosses borders.

“Britain has been consistently driving higher standards in recovering proceeds of crime at the international table and the news today is both long overdue and hugely welcome.”

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

”Criminals shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. Stripping them of their profits sends a clear signal that we will not tolerate their actions.

“The new standards set by the Financial Action Task Force are an important step in the right direction and send a powerful message.

“We will continue working with the global community to proactively target criminals, take their dirty money and use it for the public good.”

Further information
- The full text of the changes is to be published by the Financial Action Task Force in the coming months. The FATF was set up by the G7 in 1989 to tackle dirty money from drug trafficking. Its mandate has since expanded to look at illicit financial flows across different crime types.
- The Government’s second Economic Crime Plan committed to “Strengthen[ing] international asset recovery standards to improve cross-border asset recovery outcomes”. The updated standards deliver on this commitment.
- Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) £339.1 million of assets were recovered from Confiscation, Forfeiture, and Civil Recovery Orders in the financial year 2022 to 2023. This represents another high year of asset recovery and is a 75% increase compared to £193.8 million in 2017 to 2018.
- Of this, £160.1 million was recovered using the UK’s non-conviction based powers – £97.2 million was recovered through Forfeiture Order receipts; and £62.9 million was recovered through Civil Recovery Order Receipts, the highest value ever recorded, driven by a £53.9m order obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Support for Online Safety Act as rules making UK the safest place in the world to be online become law [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 October 2023.

Raft of voices below have thrown their support behind Act protecting children from online harm, while empowering adults with more choices over what they see online.

Overwhelming support for Online Safety Act as rules making UK the safest place in the world to be online become law

The Online Safety Bill yesterday (Thursday 26 October) received Royal Assent, heralding a new era of internet safety and choice by placing world-first legal duties on social media platforms.

The new laws take a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children from online harm, while empowering adults with more choices over what they see online. This follows rigorous scrutiny and extensive debate in Parliament.

A raft of voices below have thrown their support behind the Act, ranging from groups representing children’s voices, women’s rights and consumer rights.

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition said:

Along with survivors, other experts and over 100,000 members of the public, we called for the Online Safety Bill to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls. We welcome this landmark new guidance for tech companies to reduce harm to women and girls online, which is a step in the right direction for tackling this abuse. But we also know that implementation and enforcement is key if we are to address the rapid spread of misogyny and online abuse, and we will work with government and Ofcom to ensure it is as robust as possible and well enforced.

Lynn Perry MBE, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, said:

We’re delighted that the Online Safety Bill has received royal assent and will now become law. This is an important first step towards making the UK the safest place for a child to be online.

Through our frontline work across the UK, we support children whose mental health and understanding of healthy relationships are damaged by what they see online. We welcome how this bill places a duty on pornography sites to verify that users are over 18 which will help to stop children from viewing this type of harmful content.

There is much more work to be done here and we will continue to work with the government on implementing this legislation, the forthcoming review into pornography and ensuring we keep ahead of emerging online threats, such as AI, to protect our children.

William Perrin, a trustee at Carnegie UK, said:

The new Online Safety Act will bring social media companies in line with other industries by introducing a regulatory regime designed to reduce harm, particularly to children and other vulnerable groups.

An exceptionally broad coalition of more than 50 charity and civil society organisations have played a vital role in making these new laws a reality. The number of bodies making the case for these changes shows that our previous approach to social media regulation hasn’t been working and put too many people in harm’s way.

While the implementation of this new regulation will clearly be key to its success, UK lawmakers deserve credit for taking action to protect our collective wellbeing.

Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), said:

The Center for Countering Digital Hate welcomes the Online Safety Act – a momentous step towards a safer digital world.

The Online Safety Act ensures social media platforms are held responsible for the content they host, requiring platforms to remove illegal content, protect child users and empower adults with choice over the content they see. It is now up to the regulator Ofcom to enact a robust regime of oversight and enforcement alongside which CCDH will continue to advocate for an online world free from hate and disinformation.

Baroness Kidron, Chair of 5Rights Foundation:

I am delighted that the Online Safety Bill is now law. I congratulate the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and pay tribute to the many organisations and individuals that have played a part, in particular the broad coalition of children’s charities and the Bereaved Families for Online Safety. The wisdom and advocacy of these groups has made for a much better law.

The mantel of responsibility for child online safety now falls firmly on the shoulders of the tech sector who under the watchful gaze Ofcom must use the Act to make meaningful changes to children’s online experiences.

This is just one small step toward building the digital world children deserve.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

Which? led the campaign for consumers to have stronger protections against scam adverts on social media platforms and search engines that can have devastating financial and emotional consequences for victims. These new Online Safety laws are a major step forward in the fight back against fraud by forcing tech firms to step up and take more responsibility for stopping people being targeted by fraudulent online adverts.

Ofcom must now develop codes of practice that will hold platforms to a high standard and be prepared to take strong enforcement action, including fines, against firms if they break the law.

Marc Allera, CEO BT’s Consumer brands, said:

We welcome this new legislation and hope it marks a turning point in improving safety and raising standards of behaviour online. From 5G misinformation to the way social media can perpetuate violence against women and girls, online harms have real world consequences. It’s great to see the UK leading on this and we hope others will follow.

Oliver Chantler, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at The Mental Health Foundation, said:

The Online Safety Act is hugely welcome and will help protect people’s mental health across the UK.

The online world can be a great source of support and help to people who are struggling, but as the government has recognised, it can also expose users to material which can be incredibly harmful to their mental health, including promoting eating disorders and self-harm.

This new legislation takes a proportionate approach, by giving people the tools to stay safe online and control their experience, and clamping down on the most dangerous content that is a risk to public health.

Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari, speaking on behalf of English football organisations, said:

Online abuse in football has risen significantly in recent years, but new laws passed by the government should offer some hope to all those who participate in football. Change will take time, but it’s a big step in the right direction to make everyone in football feel safer online.

Ellen Miller, Interim CEO of Refuge, said:

After 2 years of tireless campaigning, Refuge is pleased to see that the Online Safety Bill has been granted Royal Assent.

We are glad that the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, have listened to us and other organisations in the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and that the Bill now contains specific protections for women and girls.

We are pleased to see coercive and controlling behaviour recognised as a priority offence in the Act This means social media platforms are required to respond to these abusive behaviours and take steps towards preventing them from being able to happen in the first place.

After campaigning alongside other organisations to get a ‘Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice’ in the Bill, including in our report “Marked as Unsafe”, Refuge welcomed the amendment requiring legislators Ofcom to publish guidance for social media platforms to make online spaces safer for women and girls. These guidelines will make it so that social media companies must make the safety of women and girls on their platforms a higher priority.

It is our hope that the protections included in the Act, will allow women and girls to exist online safely, without abuse.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s continued disregard for human life cannot, and will not, be overlooked: UK statement to the OSCE [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 October 2023.

UK Counsellor, Ankur Narayan, says that while Russia is sending its poorly equipped soldiers to their deaths, Ukraine is doing all it can to protect its citizens.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Over 600 days into Russia’s brutal war of aggression, Russian forces have shown nothing but contempt towards the civilian population of Ukraine. The Russian delegate has sat in this Forum and condemned others for violence against civilians, acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks. When will the Russian government apply the same principles to its own conduct?

As Russia increases its attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, so the devastation increases for innocent people in Ukraine. This past weekend, six civilians were killed and 17 injured, when a Russian missile reduced a postal distribution centre to rubble in Kharkiv oblast. The victims, aged between 19 and 42, had no time to flee from this reprehensible attack. Of the 17 injured, seven are reported to be in a critical condition. Madam Chair, Russia’s continued disregard for human life cannot, and will not, be overlooked. The UK and our international partners will help to ensure that those responsible are held to account.

Last week, the UK spoke of Russia’s isolation in continuing to justify its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russia’s desperation has become even more apparent. Russia has sourced arms from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be used against Ukraine. This violates UN Security Council Resolutions, including Resolutions for which Russia itself voted in favour. Nothing seems off limits to Russia, whose soldiers are fighting a prolonged, yet ultimately, losing battle.

According to reports, Russia has suffered over 200,000 casualties since February 2022. In Avdiivka, entrenched Ukrainian forces have so far held back the Russian advance, with the latter sustaining heavy equipment and personnel losses. Despite these heavy losses, Russia continues to send more and more personnel to the Avdiivka region. This is further evidence of how little the Russian government values the lives of its own people.

While Russia is sending its poorly equipped soldiers to their deaths, Ukraine is doing all it can to protect its citizens from Russian aggression. And that is why the UK will continue to support Ukraine with military and non-military aid as long as it is necessary.

Madam Chair, the UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, as the brave Ukrainian people defend their homeland and fight for the simple right to a free, peaceful and prosperous future. Ukraine will win. Thank you.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Small businesses to benefit from one of the largest shake ups to procurement regulations in UK history [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 27 October 2023.

New procurement rules have today become law, following the Royal Assent of the Procurement Act – and is part of the Government’s work to make long-term decisions that will change this country for the better.
- The landmark Procurement Bill has today been granted Royal Assent, becoming an Act of Parliament.
- The Act provides for simpler procurement processes to support small businesses and innovation, and protect against national security risks in public contracts.
- The new regime is expected to come into force October 2024 delivering lasting change for generations to come.
New procurement rules have today become law, following the Royal Assent of the Procurement Act – and is part of the Government’s work to make long-term decisions that will change this country for the better.

The new rules are one of the largest shake ups to procurement rules in this country’s history.

The Act establishes a new public procurement regime following the UK’s exit from the EU, and helps deliver the Prime Minister’s promise to grow the economy by creating a simpler and more transparent system that delivers better value for money, reducing costs for business and the public sector.

The new regime will deliver simpler, more effective public sector procurement, and help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) secure a greater share of approximately £300bn of expenditure per year.

The new rules will protect against national security risks in public contracts.

Significant new powers will enable high-risk suppliers to be put on a public debarment list and be prevented from bidding for some categories of goods or services, such as areas related to defence and national security, while allowing them to continue to bid for contracts in non-sensitive areas.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

We have taken the long-term decisions that will increase our powers to protect our security in our supply chains and procurement.

This has included radical steps such as creating a National Security Unit for Procurement and giving Ministers the power to prevent suppliers from bidding for certain products where there is a risk to national security it will deliver lasting change which protects the UK for generations to come.

The Act places a requirement on contracting authorities to assess the particular barriers facing SMEs throughout the entire procurement lifecycle, and to consider what can be done to overcome them.

For example, in the area of insurance, procurement processes can unfairly penalise businesses that lack the resources of larger suppliers. The Act makes it clear that contracting authorities must accept evidence that required insurance cover will be in place when a contract is awarded, rather than at the point of bidding. This will save all businesses, including SMEs, from having to incur unnecessary upfront costs.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said:

This Act is all about supporting British business using the opportunity of Brexit, as we change the way government works so it delivers better for people across the country.

In particular, we draw on the new freedoms available to us by leaving the European Union to embrace and best support our small and medium sized businesses.

The Act will streamline the way that companies bid for public contracts, while also giving procurers more room for negotiating prices and innovative solutions with these companies.

These reforms will deliver better value for money, slash red tape, drive innovation and make it easier for suppliers of all sizes to do business with the public sector

It will also be possible to exclude suppliers from bidding for contracts, not only if they’ve performed badly on other contracts in the past, but also based on modern slavery or professional misconduct grounds.

The Act introduces a new duty for Ministers to proactively consider suppliers for potential debarment investigations.

To achieve this, the Government will introduce a new National Security Unit for Procurement. This unit will better protect people across the country by investigating suppliers who may pose a risk to national security, and assess whether companies should be barred from public procurements.

In addition, the Government is committing to publish a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law from central government sensitive sites. Government will also produce an annual written report to Parliament detailing progress on this commitment.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

These new rules will help grow the economy and deliver better and simpler public sector procurement.

I am particularly pleased to help small and medium sized businesses secure a greater share of nearly £300 billion worth of government contracts.

The Act draws on newfound Brexit freedoms to create a more transparent procurement system – with clearer and faster competition processes in emergency situations, such as during health pandemics, ensuring that contracting authorities can act quickly and transparently to buy vital goods.

Contracting authorities will also need to take account of the national strategic priorities set out in the National Procurement Policy Statement. This could include matters such as job creation, enhancing supplier resilience and fostering innovation.

The changes are expected to come into force once secondary legislation is laid and after a six-month implementation period.

The Cabinet Office will be providing all public sector contracting authorities with access to a comprehensive, centrally-funded learning and development package and guidance materials to help them prepare.
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 27 October 2023.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland invites applications for the appointment of a new member of the Northern Ireland Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Further details about the role of Commissioner, including terms of appointment and an application pack are available for download at:

https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/7773

Alternatively, an application pack or alternative formats can be requested by email to nihrc2023@nio.gov.uk.

All applications should be submitted via the Cabinet Office website at https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles

The closing date for applications is 17 November 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted

Equality of Opportunity

Appointments will be made on merit and with regard to the equality provisions set out in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Leading frontier AI companies publish safety policies [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 October 2023.

Top frontier AI firms have outlined their safety policies to boost transparency and encourage the sharing of best practice within the AI community.
- Top frontier AI firms including DeepMind have outlined their safety policies following a request from the Technology Secretary.
- Companies publish response as the UK Government also sets out safety processes for frontier AI companies to help keep their models safe as they continue to develop them and harness opportunities.
- It follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday outlining the risks of AI and setting out the UK will establish the world’s first AI Safety Institute.
Leading AI companies have today (Friday 27 October) published their safety policies following a request from the Technology Secretary last month, in a move to boost transparency and encourage the sharing of best practice within the AI community.

It comes as the UK Government reveals a set of emerging safety processes for the companies, providing information on how they can keep their models safe – and is intended to inform discussions at Bletchley Park next week.

The government paper outlines practices for AI companies including implementing responsible capability scaling – a new framework for managing frontier AI risk and something several are already putting into action. This would see AI firms set out ahead of time what risks are going to be monitored, who is notified if these risks are found, and at what level of dangerous capabilities a developer would slow or, in fact, pause their work until better safety mechanisms are in place.

Other suggestions include AI developers employing third parties to try to hack their systems to identify sources of risk and potential harmful impacts, as well as providing additional information on whether content has been AI generated or modified. At the heart of these emerging safety practices is innovation, with the UK Government clear that the only way to seize the opportunities for economic growth and public good is by understanding the risks at the frontier of AI development.

Yesterday the Prime Minister confirmed the UK will establish the world’s first AI Safety Institute to advance the world’s knowledge of AI safety, and carefully examine, evaluate and test new types of AI so there is an understanding of what each new model is capable of. It will look to share information with international partners, policymakers, private companies, academia and civil society as part of efforts to collaborate on AI safety research. Today’s announcement from the leading frontier AI companies begins the conversation about safety policies which the AI Safety Institute can now take forward through its programme of research, evaluation and information sharing working with the government’s AI Policy team.

New findings published today show international support for a government-backed AI safety institute to evaluate powerful AI to test if it is safe, with 62% of Brits surveyed backing the idea. The survey of international public opinion on AI safety across nine countries, including Canada, France, Japan, the UK and USA, amongst others, saw strong support in most nations for powerful AI to be tested by independent experts. Most respondents in all countries agreed with this, ranging from 59% in Japan to 76% in the UK and Singapore. When asked who they would trust to have overall responsibility for ensuring AI is safe, an AI safety institute was the most popular option in seven of the nine countries surveyed, and often by some distance.

Today’s paper contains processes and associated practices that some frontier AI organisations are already implementing and others that are being considered within academia and broader civil society. While there may be some processes and practices relevant for different kinds of AI organisations, others – such as responsible capability scaling – are specifically developed for frontier AI and are not designed for lower capability or non-frontier AI systems.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

This is the start of the conversation and as the technology develops, these processes and practices will continue to evolve, because in order to seize AI’s huge opportunities we need to grip the risks.

We know openness is key to increasing public trust in these AI models which in turn will drive uptake across society meaning more will benefit, so I welcome AI developers publishing their safety policies today.

Today’s paper also highlights the long-standing technical challenges in building safe AI systems, including safety evaluations and understanding how they make decisions. Safety best practices have not yet been established for frontier AI development – which is why the UK Government has published emerging processes to inform the vital discussion of safe frontier AI at the summit.

It follows a new government discussion paper published yesterday pointing to rapid recent progress in frontier AI which is expected to continue in the coming years. This could see these models evolve at ever-greater speed, leading to a danger they will exceed human understanding, and even human control.

The UK recognises the enormous opportunities AI can unlock across the economy and society – however, without appropriate guardrails, such technologies can pose significant risks. The AI Safety Summit will focus on how best to manage the risks from frontier AI such as misuse, loss of control and societal harms. Frontier AI organisations play an important role in addressing these risks and promoting the safety of the development and deployment of frontier AI.

Frontier AI Taskforce Chair Ian Hogarth said:

We have focused on Frontier AI at next week’s summit very deliberately as these are the models which are most capable.

While Frontier AI brings opportunities, more capable systems can also bring increased risk. AI companies providing increased transparency of their safety policies is a first step towards providing assurance that these systems are being developed and deployed responsibly.

Over the last few months the UK Government’s Frontier AI Taskforce has been recruiting leading names from all areas of the AI ecosystem, from security to computer science, to advise on the risks and opportunities from AI with the Prime Minister yesterday hailing it a huge success.

Today’s publication on emerging safety practices is intended to support frontier AI companies to establish effective AI safety policies.

Adam Leon Smith, of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and Chair of its Fellows Technical Advisory Group (F-TAG) said:

This set of emerging, adaptable processes and practices moves the industry forwards significantly, and sets a new bar for research and development.

It is challenging to talk about how to manage safety when we are dealing in some cases with systems that are too advanced for us to have yet built – but it’s important to have the vision and courage to anticipate the risks.

The processes here also provide inspiration and best practices that may be useful for managing the risks posed by many AI systems already on the market.

The UK is hosting the AI Safety Summit as the government looks long-term at the tough decisions that need to be taken for a brighter future for the next generation, powered by AI developments.
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government urges jobseekers to consider careers in “booming” beauty industry [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 27 October 2023.

This week marks British Beauty Week (26th – 30th October) which highlights Britain’s thriving and influential beauty brands.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is using the celebration to call on jobseekers to consider one of the range of roles and fields the sector offers as their next career move, with over 4,000 vacancies live on the Government’s Find a Job portal. This includes beautician, merchandiser and lecturer roles, and other fulfilling positions to suit different levels of experience.

The Prime Minister has previously praised the British industry for being the best of British business and with an annual worth £20 billion to the UK economy, the sector is an important part of the Government’s drive to grow the economy.

Diane Whitbread, one of the DWP’s Employer Engagement Advisors, said:

“I encourage jobseekers from all backgrounds to use British Beauty Week to consider a role in beauty as their next move. This booming sector offers a range of exciting roles and skills development along with progression opportunities and a new sense of purpose.

“Our Jobcentre network can provide crucial advice to all jobseekers and my dedicated colleagues, including work coaches stand ready to help people begin rewarding careers within this dynamic industry.”

Jobcentres across Great Britain are available to help claimants secure a beauty-based role and work closely with employers to fill and promote key vacancies, including Elite Hotels, who own three premium hotels in the South of England. The Government works closely with the British Beauty Council to drive excellence across the industry. Since its inception in 2018, the council has acted as the champion of the sector, providing financial support and guidance to hundreds of thousands of workers.

Millie Kendal OBE, the British Beauty Council’s CEO added:

“The British Beauty industry makes a bigger contribution to the UK’s GDP than the creative, arts, and entertainment sector, and the aerospace manufacturing sector, however many people are unaware of the diverse range of opportunities available in the sector.

“In order to highlight the diverse opportunities available in the sector, the Council has launched its ‘Future Talent Programme’, which is designed to uncover unique roles in technology, fragrance, sustainability, and cosmetic science to people aged 11-18 years old. Through engaging short films, the programme is dedicated to ensuring a pipeline of unique talent to a creative, innovative, entrepreneurial sector.”

Jobseekers can also tap into the DWP’s Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). SWAPs provide opportunities to learn new skills and get working experience in relevant industries. Lasting up to six weeks, schemes involve pre-employment training, work experience with an employer in the industry and at the end of the programme, either a job interview or help with the application process. There are several SWAPs linked to beauty with a specific focus on job vacancies in hair, beauty and fitness.

This summer, Jobcentre Plus ran a SWAP with leading firm L’Oréal Paris in North London for Beauty Counter Advisor which included bespoke training from a local college. All candidates were successful in securing a role with the French company.

Additional information
- According to the Value of Beauty report (2023), the industry supports 550,00 total jobs across media, services, STEM roles and more. 81% of those employed are women and 86% of business-owners, providing that beauty opportunities provide a strong basis for social mobility and access to under-represented portions of the population.
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Seven sentenced for their involvement in alleged £770k benefit fraud [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 27 October 2023.

As part of the government’s £900 million crackdown on fraud, seven people have been sentenced for their part in a major fraud operation worth an alleged £770,000.
- Organised crime gang alleged to have defrauded £770,000 using hijacked identities
- Judge convicts seven people for their involvement in stealing £138,000 of this amount, with a further 14 also charged and currently going through the court process
- Demonstrates a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, which will protect taxpayer’s money and support public services
As part of the government’s £900 million crackdown on fraud, seven people have been sentenced for their part in a major fraud operation worth an alleged £770,000.

An investigation by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uncovered an organised crime gang which made thousands of false claims for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) then used stolen and hijacked genuine identities to launder money through their own personal bank accounts.

Donna John, 39, Michelle John, 33, Kofi Ofori-Atta, 52, Maria Theaker, 56, Jamie Wilkins, 36, and Serena Farmer-White, 32, all from Cardiff, and Christopher Gougherty, 37, from Cwmbran, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court today (27 October) for their involvement in stealing £138,000 of the total amount.

They received sentences as high as 71 weeks in custody, suspended for 18 months. Other members of the gang are still to be tried, with the alleged fraud rising to a total of £770,000.

The DWP will now take steps to recover the money stolen, building on the Department’s new target to save at least £1.3 billion on fraud and error in 2023-24.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said:

“We will use all the powers at our disposal to catch fraudsters and deter others from abusing the system.

“This case should act as a warning to anyone thinking they can get away with fraud. We will track down criminals stealing from the taxpayer and we will bring them to justice.”

DWP Minister responsible for tackling fraud, Tom Pursglove MP, said:

“Benefit fraud is never a victimless crime. It diverts money away from those who really need it.

“That is why we are ramping up our plans to root out fraudsters as part of a push to save £1.3bn in 2023-2024.”

In addition to today’s court proceedings, five other fraudsters were sentenced for their roles earlier this year, while 14 others await court hearings.

Ryan Perry, 33, Andrew Siddell, 56, Connor Mainwaring, 30, Damon Cooper, 32, and Cobbie Rickard, 28, were sentenced following court appearances earlier this year after they stole more than £50,000.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Reviewing Lawyer, Hywel Rees, said:

“This was a complex fraud case, involving several defendants spread across multiple counties in England and Wales.

“The impact of fraud on victims can be devastating and result in significant losses to taxpayers. The CPS continues to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to successfully prosecute cases of fraud whenever our legal test is met.”

The sentences come as the latest figures show a 10% drop in the rate of fraud and error over the past year, with plans to drive those numbers down further.

In 2022, the DWP launched a robust plan to further tackle fraud and error in the benefits system. The Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System plan, backed by £900 million over three years, bolsters the counter-fraud frontline significantly with measures including the deployment of trained specialists to review millions of Universal Credit claims.

Additional information
- The Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System plan can be accessed on gov.uk here
- The Proceeds of Crime Act allows courts to calculate the amount individuals have benefited from their crimes and issue a confiscation order based on the value of assets held. The value of assets recovered will then be paid as compensation to victims, which in this instance is the government.
DWP investigators and the CPS worked in partnership to carefully review evidence and put together a robust case strategy, resulting in 16 defendants entering guilty pleas at an early stage in proceedings.

The sentencing details were:
- Kofi Ofori-Atta: 71 weeks’ custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, a four-month electronic curfew, 15 rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Christopher Gougerty: 48 weeks’ custodial sentence, suspended for 14 months, 15 rehabilitation and activity requirement days, 80 hours of unpaid work and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Donna John: 45 weeks’ custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, 10 rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Maria Theaker: 45 weeks’ custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, six rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Jamie Wilkins: Nine months’ custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, 80 hours of unpaid work, six rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Serena Farmer: Nine months’ custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, 80 hours of unpaid work, eight rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
- Michelle John: 12-month community order, 12 rehabilitation and activity requirement days and a statutory victim surcharge.
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Investment in childcare boosted by new resources and online tools [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 27 October 2023.

More nursery and early years places and spaces to be delivered, with an online childcare eligibility checker to give information about new support.

Parents up and down the country can see for the first time from today (27 October 2023) exactly what additional childcare support they will be entitled to over the coming months and years thanks to the government’s largest ever investment in childcare.

The updated eligibility checker on childcarechoices.gov.uk is now live, and allows parents to access personalised information on the support available to them, including which of the new transformational childcare offers they will be eligible for depending on the age of their child and earnings.

The website will also give parents the opportunity to sign up for regular updates letting them know when they should take action to make sure they are getting the support they are entitled to. This includes when the new 15 free hours for two-year-olds shortly becomes available for sign-ups, with the offer beginning in April 2024.

This comes as the government rolls out the next stage of delivery of its childcare plan which is set to save working parents using 30 hours of childcare, up to £6,500 per year.

£100 million is being made available for local areas to support childcare settings in their areas to increase their physical space, anticipated to add thousands of new places across the country.

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said:

No one should have to choose between having a career and having a family, so I’m determined that every parent who wants it should have access to the childcare they need.

Flexibility is at the heart of our plans to transform childcare for families, whether it’s offering quality childcare out of school hours or making sure there are more early years places where they’re needed most.

This is the largest investment in childcare in our history, so I encourage people with young children or those thinking about starting a family to visit the Childcare Choices website to find out what they’re eligible for.

Local authorities are also today receiving details of their allocation from the £289 million wraparound childcare fund, to make sure families of primary school children can access childcare between 8am and 6pm.

Funding is being distributed to all local authorities on the basis of anticipated need, plugging gaps in the existing market.

It will help deliver the government’s aim that by 2026, no matter where parents live, they should be able to access wraparound childcare for primary-age children in their local area.

This measure comes as the Department for Work and Pensions recently announced an increase to the money parents receiving Universal Credit can claim per month for childcare, which is now up to £951 for one child or £1,630 for 2 or more children.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride, said:

Boosting employment is key to growing our economy, and the extra money provided for parents on Universal Credit will give them the flexibility and security they need to find a job, support their children and reap the benefits of work.

I encourage every parent to access this resource to see what help is available and to talk to one of the thousands of work coaches in our jobcentres who are there to help them find work or enhance their skills.

The childminder start-up grant scheme has also been confirmed to open for applications by Thursday 30 November 2023. This grant of £600 for those who choose to register with Ofsted and £1,200 for those who choose to register with a childminder agency will help to boost the numbers of childminders working to offer parents more flexible childcare.

As well as this investment, the Department for Education has also today published the response to the recent early years foundation stage (EYFS) consultation. The majority of proposed changes will go ahead, to boost the early years workforce and encourage more people to consider childcare as a rewarding career by removing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

For example, the government will now allow managers to decide whether students and apprentices can count in ratios where appropriate. This will empower managers and allow trainees to build more valuable experience so they can flourish in their early years career.

A small number of proposed changes that consultation responses suggested would not help achieve the government’s aim of removing unnecessary burdens will not proceed, with no changes to staff:child ratio requirements outside of core hours.

Combined, this work demonstrates the government’s continued commitment to delivering the record investment in childcare in a way that makes sure childcare is high-quality, affordable and fits around parents’ working lives.

This commitment and the government’s overall approach to childcare will be discussed at this year’s early years British Irish council. Minister Johnston will host the annual meeting which will see delegates discuss the topic of childcare and solutions to the challenges being faced across member administrations. The meeting will be attended by representatives from the UK government, Irish government, devolved governments and crown dependencies.

November 2, 2023