Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Two trustees reappointed to the Imperial War Museum [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 26 July 2023.

The Prime Minister has reappointed Sir Guy Weston and Professor Margaret MacMillan as trustees of the Imperial War Museum.

Sir Guy Weston

Appointed for a 4 year term commencing 3 November 2023 to 2 November 2027.

Guy is Chairman of the Garfield Weston Foundation and Wittington Investments Limited. A grandson of Garfield Weston and son of the late Garry Weston, Guy studied at Oxford University and INSEAD.

Guy’s career began in investment banking, Morgan Grenfell & Co Ltd, before he moved to Associated British Foods plc where he became the Managing Director of Jacksons of Piccadilly and The Ryvita Co Ltd.

He is Chairman of the Garfield Weston Trust for Westminster Abbey, and former Chairman of the Westminster Abbey Development Appeal and of the Bodleian Library Development Committee and is a trustee of the Imperial War Museum, the Thrombosis Research Institute, and a member of the Council of Royal College of Music.

Professor Margaret MacMillan

Appointed for a term of 3 years and 4 months from 1 October 2023 to 31 January 2027. Professor MacMillan’s first term was extended by 8 months from 31 January 2023 to 30 September 2023.

Professor Margaret MacMillan (Toronto and Oxford) is an emeritus professor of History at the University of Toronto and emeritus professor of International History at Oxford University. She was Provost of Trinity College, Toronto from 2002-7 and Warden of St Antony’s College, Oxford from 2007-2017.

Her research specialises in British imperial history and the international history of the 19th and 20th centuries. Her latest book is War: How Conflict Shaped Us and other publications include Paris, 1919, and The War that Ended Peace.

She gave the CBC’s Massey lectures in 2015 and the BBC’s Reith Lectures in 2018. Awards include the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction and the Governor-General’s literary award. She has honorary degrees from several universities and is an honorary Fellow of the British Academy. She is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, a Companion of Honour (UK) and Member of the Order of Merit.

26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launches – statement [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 July 2023.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson statement on North Korea’s ballistic missile launches overnight on 24 July.

North Korea’s ballistic missile launches overnight on 24 July are a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Illegal ballistic missile launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

The UK will always call out these violations of UNSCRs. We strongly urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Gambling white paper consultations published in step forward for reform [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 26 July 2023.

A public consultation process has been launched to look at how to conduct financial risk checks for problem gambling and at what level stake limits should be set for people playing online slot games.
- Government launches online slot stake-limit consultation as part of plans to curb harmful gambling
- Gambling Commission also launches consultation on how financial risk checks will work to make sure people are not accumulating life-changing losses
- Outdated rules which restrict casinos and bingo halls will be looked at as part of the consultation
A public consultation process has been launched to look at how to conduct financial risk checks for problem gambling and at what level stake limits should be set for people playing online slot games.

The move is the next step of the Government’s gambling white paper to update gambling rules for the smartphone era and protect those at risk of gambling harm including young adults.

The gambling industry, clinicians, academics, those with firsthand experience of harm, and the general public are invited to share their views.

Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew said:

Three months ago we laid out proposals to update gambling laws and make them fit for the smartphone age.

Slot machines in casinos, arcades and betting shops have strict stake limits but very similar games online have none, which can lead to very large and rapid losses of money.

Today we are launching a consultation for a range of views on what the stake limit should be. I encourage you to have your say.

Online slot games are deemed a higher-risk gambling product, associated with large losses, long sessions and binge play.

According to NHS England surveys, 8.5 per cent of online slots, casino and bingo players report experiencing problem gambling, which is nearly 20 times higher than the adult population average. But unlike gaming machines in pubs, arcades and bookmakers, online slot games have no stake limits, which can make it too easy to incur potentially life-changing losses in minutes.

The Government is consulting on a maximum stake of between £2 and £15 per spin.

Public Health England research has also shown younger adults can be particularly vulnerable to gambling harms, due to a combination of common factors such as ongoing cognitive development and managing money for the first time.

The Government is also consulting on options to introduce greater protections when playing slots for 18 to 24-year-olds, such as lower stake limits of £2, £4, or requirements on operators to consider age as a risk factor for gambling-related harm.

While the online sector has seen significant growth since the 2005 Gambling Act, casinos and bingo halls continue to operate under outdated rules from that time, restricting their ability to compete.

Recommendations in today’s consultations will allow the land-based sector to thrive sustainably, respond to customer demand, and continue to recover from the impacts of Covid, while still protecting customers.

Gambling Commission Executive Director for research and policy Tim Miller said:

These consultations from the Government and the Gambling Commission offer the opportunity for people to have their say on proposals aimed at empowering and protecting consumers. Their launch represents a key moment in turning the commitments in the White Paper into reality.

Alongside the Government consultations, the Gambling Commission has also today published its own 12-week consultation on financial risk checks. These checks will force gambling operators to conduct checks to see if unusually high losses are likely to be harmful.

The Commission will also consult on improving consumer choice and giving players more control on direct marketing, meaning they will have options to opt-in to products and choose the channels they wish to receive marketing through.

Consultations to reduce the speed and intensity of online games, strengthen age verification in premises, look at management licences for operators and the processes of the Commission’s regulatory panel have also started today.

Later this summer, the Government will also launch a consultation on the details of the new gambling operator levy, a charge on betting companies, to fund gambling research, education and treatment, exploring options for the design of the levy, the amount to be collected, funding distribution and governance.

Health Minister Will Quince said:

Harmful gambling has widespread impacts. It affects more than people’s money, but their relationships and health as well.

We are working to protect people from the damaging impacts of harmful gambling by improving treatment options with specialist NHS gambling addiction treatment services.

Seven new gambling clinics will open this summer bringing vital support to more parts of the country, on top of the eight that are already open.

We will be working to better understand the evidence received in order to inform our approach.

The stake limit consultation published today will be open for 8 weeks, with the land based consultation lasting 10 weeks. Those with views or evidence to contribute are invited to do so via the gov.uk page.
26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Agreement to support mental health care and free up police time [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 26 July 2023.

The NHS, police and government commit to a new approach to ensure those requiring urgent mental health support receive timely care from the most appropriate agency.

Patients experiencing a mental health crisis will be treated by the most appropriate agency, helping free up police time and ensuring care is provided by someone with the most relevant skills and experience, as a new national agreement is signed between health and policing partners.

Local health partners and police forces in England will work together on joint plans to implement the new approach, working towards ending the inappropriate involvement of police where no crime is being committed or there is no threat to safety. Where police officers do take a person in a mental health crisis to a health setting under the Mental Health Act, this agreement emphasises the need for local partners to work towards handovers happening within one hour. These plans and timelines for implementation will reflect the needs of local communities, as well as the capacity of local police and mental health services, and any additional resources required.

The new National Partnership Agreement outlines the principles that local areas are encouraged to adopt to implement Right Care, Right Person (RCRP), which is already showing success. Created by Humberside Police and the NHS in 2019, it is now much easier for staff in police control rooms to identify the right agency to deploy at the outset when responding to 999 calls about individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

Under new local plans, when the threshold for police involvement is not met, partners will agree the best health-based approach; for instance in Humberside, a new dedicated response vehicle with mental health staff on board has been attending calls and providing support, alongside other community-based mental health services.

As well as patients receiving more appropriate care, Humberside Police believe it has saved 1,441 officer hours on average every single month – and a total of 46,114 officer hours have been saved between May 2020 and December 2022. If all forces in England realised time savings similar to those reported by Humberside police, this could save up to 1 million hours of police officer time per year, freeing up their time to focus on fighting crime and protecting communities.

Policing Minister Chris Philp said:

We have listened to the concerns raised by police leaders about the pressures that mental health issues are placing on policing which takes officers’ time away from preventing and investigating crime.

This landmark agreement will see those in a mental health crisis receiving the most appropriate treatment in the right environment by healthcare professionals and free up considerable amounts of police time to focus on keeping our communities safe.

Minister for Mental Health Maria Caulfield said:

Anyone going through something as awful as a mental health crisis deserves to know they’ll receive the best possible emergency response. It’s vital the right people who are trained and skilled to deal with the situation are on the scene to assist.

That’s why this national agreement is so important. It will ensure the most appropriate health care is provided as quickly as possible.

We’re going further and faster to transform our mental health services, with £2.3 billion extra funding a year by March 2024 so two million more people can get the support they need – and £150 million to build new and improved mental health urgent and emergency care services.

Committing to the RCRP approach to mental health, the new National Partnership Agreement has been signed by the Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), NHS England, the College of Policing and The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC).

People with mental health issues are an important part of the communities the police are here to serve and protect. However, the police are often not the most appropriate agency to respond to mental health incidents, which can result in greater distress for people with mental health needs and prevents police officers from carrying out their other duties. They will continue to respond to cases where there’s a need to investigate a crime, or to protect people from an immediate risk of serious harm.

NPCC lead for policing and mental health, Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Bacon, said:

Right Care, Right Person principles are designed to make sure that our communities receive support from professionals with the appropriate skills and expertise to meet their needs. Currently many health incidents which police attend do not involve a risk to life or a crime being committed and in some cases, police attendance may even have a negative impact on an individual who is in need of specialist help.

The signing of the National Partnership Agreement is testament to our relationships with healthcare partners who are integral to the success of Right Care Right Person and we thank them for their support.

The government is investing an additional £2.3 billion annually into mental health services in England by 2024. A significant proportion of that is for community mental health services for people with serious mental illness – roughly £1 billion.

A range of services are available for people experiencing mental health crisis. For example, liaison services are working in Emergency Departments providing help for people in a mental health crisis.

Work is under way to provide 24/7 mental health crisis phone lines, and the NHS Long Term Plan is delivering the fastest expansion of mental health services in its history, so that two million more people will be able to get the mental health support they need.

The mental health workforce is growing. In December 2022, we saw almost 9,000 more mental health staff working than the previous year. The NHS Long Term Workforce plan sets out ambitions to grow the mental health workforce further.

Every area of the country is now investing in alternatives to A&E and hospital for mental health crisis, such as crisis cafes, safe havens, and crisis houses, supported by £60m investment by the end of 2023/24. £150 million will be used to build mental health urgent and emergency care infrastructure, including up to 90 specialised mental health ambulances across the country.

NHS England’s National Mental Health Director, Claire Murdoch, said:

It is vital that people experiencing a mental health crisis are given appropriate support and the NHS is committed to working with local police forces and their partners to ensure the right professional responds.

Health services and police forces should use this agreement to develop protocols that best meet the needs of their local population, including seeking the views of patients, alongside assessing the additional resources they will need to deliver this.

If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental health, the NHS has crisis helplines available 24/7, so please come forward.

The NPCC and College of Policing have developed a national toolkit to support local implementation across England, including decision-making in relation to the threshold for police response, partnership working and training requirements.

APCC Mental Health lead, Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, said:

The National Partnership Agreement represents a vital first step in ensuring vulnerable people receive the right care from the right person.

My PCC colleagues and I welcome the new agreement and are committed to working closely with chief constables and local partners to get this approach right and ensure it delivers.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, CEO at the College of Policing, said:

The public want police catching criminals and protecting them from harm. Attending mental health calls is not always appropriate and these changes will strike a better balance so that the public receives the service they want.

Police are not trained mental health professionals and the new toolkit will triage incoming calls to police so that the public receives the best response. The toolkit is unique in policing and will offer support and guidance to call handlers when managing mental health, concerns for welfare and missing persons.

This is a change for policing across England and Wales and the College of Policing will be supporting forces as they focus their efforts on keeping their neighbourhoods safe.

NHS England is also co-producing guidance with multi-agency professionals and people with lived experience of mental health problems, on how to strengthen the interface between multi-agency partners within the urgent mental health pathway.

26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK to host 26th annual Taiwan talks to continue to strengthen trade relationship [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 26 July 2023.

Minister for International Trade will co-host the 26th annual Trade Talks later this year.
UK to host 26th annual UK-Taiwan Trade Talks and strengthen the long-standing trade & investment relationship.

Taiwan is an important trading partner for the UK, with bilateral trade worth £8.6bn in 2022.

The Taiwan market offers significant potential for UK companies in areas such as off-shore wind and hydrogen.

Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston will co-host the 26th annual Trade Talks later this year with Deputy Minister Chern-Chyi Chen. They held an introductory call to discuss it today.

The UK and Taiwan have a long-standing trade relationship with annual ministerial trade talks held since 1991.

At the last Trade Talks held in Taiwan in late 2022, the UK and Taiwan discussed barriers to trade in sectors like fintech, food and drink and pharma, aimed at helping more UK firms export and invest in Taiwan. This year’s Trade Talks will take place in London and aim to help more UK firms export and invest in Taiwan in areas of mutual interest.

Minister Huddleston also spoke to John Deng, Trade Representative / Minister without Portfolio, to endorse the start of official-level talks on an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), which will be underpinned by non-legally binding Memoranda of Understanding in key areas such as two-way investment, digital trade, and energy & net-zero.

The ETP will build on our ongoing collaboration through annual Trade Talks to tackle barriers to trade and promote UK expertise, deepening our relationship to take advantage of increasing commercial opportunities. Both sides will begin engaging businesses on the ETP in due course.

Like the UK, Taiwan is a champion of free and fair trade underpinned by a rules-based global trading system. The UK is already a major partner in Taiwan’s green transition, with more than 40 British companies already having set up offices in Taiwan.

The British Office holds regular discussions with the Taiwanese authorities focusing on how to enhance trade and investment ties and tackle market access issues and those relating to the wider business environment.
26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Game-changing fund opens in UK to boost science and tech research [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 26 July 2023.

£50 million Research Ventures Catalyst to support cutting-edge research, built on partnerships with private and philanthropic investors.
New fund launched by government to support cutting-edge research, built on partnerships with private and philanthropic investors which will unlock tens of millions of pounds to drive new discoveries in health, tech and science

the Research Ventures Catalyst will deliver up to £50 million of government investment, with industry and philanthropic backing, to pilot new ways of joint-funding research in the UK – in turn helping to grow the economy

capitalising on the UK’s status as a key global financial centre to create new sources of funding, the catalyst will support UK scientists and innovators to take risks and tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges

Up to £50 million of government investment in new UK research ventures will encourage greater private and philanthropic backing for UK science, research and innovation under new plans unveiled today (Wednesday 26 July).

This will help deliver the cash that is vital to finding new ways to tackle deadly diseases, and to harnessing new technologies that will underpin the economy of the future. The launch of the Research Ventures Catalyst will drive more private and philanthropic funding into UK R&D, building on the City of London’s position of strength as an international financial centre for the benefit of our scientists and innovators.

The new fund has been set up to pilot new ways of delivering research in the UK, allowing our brightest minds to take greater risks and pursue new means of working that might not be supported via traditional funding avenues. The Catalyst is opening for bids of up to £100,000 in ‘seedcorn’ funding to allow researchers to develop full plans for their proposed ventures.

Eventually, it will deliver up to £50 million of investment, backed by government with additional private and philanthropic co-investment.

Secretary of State Michelle Donelan said:

“From Edward Jenner’s invention of the very first vaccine, to the scientists in Manchester who isolated graphene, so many of the Great British breakthroughs which have changed the world would not have been possible without people who dared to do things differently, and take calculated risks. In today’s world, that approach is just as important as ever.

“Research and innovation hold the keys to a vast range of benefits and opportunity, from radically improving healthcare to creating whole new industries in fields from quantum to engineering biology. But this work is impossible without funding. That is why, I am making an open invitation to private and philanthropic partners in the City and beyond to work with us through the Research Ventures Catalyst to put real financial firepower behind the world-leading science happening in the UK.”

Unlocking greater private and philanthropic investment in UK R&D is one of the key objectives of the The UK Science and Technology Framework, and partnerships with industry and philanthropic investors are already delivering for the UK’s science sector.

The government is continuing to engage with Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, about their support of up to $20 million as part of our work to spur co-investment in science from private and philanthropic sources.

Delivering new, innovative, agile models of funding such as these delivers on the government’s response to the findings of Sir Paul Nurse’s Landscape Review, and builds on the already-record levels of public sector commitment to spending on R&D. This government has committed to invest £20 billion in R&D in 2024-2025.

Notes to editors

The up to £50 million to spur co-investment in science from the private sector and philanthropy through the Research Ventures Catalyst is subject to business case approvals. Applicants will be required to secure co-investment for their proposals. – If you would like to make an application to the Research Ventures Catalyst, or contact us regarding related investment opportunities, further details can be found here on gov.uk.
26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Planning changes to speed up delivery of vital infrastructure [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 26 July 2023.

Overhaul of planning will speed up delivery of vital projects including off-shore wind, transport links and other major infrastructure.

Major infrastructure projects that deliver tangible benefits to communities, including off-shore wind farms, transport links, waste facilities and nuclear power stations, will be fast-tracked through the planning process, under plans announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities today (25 July 2023).

The government is proposing to slash the time it takes for projects to be green lit, streamlining the current system, and establishing a new fast-track route to planning approval for projects that provide community and environmental benefits.

These reforms will ensure vital infrastructure needed to grow the economy, create new jobs and promote new opportunities are not held back by slow and burdensome planning processes. They will create a resilient, dynamic approvals system as the government continues to rebuild the economy following the pandemic.

This follows the Housing Secretary’s speech yesterday which set out an ambitious plan to deliver new homes where it makes sense in our cities – such as Cambridge, inner London, and in Leeds – backed by nation-wide reforms to the planning system, including £24 million for hundreds of new planners to tackle the planning backlog.

Measures in the consultation launched today will mean faster consenting, more effective consultation and more resources. Alongside this we have announced additional support for councils to help them speed up the delivery of vital infrastructure through the second round of the Innovation and Capacity Fund.

Looking further ahead, the reforms will streamline and simplify processes for nationally significant infrastructure, ensuring that important projects do not get held up in the system.

Nationally significant infrastructure projects are large-scale developments that relate to energy, transport, water, or waste. As well as delivering important infrastructure, they also create jobs and help catalyse the development of new homes.

A group of ministers from environment, energy, levelling up and transport departments will drive progress, troubleshoot potential issues that hold up progress, and rapidly develop practical solutions to speed up delivery.

This will also, in the future, be supported by a more effective system of data-led environmental reporting based on outcomes. This will mean better, faster and greener delivery of infrastructure.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Strong communities need to be supported by vital infrastructure; the transport links, power plants and buildings that underpin our everyday lives.

Significant infrastructure projects don’t just ensure that people can get to work easily, do their recycling, and power their homes. They also create jobs, grow our economy, and help us become fit for the future.

It is right that we make it as easy as possible for these important projects to be approved and delivered across the country.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:

It is vital we can deliver the major infrastructure we need to regenerate our communities and level up.

But local authorities and planners face barriers and red tape which have resulted in delays impacting on homeowners and housebuilders alike.

That’s why we are bringing forward changes to accelerate the infrastructure we need – this builds on the package of measures I announced yesterday to unblock the planning system and build a better Britain.

Local Government Minister Lee Rowley MP said:

Too many vital projects are being held up by needless bureaucracy and red-tape – we must speed up the planning process so we can get building and deliver.

These changes will make sure we have a planning system that is fit for the future and communities are kept at the heart of decision making.

We are getting on with the job of delivering the vital infrastructure that our communities need.

The consultation announced today focuses on operational reforms to the planning system that will:

*streamline the consenting process from beginning to end to ensure that the majority of projects can move through the system more quickly

*establish a new fast-track route to consent, potentially halving the time it takes for some projects to be determined

*bolster resources across the system, including at the Planning Inspectorate and build the skills needed to support infrastructure delivery

*incentivising developers to engage more proactively and effectively with local authorities and communities to ensure major infrastructure projects deliver for the communities that host them

The Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consultation will open today and close on 19 September. The bidding process for the Innovation and Capacity Fund will run until 25 August.

26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Transformation to children’s social care to put families first [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 July 2023.

First local areas selected to test initial set of transformational programmes within children’s social care, supporting families through early help.

Dorset, Lincolnshire and Wolverhampton are the first 3 areas to be chosen today (26 July 2023) to deliver the Families First for Children programme. They will test new ways to reform every part of the children’s social care system, helping children to stay with their families in safe and loving homes, whilst protecting vulnerable children where needed.

The programme aims to ensure early help and intervention is available for families with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse or poor mental health, to help them overcome adversity and stay together where possible, and to identify when to intervene to protect a vulnerable child when needed.

Separately, Brighton and Hove, Sunderland, Gateshead, Telford and Wrekin, Staffordshire, Hartlepool and Hammersmith and Fulham have been chosen to deliver Family Network pilots to find transformative ways to involve wider family members in supporting parents so that children can stay at home with their families.

The programmes, which are the cornerstone of the government’s ambitious and wide-ranging children’s social care implementation strategy, Stable Homes, Built on Love, will transform the current system, focusing on more early support for families, reducing the need for crisis response at a later stage. Funded by £45 million collectively, the 2 programmes will help develop the best practice models for the entire children’s social care system that can then be rolled out across the country.

Stable Homes, Built on Love responds to recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, led by Josh MacAlister, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s review into the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) children’s social care market review. The findings revealed the current care system is often fragmented, siloed, and struggling to meet the needs of children and families across England.

The areas will work to deliver support to families based on 3 principles:
1. Delivering family help through local multi-disciplinary teams working with partners to provide welcoming and effective support, tailored to the needs of children and families.
2. Where child protection is necessary, it is carried out by social workers with greater expertise and experience, and time to dedicate to the family and child.
3. Greater use of family networks, involving the wider family in decision-making and with them being the first port of call if the child does have to leave the family home.
Brighton and Hove, Sunderland, Gateshead and Telford and Wrekin will start their Family Network pilots this month (July), and Staffordshire, Hartlepool and Hammersmith and Fulham will start in spring 2024.

Local authorities are also encouraged to apply to set up regional care co-operatives, another element of reform first announced in Stable Homes, Built on Love.

Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister, Claire Coutinho, said:

We committed earlier this year to deliver wide-ranging reforms that put strong relationships at the heart of the children’s social care system, to make sure children in care receive the same love and stability as everyone else.

Today, we take a step closer to achieving just that, thanks to the ambition these areas are showing for the life chances of their most vulnerable children.

The programme they are running will inform future reform across England to give every child the best possible chance to grow up in their family, delivering on the Prime Minister’s ambition to support families across the country.

Regional Care Co-operatives will plan, commission, and deliver children’s social care placements and are part of a broader package of measures to transform the care placement market. Further measures include: responding to the Competition and Markets Authority recommendations to provide national forecasting, procurement and market shaping support; supporting local areas to increase sufficiency of placements; introducing a financial oversight regime; and reforming care standards.

To achieve this long-term vision, the Regional Care Co-operatives pathfinders will enable a test and learn approach to find the most effective way of implementing this reform, doing so in conjunction with local government and the children’s social care sector.

Children who grow up in loving, stable homes tend to have better outcomes, which is why the proposals put relationships at the heart of the care system.
26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : New shipbuilding lending scheme to boost UK’s coastal communities [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 26 July 2023.

A new shipbuilding lending scheme has been launched which could create hundreds of UK jobs and contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to the UK economy.
Government launches new scheme to help buyers purchase UK-built ships.

Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme expected to create hundreds of UK jobs and contribute hundreds of millions to UK economy.

Part of £4 billion National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh plan to revitalise UK shipbuilding sector, which contributes £2.8 billion a year to UK economy and supports 42,000 jobs.

A new government scheme to help ship buyers access finance to buy UK-built vessels and upgrade existing ones will boost Britain’s coastal communities.

Through the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (SCGS) the Government will act as a guarantor for lenders, unlocking credit for maritime firms.

It will help to boost the UK shipbuilding industry and drive growth in areas such as Liverpool, Plymouth, the Solent, Rosyth, Clydebank and Belfast.

Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:

Shipbuilding is an integral part of the UK’s industrial identity and through this scheme we are backing our great maritime businesses to get ahead of the competition.

With cutting-edge vessels designed and built here in the UK this will be a boost to high-skilled careers and every company involved in the supply chain for shipbuilding, helping us to grow the economy.

The SCGS is expected to create hundreds of new jobs and contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy, according to government estimates based on the demand for commercial shipbuilding in the UK.

The scheme also forms part of the Government’s £4 billion plan to revitalise UK shipbuilding and coastal communities through the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh announced last year.

Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani will formally launch the scheme at an event onboard a Thames Clippers’ boat – built at Wight Shipyard, one of the UK firms which stands to benefit from the new scheme – today (26 July) in London.

The SCGS will guarantee a percentage of the value of loans used to purchase, refit, retrofit or repair vessels, sharing the risk with lenders to encourage offers of finance to UK vessel owners and operators.

Shipbuilding Tsar and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

As I set out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, this scheme will help build confidence in UK shipyards, allowing them to invest in the people and the technology to drive productivity forward in this vital sector of the UK economy.

Shipbuilding is hugely important to the UK, supporting 42,600 jobs nationwide and adding £2.4 billion to the economy every single year. A strong domestic sector helps to support the wider economy’s export ambitions, with 95 percent of UK trade moved by sea.

Maritime UK CEO Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE said:

We applaud the Government for delivering on the pledge it made to industry in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh by launching the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.

The SCGS is a massive vote of confidence from government, and it will empower the UK’s shipbuilding enterprise to compete fairly on the global stage in doing what it does best: building Great British ships.

The shipbuilding industry is a growing part of the UK’s new green economy. Supporting the purchase, construction and repair of high-value vessels will encourage continued investment in innovative, sustainable, low-carbon maritime technologies.

Background:

The Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme is one of a number of targeted measures being taken as part of the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh to encourage ship owners and operators to place new orders and upgrade their existing fleets with the world-leading shipyards that are based up and down the UK.

Supporting shipbuilding, with its presence from Belfast to Birkenhead, and from Plymouth to Clydebank, builds on the government’s commitments to grow the economy and level up.

The wider maritime sector employs 113,000 people nationwide and contributes £11 billion to the economy.

As well as supporting a vast supply chain and sustaining skilled jobs across the UK, the shipbuilding industry delivers world-leading capabilities for the Royal Navy, making a significant contribution to national security.
26/07/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Update on packaging reforms to help drive down inflation [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 25 July 2023.

Extended producer responsibility scheme deferred for a year until October 2025.

Following extensive engagement with industry, and in light of the pressure facing consumers and businesses in the current economic context, new rules to ensure packaging producers pay for the cost of recycling their packaging will be deferred a year from October 2024 to 2025.

Government will use the additional year to continue to discuss the scheme’s design with industry and reduce the costs of implementation wherever possible. In anticipation of EPR, producers have already started to use less packaging and adopt easier to recycle packaging formats, and we expect this process to continue – ensuring that costs are not then passed onto households later on.

This decision to defer producer payments has been taken jointly with the devolved administrations and will provide industry, local authorities and waste management companies with more time to prepare to ensure the success of the scheme, helping make sure it is best designed to deliver on long term recycling goals while supporting households with the immediate challenge of high prices caused by inflation.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

We’re determined to transform the way we collect, recycle and reuse our waste materials so we eliminate all avoidable waste by 2050 in a way that works for households and consumers. That’s better for our environment.

We are also listening to industry and ensuring our work to tackle inflation and to drive up recycling go hand in hand, to make sure our reforms will be a success.

Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s, said:

Whilst we remain absolutely committed to a circular economy and support the introduction of EPR, we welcome today’s announcement.

This will provide the necessary time to work across our industry and with Government in order to get EPR right first time. This decision is also an important step in minimising further pressure on food inflation and we will continue to focus on delivering the best value to customers in the coming months.

Paul Vanston, Chief Executive of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), said:

UK and devolved Ministers are making the right set of decisions at this time to drive forward the shaping of the collections and packaging reforms.

Ensuring overall systems efficiency, cost-effectiveness and high recycling performance are essentials for the governments and stakeholders to achieve together.

The government remains committed to delivering on its commitments to eliminating avoidable waste by 2050 and recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035.

The extended producer responsibility scheme will play a central part in delivering that mission and will build on other measures, including the tax on plastic packaging which does not meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content, which came into force last April, and the upcoming bans on countless single-use plastic items, including cutlery and plates.

Meanwhile, our single-use plastic carrier charge has successfully cut usage by more than 97% in the main supermarkets.

Consistent recycling collections for households will come in after the implementation of the extended producer responsibility scheme. More details on this will be set out in due course.

26/07/2023