Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Driving examiner strike [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 20 April 2023.

Some driving tests might be affected by strike action at times during April 2023.

Some driving examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are planning to take strike action at times during April 2023.

The strike action is part of national industrial action by the PCS union over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms.

There is different guidance about vehicle tester and traffic examiner strikes in April, May and June 2023.

What types of tests might be affected

The strike action might affect:

car driving tests
motorcycle tests
lorry, bus, coach and minibus driving tests (these are known as vocational tests)
tractor or specialist vehicle driving tests
approved driving instructor (ADI) part 2 (driving ability) or part 3 (instructional ability) tests
ADI standards checks
moped and motorcycle compulsory basic training (CBT) checks – but not the training courses themselves

The strike action will not affect theory tests.

Driving tests with private test providers

Your test will not be affected by the strike action if you’re taking it with a private test provider. This includes some:

When the strikes will be held

The strikes will affect driving test centres in different parts of Great Britain at different times.

Dates	Areas affected
Monday 17 April and Tuesday 18 April	North-east England and Scotland
Thursday 20 April and Friday 21 April	North-west England and Yorkshire and the Humber
Monday 24 April and Tuesday 25 April	East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London
Thursday 27 April	London, south-east England, south-west England and Wales
Friday 28 April	All areas of Great Britain

Check which driving test centres are affected

The PCS union has told DVSA the strike action will affect driving examiners employed at the driving test centres listed on this page.

Tests might also be affected at other driving test centres that are not listed. DVSA will not know this until the day of the strike action.

North-east England and Scotland

These areas include these test centres:

Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South (Cove), Airdrie, Ayr, Bishopbriggs, Blyth, Darlington, Darlington LGV, Dumfries, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh (Currie), Edinburgh (Musselburgh), Elgin, Gateshead, Glasgow (Anniesland), Glasgow (Baillieston), Glasgow (Shieldhall), Gosforth, Grangemouth, Greenock, Hamilton, Hartlepool, Inverness (Seafield Road), Irvine, Kilmarnock LGV, Kirkcaldy, Livingston, Middlesborough, Paisley, Perth (Arran Road), Peterhead, Stirling and Sunderland.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

North-west England and Yorkshire and the Humber

These areas include these test centres:

Atherton (Manchester), Barnsley, Barrow In Furness, Beverley LGV, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton (Manchester), Bradford (Heaton), Bradford (Thornbury), Bredbury (Manchester), Bridlington, Bury (Manchester), Carlisle, Carlisle LGV, Chadderton, Cheetham Hill (Manchester), Chester, Chorley, Crewe, Doncaster, Grimsby Coldwater, Halifax, Heckmondwike, Heysham, Horsforth, Huddersfield, Hull, Kendal (Oxenholme Road), Knaresborough, Leeds, Macclesfield, Nelson, Norris Green (Liverpool), Northallerton, Pontefract, Preston, Rochdale (Manchester), Rotherham, Sale (Manchester), Scarborough, Scunthorpe, Sheffield (Handsworth), Sheffield (Middlewood Road), Southport (Liverpool), Speke (Liverpool), St Helens (Liverpool), Steeton, Upton, Wakefield, Wallasey, Walton LGV, Warrington, West Didsbury (Manchester), Widnes (Liverpool), Workington and York.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London

These areas include these test centres:

Ashfield, Barking (Tanner Street), Barnet (London), Basildon, Birmingham (Garretts Green), Birmingham (Kings Heath), Birmingham (Kingstanding), Birmingham (Shirley), Birmingham (South Yardley), Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield), Bishops Stortford, Borehamwood (London), Boston, Brentwood (London), Burton on Trent, Bury St Edmunds, Buxton, Cambridge (Brookmount Court), Chelmsford (Hanbury Road), Chesterfield, Colchester, Coventry, Derby (Alvaston), Dudley, Featherstone, Goodmayes (London), Grantham (Somerby), Hinckley, Hornchurch (London), Ipswich, Kettering, Kings Lynn, Leicester (Cannock Street), Leicester (Wigston), Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road), Letchworth, Lichfield, Lincoln, Loughborough, Loughton (London), Lowestoft (Mobbs Way), Ludlow, Northampton, Norwich (Jupiter Road), Norwich (Peachman Way), Nottingham (Chilwell), Nottingham (Colwick), Nuneaton, Peterborough, Peterborough LGV, Redditch, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Southend-on-Sea, St Albans, Stafford, Stevenage, Stoke on Trent (Cobridge), Stoke on Trent (Newcastle under Lyme), Telford, Tilbury, Warwick (Wedgenock House), Watford, Watnall, Wednesbury, Weedon LGV, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Worksop.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

London, south-east England, south-west England and Wales

These areas include these test centres:

Aberystwyth (Park Avenue), Ashford (Kent), Aylesbury, Banbury, Bangor, Barnstaple, Basingstoke, Belvedere (London), Bletchley, Bodmin, Bridgend, Bristol (Avonmouth), Bristol (Brislington), Bristol (Kingswood), Bromley (London), Burgess Hill, Caernarfon LGV, Camborne, Canterbury, Cardiff (Llanishen), Cardigan, Carmarthen, Cheltenham, Chertsey (London), Chichester, Chingford (London), Chippenham, Crawley, Dorchester, Eastbourne, Enfield (Brancroft Way), Enfield (Innova Business Park), Erith (London), Exeter, Exeter LGV, Farnborough, Folkestone, Gillingham, Gillingham LGV, Gloucester, Greenford (London), Guildford, Hastings (Ore), Hendon (London), Herne Bay, Hither Green (London), Isleworth (Fleming Way), Lancing, Launceston, Lee On The Solent, Llanelli, Llantrisant, Maidstone, Merthyr Tydfil, Mill Hill (London), Monmouth, Morden (London), Newbury (Hambridge Lane), Newport (Gwent), Newport (Isle Of Wight), Newton Abbot, Oxford (Cowley), Pembroke Dock, Pinner (London), Plymouth, Plymouth LGV, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Rhyl, Sevenoaks, Sidcup (London), Slough (London), Southall (London), Southampton (Maybush), Southampton LGV, Swansea, Swindon, Taunton, Tolworth (London), Tottenham, Tunbridge Wells, Uxbridge (London), Wanstead (London), Weston-Super-Mare, Winchester, Wood Green (London), Wrexham, Wrexham LGV, Yeading (London) and Yeovil.

If you want to change your driving test date now

Not all examiners are PCS union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike.

However, you can change your test to another date if you want to.

You must give at least 3 clear working days’ notice to change your test date, or you’ll have to pay again.

What to do if you do not change your test

You should go to your driving test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of strike action, unless DVSA contacts you to tell you not to go.

DVSA will call you to tell you what to do if you’re taking an instructor test including:

ADI part 2 (driving ability) tests
ADI part 3 (instructional ability) tests
ADI standards checks

April 24, 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of 2 members to the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 20 April 2023.

The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointments of Pauline McCabe and Jake Hard as members of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) for 3 years from 1 July 2023.

Established in 2009, the IAPDC forms part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody in England and Wales. The IAPDC provides expert advice and challenge to ministers, departments and agencies with the central aim of preventing deaths in custody.

These appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Justice in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office, who co-sponsor and co-fund the IAPDC.

Appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biographies

Dr Jake Hard

Dr Hard is a GP with over 16 years of experience working in prison and is the Clinical Director in HMP Cardiff. Dr Hard was the Chair of the RCGP Secure Environments Group from 2016 to 2022 and has published work with the IAPDC. He is also the Clinical Lead for the NHSE Health & Justice Information Service.

Pauline McCabe

As an international criminal justice advisor, Ms McCabe delivers projects in policing and prison reform, oversight and monitoring mechanisms and death in custody investigation, on behalf of UNICEF, Penal Reform International (PRI), Department for International Development (DFID) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Europe and Central Asia. She has investigated deaths, complaints and serious incidents as the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (2008 to 2013). Ms McCabe is also a visiting Professor at the University of Ulster and was awarded an OBE for services to prisoners’ welfare.

April 24, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Public sector access to Royal Mail Postcode Address File agreed to 2028 [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 20 April 2023.

England, Scotland and Wales are now in one combined agreement that gives public sector bodies up-to-date address information across the UK.

A new 5 year contract providing access to the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF) for public bodies has been agreed to 31 March 2028.

The PAF is the UK’s most up-to-date and widely used postal address database. The public sector’s access is procured centrally by the Geospatial Commission so that usage is free at the point of use for delivery of vital public services by the UK government, devolved administrations, local authorities, emergency services, health services, and search and rescue organisations.

For the first time the new contract combines previously separate agreements for England and Wales, and Scotland, and continues to allow public sector bodies across Great Britain to benefit from access to 1.8 million UK postcodes and over 30 million business and residential addresses.

The contract now also incorporates Royal Mail Not Yet Built and Multiple Residence data. By using Not Yet Built the public sector can identify and deliver services to the addresses of properties that are at the planning and construction stage. The Multiple Residence data will allow the public sector to identify individual dwellings within multiple occupancy buildings that share a front door.

Find out more about all of the public sector contracts the Geospatial Commission manages.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government urges public to check their photo identification ahead of polls [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 April 2023.

The Government is encouraging people to check that they have accepted photo identification ahead of local elections and apply for a free voter authority certificate if needed.

With two weeks until local elections take place, the Government is encouraging people to check that they have accepted photo identification ready and apply for a free voter authority certificate if needed.

Anyone voting in person in local elections taking place in England on Thursday 4th May 2023 will need an accepted form of photo identification to cast their vote.

This brings the rest of the UK in line with Northern Ireland, which has had photo identification to vote in elections since 2003, and will ensure that elections are better protected from the potential for voter fraud.

While the vast majority of voters already own an accepted form of identification, which includes driving licences, blue badges, NUS Totum cards and Freedom passes, voters who do not have accepted photo identification can apply for a free local Voter Authority Certificate by post or online 24 hours a day, up until Tuesday 25 April at 5pm.

The Government is working with the Electoral Commission, local authorities and stakeholders to ensure voters are aware of the changes. The Commission has been running a public awareness campaign since January, running widely across all major channels.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

It’s vital you check now if you have the photo identification needed to vote in English local elections taking place in May.

While the vast majority of voters already own an accepted form of identification, anyone who needs to can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate before 5pm on Tuesday.

For more information please check your polling card and find more details online.

Accepted forms of photo identification and further information are available on gov.uk and the Electoral Commission website.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak meeting with Taoiseach Varadkar of Ireland [April 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 19 April 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Belfast today.

The leaders discussed their common goal of ensuring power sharing returns to Stormont as soon as possible.

They reflected on the huge achievements of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the enduring spirit of cooperation that it had created. They agreed to maintain close dialogue on issues like dealing with the legacy of the past.

They both agreed on the huge economic potential of the people of Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister outlined the UK Government’s work to increase investment in Northern Ireland.

Reflecting on the strong ties between the UK and Ireland, the Prime Minister said that our countries share many interests and values. He expressed his hope that we will be able to deepen collaboration on shared challenges such as energy security, cyber security and sustainability.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK Statement on Nicaragua [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2023.

On the fifth anniversary of the April 2018 pro-democracy protests in Nicaragua, the UK calls upon the Nicaraguan Government to reinstate democracy, re-establish the rule of law, and restore respect for human rights.

In the five years since the protests, the Nicaraguan Government has continued to disregard its national and international commitments to respect and uphold human rights and fundamental democratic and civic freedoms. Thousands of civil society organisations have been outlawed, independent media operators have been silenced, and hundreds of representatives of civil society, pro-democracy activists, journalists, and opposition officials and politicians have been imprisoned, stripped of their citizenship and had their assets seized.

The UK shares deep international concern at the situation in Nicaragua. We call on President Ortega and the Nicaraguan Government to restore full respect for the human rights of all Nicaraguans and allow international human rights bodies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to return to Nicaragua to carry out their legitimate mandates. We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, and for those Nicaraguans who have been deprived of their nationality to have it restored, and for all those people who have been wrongfully stripped of their assets to have them returned.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Defence Secretary meets US defence and security leaders in Washington, DC [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 19 April 2023.

UK Defence Secretary has concluded a planned visit to Washington, DC.

Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace has concluded a planned visit to Washington, DC to conduct meetings with senior US defence and security leaders.

He met with his counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin III, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and General Mark Milley, to discuss a range of defence and security issues of mutual concern including support to Ukraine in its war against Russia, NATO, and the AUKUS trilateral security pact.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

It’s been an honour and a great pleasure to meet again with my friend Lloyd Austin III.

The US is our closest ally and defence partner, with shared values that serve to promote open and free democracies across the world, alongside continued peace and security.

We discussed ways to strengthen our defence cooperation, breaking down barriers and increasing our interoperability through the AUKUS trilateral agreement – and we turned our attention again to our unwavering support for Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary also discussed the importance of the trilateral work under way to make the AUKUS agreement a generational success with the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

Speaking during their meeting at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said:

We have no closer partner or ally than the United Kingdom.

AUKUS is an historic opportunity that shows how strong we can become when we work together.

It shows our deep commitment to a free and open Indo Pacific and it is testament to our shared values and the long-term investments we are making in our forces.

I am confident AUKUS will break down barriers and usher in a new era of US-UK defence co-operation.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : The violence must stop to give dialogue and peace a chance to succeed [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Kariuki at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Great Lakes region.

Thank you, President. I will focus on the situation in eastern DRC and regional processes to end the conflict.

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by intensifying violence and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region, particularly in eastern DRC. We strongly condemn the continuing violence by all armed groups, including the UN-sanctioned M23 armed group. In the limited areas from which they have withdrawn, the horrors perpetrated by M23 are gradually being exposed, with allegations of mass rapes and summary killings.

The redeployment of resources to tackle M23 has also undermined the protection of civilians elsewhere. There have recently been horrifying accounts of executions and attacks on civilians by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and CODECO. We call for comprehensive investigations into allegations of human rights and international humanitarian law abuses by armed groups and for those responsible to be held accountable. All support to these non-state armed actors must stop.

President, we reiterate our full support for regional diplomatic efforts, including the Nairobi and Luanda processes, which promote de-escalation and aim to create the conditions for lasting peace in the region. We are making a financial contribution to the Nairobi process to this end. We urge all parties to respect commitments made under these processes, including the withdrawal of M23, to end of all support of armed groups, and to stop the use of incendiary hate speech. We welcome Special Envoy Xia’s support to these processes and encourage increased engagement as the conflict worsens.

We welcome M23’s handing over of some locations to the EAC Regional Force, but any withdrawal must be complete and in line with the agreed process through the Luanda roadmap. We hope the forthcoming Angolan troop deployment will help reinforce this withdrawal.

President, there is only one way out of this conflict. The violence must stop to give dialogue and peace a chance to succeed. The United Kingdom calls upon countries in the region, members of this Council, and Special Envoy Xia to intensify efforts to de-escalate the situation, improve regional cooperation, address security challenges, improve humanitarian access, and bring peace to the Great Lakes region.

Thank you.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : OSCE Alliance Conference on Combatting Trafficking in Persons – UK statement [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2023.

Martin Niblett, Head of FCDO Modern Slavery Team, says UK is committed to supporting a new Global Commission on Modern Slavery to inject political momentum at this critical time.

Thank you very much, moderator, and thank you to the panellists for their insightful presentations. The UK does of course recognise the importance of national mechanisms to tackle the terrible crimes of modern slavery and human trafficking.

We also recognise that this is a global challenge that demands a united global response. We have heard during the course of these two days that vulnerability to exploitation has dramatically increased over the last five years. The role of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and humanitarian crises, and the adverse effects of climate change are clear. I also want to highlight that Russia’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine is contributing to this increase.

The UK and other OSCE participating states must continue to work with a range of partners to ensure that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.

We have a complex and wide-ranging set of structures to address this issue. This conference is one of the most successful, demonstrating the importance of such global and national leadership to tackle this crime.

But we recognise that at the highest level, this issue has lost political momentum in recent years. That is understandable given the challenges governments have faced including the Covid pandemic.

So whilst we do not want to duplicate any existing structures there is room for a time-limited effort to inject new political momentum.

That is why the UK is committed to supporting Theresa May in her work to establish a new Global Commission on Modern Slavery. Such a commission will inject political momentum at this critical time, and will support the global community to achieve our shared goal of eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030.

We echo the comments made by Theresa May yesterday and urge all those participating States who have not already done so to evaluate how they can support this important new initiative.

And finally, we would like to pay tribute to the Special Representative, and thank you for your leadership and tireless work over the past four years. We wish you all the best for the future.

April 23, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Growing risks to security from biodiversity loss – UK statement to the OSCE [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 April 2023.

Justin Addison (UK delegation to the OSCE) highlights the effect of biodiversity loss on peace and prosperity, exacerbated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Thank you, Chair; good morning colleagues; and thank you to all the speakers for their presentations.

As we have heard from the panellists and my fellow delegates biodiversity loss threatens not only the natural world but also the security and prosperity of all our societies. Of the challenges identified in the UK’s Integrated Review, climate change and biodiversity loss are recognised as the most serious multipliers of global threats such as food and water insecurity, displacement of people, conflict, and economic instability. And these multipliers are only set to worsen over the next decade.

Nowhere is this threat more apparent than in Ukraine, where President Putin’s illegal invasion is devastating the country’s biodiversity. We heard Mr Fedorenko provide some details earlier about biodiversity loss in Ukraine. Ukraine is home to 35% of Europe’s biodiversity; many of its 70,000 species of fauna and flora are rare and endemic. Rather than preserving this rich ecosystem, Russia is destroying it.

Deliberate shelling of the country’s forests, land and marine ecosystems, industrial facilities, and infrastructure has caused widespread and severe damage. Wanton destruction of wetlands threatens fish species and migratory birds. Forests are littered with destroyed military vehicles, whilst forest fires are leading to the loss of ancient woodlands. Overall, an estimated 900 protected natural areas have been affected. Many of these issues are transboundary, with the environmental impacts felt beyond Ukraine’s borders for decades to come.

While the immediate focus of any conflict is rightly on human casualties, we are grateful to the OSCE, Ukraine’s government, and civil society for ensuring environmental impacts are not forgotten. We are pleased to support the OCEEA’s project to assess the environmental impacts of the war against Ukraine.

More widely, the UK is committed to working with the OSCE and other international partners to champion delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. And we will support delivery of the “30by30” target to protect at least 30% of all land and 30% of the ocean globally by 2030. We are also delivering on our commitment to double our International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion, including at least £3 billion on Nature.

Mr Chair, the 2020s must be a decade of climate and nature action. Our common security and prosperity depend upon it.

April 23, 2023