Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister puts local people in control of more than £1 billion with long-term plan for left-behind towns [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister puts local people in control of more than £1 billion with long-term plan for left-behind towns [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 30 September 2023.

    Fifty five towns given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities.

    • 55 towns given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities
    • Long-term Plan for Towns will empower communities across the UK to take back control of their future – taking long term decisions in the interests of local people
    • Funding to be spent on local priorities; reviving high streets, tackling ASB, improving transport and growing the local economy

    The government has unveiled 55 towns that will benefit from a £1.1 billion levelling up investment, as part of a long-term plan for towns that provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted.

    Towns that will be given the opportunity to develop a long-term plan supported by a Towns Board include 6 in the North East, 10 in the North West, and 4 in the West Midlands. In total, 55 towns will benefit from the UK-wide approach, including 7 towns in Scotland and 4 in Wales.

    The government will work with local councils and the devolved administrations to determine how towns in Scotland and Wales will benefit from funding and powers under the long-term plans. In Northern Ireland, we look forward to working with a restored Executive to determine the approach to providing support there.

    Under the new approach, local people, not Whitehall-based politicians, will be put in charge, and given the tools to change their town’s long-term future. They will:

    • Receive a ten-year £20 million endowment-style fund to be spent on local people’s priorities, like regenerating local high streets and town centres or securing public safety.
    • Set up a Town Board to bring together community leaders, employers, local authorities, and the local MP, to deliver the Long-Term Plan for their town and put it to local people for consultation.
    • Use a suite of regeneration powers to unlock more private sector investment by auctioning empty high street shops, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres.

    More than half the population live in towns, but half-empty high streets, run-down town centres and anti-social behaviour undermine towns in every part of the UK. Today’s announcement marks a change in approach that will put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored by Westminster and empower communities to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people.

    This plan builds on the government’s central mission to level up the UK by putting more power and money in the hands of people who know their areas best to build a brighter future for their community, creating bespoke initiatives that will spark the regeneration needed.

    Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

    Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.

    The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.

    That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.

    Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove said:

    We know that in our towns the values of hard work and solidarity, common sense and common purpose, endeavour and quiet patriotism have endured across generations. But for too long, too many of our great British towns have been overlooked and undervalued.

    We are putting this right through our Long-Term Plan for Towns backed by over £1 billion of levelling up funding.

    This will empower communities in every part of the UK to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people. It will mean more jobs, more opportunities and a brighter future for our towns and the people who live and work in them.

    Our ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’, published today (1 October 2023), is carefully designed to complement the wider levelling up programme, working alongside funding for specific projects across the UK, our targeted support to the places most in need through Levelling Up Partnerships, and initiatives supporting economic growth in wider city regions like investment zones.

    The Long-Term Plan for Towns will require town boards to develop their own long-term plan for their town, with funding over 10 years and aligned to the issues that research shows people want the most, including:

    • Improving transport and connections to make travel easier for residents and increase visitor numbers in centres to boost opportunities for small businesses and create jobs
    • Tackling crime and anti social behaviour to keep residents safe and encourage visitors through better security measures and hotspot policing
    • Enhancing town centres to make high streets more attractive and accessible, including repurposing empty shops for new housing, creating more green spaces, cleaning up streets or running market days

    Local people will be at the heart of decisions, through direct membership of a new Towns Board, which will include community groups, MPs, businesses, cultural and sports organisations, public sector agencies and local authorities for each town and through a requirement to engage local people on the long-term plan for each town.

    These Town Boards will have direct government support in addition to the funding and powers they receive through Long-Term Plan for Towns, and will be required to engage local people on their long-term plan.

    The government has also announced a new ‘Towns Taskforce, sitting in the Department for Levelling Up and reporting directly to the Prime Minister and Levelling Up Secretary. This will help town boards to develop their plans, and advise them on how best to take advantage of government policies, unlock private and philanthropic investment and work with communities.

    A new ‘High Streets and Towns Task Force’ will also be established, building on the success of the existing version, providing each selected town with bespoke, hands-on support.

    Further information

    • Towns have been allocated funding according to the Levelling Up Needs Index which takes into account metrics covering skills, pay, productivity and health, as well as the Index of Multiple Deprivation to ensure funding goes directly to the towns which will benefit most, without new competitions or unnecessary hurdles. A full methodology note has been published.
    • This commitment to towns follows other initiatives designed to support towns, including driving economic growth in 101 areas through the Towns Fund, and the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, which is creating thriving high streets.
    • Local authorities will be the lead delivery partner for plans.  This programme has been developed following our work with local authorities, with funding designed to be spent flexibly over a number of years based on local and evolving needs, and distributed through an allocative rather than competitive process.

    Towns receiving funding

    • Mansfield
    • Boston
    • Worksop
    • Skegness
    • Newark-on-Trent
    • Chesterfield
    • Clifton (Nottingham)
    • Spalding
    • Kirkby-in-Ashfield
    • Clacton-on-Sea
    • Great Yarmouth
    • Eston
    • Jarrow
    • Washington
    • Blyth (Northumberland)
    • Hartlepool
    • Spennymoor
    • Darwen
    • Chadderton
    • Heywood
    • Ashton-under-Lyne
    • Accrington
    • Leigh (Wigan)
    • Farnworth
    • Nelson (Pendle)
    • Kirkby
    • Burnley
    • Hastings
    • Bexhill-on-Sea
    • Ryde
    • Torquay
    • Smethwick
    • Darlaston
    • Bilston (Wolverhampton)
    • Dudley (Dudley)
    • Grimsby
    • Castleford
    • Doncaster
    • Rotherham
    • Barnsley
    • Scunthorpe
    • Keighley
    • Dewsbury
    • Scarborough
    • Merthyr Tydfil
    • Cwmbrân
    • Wrexham
    • Barry (Vale of Glamorgan)
    • Greenock
    • Irvine
    • Kilmarnock
    • Coatbridge
    • Clydebank
    • Dumfries
    • Elgin
  • PRESS RELEASE : The UK remains committed to the universal vision for economic, environmental, and social development of Agenda 2030 – UK statement at the UN General Assembly [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : The UK remains committed to the universal vision for economic, environmental, and social development of Agenda 2030 – UK statement at the UN General Assembly [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 September 2023.

    Explanation of Vote by Tom Woodroffe, UK Ambassador to the ECOSOC, at the UN General Assembly meeting on SDG Summit Political Declaration.

    Presidents and esteemed colleagues, I would like to begin by expressing our gratitude to you and the Co-facilitators, Their Excellencies, the Permanent Representatives of Qatar and Ireland, and indeed their full teams, for their hard work, which has enabled the adoption of the declaration today. We are pleased that, after months of negotiations, we have been able to join consensus here in the GA following endorsement of the declaration at the highest levels during the SDG summit last week.

    Now, as our Deputy Prime Minister set out at that summit, the UK remains fully committed to delivering the universal vision for economic, environmental, and social development set out in Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. With seven years to go, our collective promises are in jeopardy. We need robust political will and commitment to greater action to get them back on track.

    Indeed and in fact, as His Excellency, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, set out earlier, the declaration includes a number of ambitious and welcome commitments which should provide the impetus to do so.

    The UK recognises how important finance is to achieving the 2030 agenda. That is why we are pushing for a bigger, better, fairer international financial system which increases the voice and representation of the poorest and most vulnerable. We are driving reforms of the Multilateral Development Banks, including stretching their balance sheets to release over $200 billion of additional finance over the next 10 years, scaling MDB lending to unlock $1 billion in education financing and $1.8 billion of climate finance for countries in Africa and the Asia Pacific, and making the MDBs more agile, shock-responsive, and better able to mobilise private investment.

    We are also encouraging the MDBs, NDBs, and all other creditors to offer climate-resilient debt clauses to pause debt payments when disaster strikes. And that is also why, at the G20, our Prime Minister announced a further $2 billion for the Green Climate Fund.

    But, of course, finance is only one part of the equation. We must also ensure that this is invested in areas which will accelerate progress across all the goals, such as gender equality, science and data, education, health, food security, and renewable energy. We must rapidly cut emissions, decarbonise, and transition to renewable energy to keep 1.5 degrees in reach.

    The UK remains committed to our 2013 nationally determined contribution, reaching net-zero by 2050 and supporting developing countries to achieve their climate and biodiversity ambitions. We would have liked to see the declaration reflect the need for continued high policy ambition to tackle climate change and limit global temperature risk as we look towards a critical COP 28.

    Given the importance of gender equality to accelerating progress across the goals and to their delivery, we are also disappointed that the declaration does not represent the full range of gender commitments we collectively made in Agenda 2030.

    It will be critical for us to build on our 2050 agreements as we go into the second committee this year, CSW and ICPD30 next year, the proposed social summit, and indeed the Summit of the Future, in order to be sure we really do leave no one behind.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Global Conference for the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2023 [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Global Conference for the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2023 [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 September 2023.

    This page provides statements following the IDUAI global conference at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford.

    Oxford statement on importance of access to information and digital connectivity

    The Global Conference to celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information was organised by UNESCO and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. It took place at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, on 28 September 2023. The conference participants recognised the importance of the online space for access to information, and agreed the following:

    • we reaffirmed the importance of digital connectivity and the free flow of, and access to, information as a vital means to support an open international community that upholds stability, security, rule of law, prosperity, and promotes sustainable development
    • we reaffirmed that human rights, as protected by the international human rights framework, are applicable online just as they are offline. Access to information, including through the Internet, is widely recognised as an enabler of a broad range of human rights, and that access to information includes accessibility for persons with disabilities
    • we reaffirmed the importance of an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, safe, secure and sustainable Internet. We recognised the vital role of a multi-stakeholder approach to counter the growing, global challenge of Internet shutdowns and restrictions
    • we reaffirmed the importance of free and fair elections to the integrity of a democracy. The free flow of information through the Internet is a crucial means to enable full and inclusive participation in elections. We welcomed the potential of technology, including a responsible use of Artificial Intelligence, to empower engagement in the electoral process
    • we recognised the vital importance of access to information in supporting the democratic process, including enabling institutions to discharge their commitments to individuals and communities, which can deepen inclusion and strengthen accountability
    • we affirmed the vital role the online space offers everyone, irrespective of gender, to exercise their right to participate fully and effectively in public life – economically, socially, and politically. We rejected the increased use of divisive narratives and gendered disinformation to undermine women’s political participation, polarise and weaken democratic institutions
    • we recognised the vital role the independent media plays in facilitating access to information, often through the Internet. Too often shutdowns go hand in hand with attempts to restrict press freedom, silence debate and spread mis and disinformation.  We welcome UNESCO’s efforts to support the capacity building of judges, prosecutors and other judicial operators aiming to guarantee that their decisions, including regarding internet freedom and access to information, are aligned with International Human Rights Law
    • lastly, we welcomed efforts by the international community, including UNESCO; the Freedom Online Coalition; the Taskforce on Preventing Internet Shutdowns; the Media Freedom Coalition; the Open Government Partnership and the International Conference of Information Commissioners. These partners and others, play an important role in supporting free-flowing information and digital connectivity, including by preventing internet shutdowns, defending a free and independent media, tackling disinformation, and supporting access to information

    Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

    We want all citizens to exercise their rights armed with transparent and trustworthy information.  The internet and independent media have a powerful role in supporting democracy to thrive. This is why the UK is at the forefront of efforts to support media freedom, counter politically motivated internet shutdowns and tackle disinformation – all of which are serious threats to democracy.

    UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Jelassi said:

    Internet accessibility is crucial for bridging the digital divide, ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. Limited internet accessibility, such as slow or unreliable internet connections, can create inequities, particularly for marginalized communities or remote areas with limited internet infrastructure.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Support service for Northern Ireland traders extended [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Support service for Northern Ireland traders extended [September 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 29 September 2023.

    The Trader Support Service has been extended until December 2024.

    Support for businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will remain in place as further trade improvements under the Windsor Framework are introduced.

    The Trader Support Service, which helps businesses of all sizes successfully navigate changes to the way goods move under the Windsor Framework, has been extended until December 2024. The government remains committed to long-term support for traders moving goods within the UK between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This follows the agreement reached earlier this year by the UK and EU to introduce the Windsor Framework.

    Thousands of businesses have now registered with the free-to-use platform since its launch in 2020, providing end-to-end support for traders moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

    The Trader Support Service also provides guidance and training to help businesses understand what the Windsor Framework means for them, and avoids traders having to use specialist software, saving time and money.

    Businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland can sign up to the Trader Support Service and access free online courses and training materials.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK to launch new health programme to combat child malnutrition in Timor-Leste [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK to launch new health programme to combat child malnutrition in Timor-Leste [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 September 2023.

    Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, will visit Timor-Leste 29 Sept-2 Oct to launch a UK-UNICEF programme combating child malnutrition.

    • UK to boost health collaboration with Timor-Leste with launch of new UK-UNICEF Health Programme
    • Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan to reiterate UK support for Timor-Leste’s upcoming accession to The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
    • she will also attend a UN Women event, enabled by ASEAN-wide UK funding, to promote women’s participation in security, conflict resolution and development policy

    To enhance UK-Timor-Leste collaboration on health and development, UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan will arrive in Timor-Leste today (Friday 29 September) for a 3-day visit. The visit will be the first by a UK minister since Timor-Leste gained independence in 2002.

    Minister Trevelyan will hold high-level talks with Timorese counterparts including President Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas. Discussions will focus on opportunities to deepen cooperation between the 2 countries on health and development, including through a UK-UNICEF Health Programme to help combat child malnutrition which the Minister will launch during her visit.

    Supported by £1 million of UK government funding, the programme will train community volunteers and establish support groups to encourage and advise parents on healthy food practices.

    Minister Trevelyan will also attend a Women in Leadership event co-organised by the Government of Timor-Leste and UN Women. This event is supported by UK funding to UN Women, part of a wider £3.2 million UK-ASEAN programme announced earlier this year. The programme will promote women’s roles in peace and security initiatives throughout Southeast Asia.

    The visit comes in an important year for Timor-Leste, as it accedes to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the foremost political and economic bloc in the region. Minister Trevelyan will reiterate the UK’s sustained support for Timor-Leste’s accession, with the UK having become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 2021. Southeast Asia is a global centre of economic growth and prosperity, and the UK’s engagement as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner supports the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy.

    Ahead of the visit, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

    As an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the UK continues to work closely with partners across Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific to secure sustainable peace and prosperity in the region and address the challenges of the future

    On my first visit to Timor-Leste, I look forward to discussing opportunities to enhance our bilateral relationship and collaboration on shared health and development priorities.

    We remain steadfast in our support of Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN as a key partner on the global stage.

    The UK’s increased engagement with Timor-Leste demonstrates its long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, in line with the Integrated Review Refresh published in March 2023.

    In addition to development cooperation, the UK is supporting Timor-Leste to maintain regional stability, with Royal Navy vessel HMS Spey visiting Dili in August 2023.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK funding for humanitarian response to events in Nagorno-Karabakh [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK funding for humanitarian response to events in Nagorno-Karabakh [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 September 2023.

    The UK will give £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support the humanitarian response to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

    The UK has announced vital funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as it provides life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support to vulnerable people in Nagorno-Karabakh and the wider region.

    The £1 million funding will also support ICRC as it works to transport the wounded and help displaced families keep in contact.

    Following a military operation by Azerbaijan to take full control of the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a significant portion of the ethnic Armenian population has left Karabakh for the neighbouring Republic of Armenia and face acute humanitarian challenges.

    Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty said:

    The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has placed communities under immense pressure.

    The UK’s financial package will help to protect families and provide crucial assistance to the most vulnerable people.

    In calls with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, Minister Docherty urged both sides to return to dialogue and ensure unfettered humanitarian access to vulnerable people and communities affected by events in Nagorno-Karabakh.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Household goods to carry water efficiency labels [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Household goods to carry water efficiency labels [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 September 2023.

    New eco-labels to will help save consumers money on their energy and water bills.

    • New eco-labels to help save consumers money on their energy and water bills
    • Labels will help reduce usage by 20% per person by 2038 and save an estimated £125 million on water bills over 10 years
    • Delivers on pledge in the government’s Plan for Water which sets out government action to protect our water resources

    Toilets, sinks, dishwashers and washing machines will soon be sold with new water efficiency labels to help consumers reduce their water usage and save themselves money, the government has confirmed today (Friday 29 September).

    This follows a public consultation to make water efficiency labelling mandatory by 2025, which received widespread support and is one of the pledges in the government’s Plan for Water. Products that will be subject to labelling include toilets, urinals, bathroom basin taps, shower outlet devices and shower assembly solutions, dishwashers, washing machines and combination washer-dryers.

    The aim is for these labels to echo energy efficiency labels, with a category rating from A to F on household goods. The majority of respondents (74%) agreed that the proposal will help to reduce water consumption by 2038.

    Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

    Labels are a simple and effective way to help the public save water when buying their next dishwasher or washing machine. Providing people with the information to make an informed choice means not only less water being wasted but also keeping bills lower too.

    With demand for water growing and challenges from climate change, this government is acting to make sure England’s water system is resilient – and through our Plan for Water we’ve set out how more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement will help secure water resources for the future.

    Based on 2019 prices, the label could help save £125 million on water bills and £147 million on energy bills over 10 years, and 1,200 million litres of water a day across the UK – equivalent to 480 Olympic swimming pools. These projections are based on research from the Energy Saving Trust, funded by Defra and Waterwise, which found that a mandatory government led label would lead people to adopt more water efficient behaviours. By encouraging them to choose a device labelled as highly water efficient, consumers will see decreased bills through water savings and subsequent energy savings related to hot water use.

    The government will continue to engage with industry on further details, such as how each category will be defined and the visual design of the label. The government has set an ambitious target to reduce the use of public water supply per person by 20% by 2038. Water efficiency labelling will form a key part of this goal, as laid out in our Plan for Water.

    The Environment Agency’s review of draft Regional Water Resource Plans found an additional 4,000 million litres of water a day will be needed in England by 2050 to meet future supply pressures.  Approximately half of this amount will need to be delivered through demand management measures, including reducing leakage, and household and non-household consumption.

    The Plan for Water, which was launched in April, brings together significant action already taken, along with more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement on those who pollute. This includes the launch of a new National Policy Statement for water resources infrastructure, to help key water supply infrastructure – such as reservoirs and water transfer schemes – be built more quickly.

    This summer, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero also published new advice for households on water efficiency to save energy.

    Notes to editors

  • PRESS RELEASE : Minister hails ‘world-class’ exporters as new data shows UK businesses reach record highs [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Minister hails ‘world-class’ exporters as new data shows UK businesses reach record highs [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 29 September 2023.

    Revised figures from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the UK’s total exports in 2022 were worth £834 billion, up from £815 billion.

    Exports Minister Malcolm Offord has praised the UK’s ‘world-class’ exporters as new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released today (29 September) shows UK exports performed even better than previously thought.

    The figures reveal that the UK’s total exports in 2022 were worth a huge £834 billion, putting the UK well on the way to hitting its target of £1 trillion of exports a year by the end of the decade.

    2022 was a record year for the UK’s services exports in particular as they topped £400 billion for the first time, and new ONS data estimates they were worth £411 billion in total last year – £10 billion higher than the original estimation of £401 billion.

    The ONS have said this is due to more data becoming available and more accurate methodologies being used to calculate export values – particularly for education services exports.

    Minister for Exports Lord Offord said:

    This is fantastic news and shows our world-class exporting businesses are doing even better than first thought and selling more of the goods and services to the world.

    The UK is a services superpower, hitting over £400 billion in exports for the first time last year, but we want to see even more businesses exporting, so we can hit our ambitious target of £1 trillion of exports a year by 2030.

    We’re backing British business by knocking down trade barriers, signing new trade deals, giving expert advice via our Export Support Service and funding through UK Export Finance – our award-winning export credit agency.

    Marco Forgione, Director General of the Institute of Export & International Trade said:

    It’s positive to see improvements across a range of exports within both trade in goods and services.

    The Institute of Export & International Trade’s recent report ‘Global horizons: realising the services exports potential of UK nations and regions’ demonstrates why we are a services powerhouse. It’s vital that we maintain our global advantage as an exporter of services and one of the key recommendations of our report was creating regional sector specialisations – which, if implemented, will improve regional outputs.

    We have a clear pathway to continue this success and by focusing on our nations and regions we can work together with businesses to reap the benefits of entering new markets.

    The ONS has today published an article setting out a detailed assessment of its changes to the export stats, available online on its website.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Using NHS data to improve healthcare [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Using NHS data to improve healthcare [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 29 September 2023.

    Professor Sir Chris Whitty writes for The Times on how using data effectively and safely can improve patient care and bolster research.

    This article was originally published in The Times and republished as a Government press release.

    The NHS uses data every day for healthcare. All of us who use the NHS contribute to the data; all of us who use it benefit from the data being used effectively and safely. It serves three purposes all of which, done properly, improve healthcare now or in the future. The first is data for direct patient care. If data cannot be shared between different parts of the NHS, doctors and other healthcare professionals treating patients in one part of the NHS cannot access important information about us.

    The second is to improve the effectiveness of the NHS. The third is to collate data for medical research to improve healthcare in the future. The more complete the data for all of these uses, the more effective current and future healthcare will be. By allowing the use of our data we benefit ourselves and others, but we also have an absolute expectation that these data will be kept securely, privately and only used for legitimate purposes.

    Having our data shared across the NHS to assist directly in our own clinical care is a benefit to the great majority of patients in the NHS. We may receive care both from our GP and in hospital, and some people are treated in several different parts of the NHS. If a doctor or nurse in one part of the NHS does not know important facts from another, this can reduce the effectiveness of treatment and in some cases can be dangerous.

    Currently the NHS has multiple data systems that do not talk to one another; we need to change that. Healthcare workers sometimes worry that sharing or accessing data might infringe some rule. When this is done in good faith for patient care, using standard guidelines and methods, it is extremely unlikely to cause any concern; indeed there is a strong clinical responsibility to share data when this will benefit an individual patient. The Information Commissioner, National Data Guardian and I have recently jointly written about this.

    Using data integrated from patients across the NHS to improve its efficiency and effectiveness benefits us all. The more inclusive of everyone the data are, the easier it is for the NHS to make sure its resources are used efficiently to optimise healthcare for all of us. Covid-19 demonstrated this; by bringing together data from across the country and combining data from different parts of the system the NHS became steadily more effective at managing healthcare both for those who had Covid-19 and those needing care for other health problems. Knowing where there is ICU capacity, which A&E departments are under greater pressure, and optimising operation lists are all examples of things which need live, inclusive data.

    The extraordinary improvements in health which have occurred as a result of medical research are the third area where using our patient data can be transformational. Again, taking Covid-19 as an example, we used data from patients from across the country, rapidly combined, to determine the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, drugs and other medical interventions.

    Over a million UK citizens volunteered to take part in trials and other formal studies, and we should be very grateful to them. Many more contributed data which help to deliver new treatments, and assess their effectiveness for others in the future. Without data used in this way, the speed of medical improvements will be slowed down, and research aiming to improve future healthcare for diseases such as cancers or heart disease will be impossible.

    People should know how their data is used and be involved in these decisions, so it is welcome that NHS England has today announced a programme of national conversations with the public on data policies and programmes. I encourage people to take part. The NHS has a responsibility to use data to improve individual patient care, its own effectiveness and support research. When we withhold our data from the NHS this can only reduce the effectiveness of care for us and others now, and medical advances for others in the future.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK Denial of Benefits Notification [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK Denial of Benefits Notification [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 29 September 2023.

    UK notification denying the advantages of Part III of the Energy Charter Treaty to the specified categories of investors of the Russian Federation.

    The UK has taken the decision to exercise its right via notification to deny the benefits of the investment protection provisions within the Energy Charter Treaty to sanctioned Russian investors and Russian mailbox investors to ensure those investors cannot benefit from the treaty’s investment protection provisions.

    Russia is not a Contracting Party to the Energy Charter Treaty. However, Russian owned or controlled investments that are structured through Contracting Parties could in some cases claim coverage under the Treaty and benefit from its investment protection provisions. This notification makes clear that those investors are not entitled to the benefits of those provisions, with respect to any investments made in the UK’s energy sector, where they are a sanctioned investor or a mailbox investor.

    The United Kingdom hereby:

    (i) denies, pursuant to Article 17 (1) of the Energy Charter Treaty (the “Treaty”), the advantages of Part III of the Treaty to all legal entities owned or controlled by any citizen(s) or national(s) of the Russian Federation where those entities have no substantial business activities in the Area of the Contracting Party in which they are organised; and

    (ii) denies, pursuant to Article 17 (2) of the Treaty, the advantages of Part III of the Treaty to all Investments of Investors who:

    • are Investors of the Russian Federation (within the meaning of Article 1.7 (b) of the Treaty); and
    • are included in the UK Sanctions List (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list), as that list may be amended from time to time, or in any list issued in replacement thereof, or who are otherwise subject to any sanctions regime imposed or administered by the United Kingdom from time to time.