Category: Press Releases

HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Morris Review – Consultation Closes and Advisory Panel Announced [October 2004]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 1 October 2004.

The first meeting of the independent advisory panel appointed by Sir Derek Morris to advise him on the conduct of his independent review of the actuarial profession was held this week following the closure of the Morris Review consultation exercise. The review received over one hundred responses from a wide range or individuals and organisations including individual actuaries, users of actuarial services, professional bodies, actuarial consulting firms, and clients of the Government Actuary’s Department. Commenting on the success of the consultation exercise, Sir Derek said:

“The response to our consultation has been highly encouraging. This is an important exercise that I hope will make a significant contribution to the future development of the actuarial profession itself and to the direction of Government policy towards the profession.”

“I should like to thank all those individuals and organisations that contributed. The review team will read with interest the views that have been expressed and publish an interim assessment paper in the autumn. This will set out the key issues that have been raised in the consultation process and will identify possible options for change.”

The members of the advisory panel are:

Adair Turner: currently chair of the UK Pensions Commission, vice chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, a director of United Business Media plc, and chair of the UK Low Pay Commission.

Philip Broadley: Group Finance Director and a board member of Prudential plc since 2000. Previously worked for the UK firm of Arthur Andersen where he became a partner in 1993. He is a chartered accountant.

Steven Haberman : Deputy Dean and Professor of Actuarial Science at the Cass Business School, City University. Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, Royal Statistical Society, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and an invited member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Paul McCrossan; Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Served on the Council, and as President, of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Elected chairman/president of the IFAA, the then international organisation of actuarial associations representing professional actuaries worldwide, in 1995.

Peter Tompkins: partner in the Human Resource Services business of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Heads the practice’s Investment Consulting Business and provides retirement and actuarial advice to a range of investment and insurance clients.

Elaine Kempson: Professor of Personal Finance and Social Policy Research and Director of the Personal Finance Research Center at Bristol University.

Roger Munson OBE: a chartered accountant, formerly a partner with the UK accountancy firm Coopers & Lybrand. Also held a number of other professional responsibilities, including membership of the Accounting Standards Board. Member of the Competition Commission 1996-2003. From 2002 has been an advisory director of Ofwat.

January 4, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor Calls for Actions on Oil Prices [October 2004]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 1 October 2004.

At this weekend’s meeting of G7 Finance Ministers the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, will propose new measures to bring stability to oil markets and help ensure high oil prices do not undermine global growth.

Speaking in advance of the G7 meeting, the Chancellor said:

“A global recovery is under way with growth stronger over the past year but it remains uneven and fragile. High and volatile oil prices pose a risk to the outlook, dampening consumer spending and company profitability. If high prices persist, the consequences could become more serious, denting confidence and pushing up inflationary pressures. I believe there are four steps that must be taken now to reduce this risk.

“First, that while OPEC has responded to earlier calls for action by increasing supplies, oil stocks remain low with only limited spare production capacity available. Oil prices, which reached record levels this week, remain high and volatile. So OPEC must continue to take the necessary action to return oil prices to levels consistent with global economic prosperity.

“Second, action must also be taken to improve the functioning of the oil market to ensure lower and more stable prices over the medium term. That is why, as a next step, I am calling for actions to improve the transparency and efficiency of the oil market. A lack of transparency in oil markets and poor quality information contributes to volatility and uncertainties. So today I am calling for renewed co-operation between oil producers, consumers and market participants to ensure oil market decisions are based on timely, reliable and transparent information. And I am also calling for an enhanced role for the IMF and World Bank, building on their experience with improving data and Codes and Standards, in encouraging better and more timely information.

“Third, more needs to be done to encourage the investment that is required to guarantee the stability of supply needed to maintain global growth, including from non-OPEC countries. So concerted action is needed by oil producing countries to promote sustainable investment in their reserves and productive capacity, consistent with their wider development goals. Oil producers also need to make more use of the Fund and World Bank’s expertise to improve their investment frameworks.

“Improving the broader investment climate, and establishing a clear, transparent and competitive oil investment framework will help insure future supplies match demand and support global growth, in the interests of all.

“Fourth, as IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato has said recently, all countries need to do more to promote greater energy efficiency and develop new sources of energy. That is why international co-operation on tackling climate change will be a key theme of our G8 presidency.

January 4, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor orders asset freezing against terrorist group [October 2004]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 14 October 2004.

Chancellor Gordon Brown today instructed the Bank of England, as agent for Her Majesty’s Treasury, to direct financial institutions that any funds which they hold for or on behalf of the group Jama’at al-Tawhid Wa’al-Jihad (JTJ) must be frozen with immediate effect.

January 4, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Brown announces VAT boost for Band Aid [November 2004]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 7 November 2004.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown today announced that the Treasury will refund the VAT paid on purchases of the new Live Aid DVD and Band Aid 20 record.

In Spring 1985, following months of campaigning led by Sir Bob Geldof, the then government agreed to make a donation to charities working in Ethiopia and Chad of an amount equivalent to VAT collected on sales of the original 1984 Band Aid record ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.

The Chancellor has decided to make a similar donation in relation to sales of the new DVD of the 1985 Live Aid concert, released today, and of the new version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ to be released in December.

The donation is forecast to be approximately £5 million, with sales of more than 500,000 copies of the DVD and 1 million copies of the record expected this Christmas.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown will meet Sir Bob Geldof at No.11 Downing Street today ahead of a special screening of the Live Aid DVD in London this evening.

Gordon Brown said today:

“Ever since its launch twenty years ago, Band Aid has had a huge impact, raising the plight of the world’s poorest and raising funds to help them. More than that, Band Aid has won millions to the cause of fighting global poverty. I want to do everything I can to support their work and so people can buy the DVD and record this Christmas knowing that all the money they spend will go to support the vital work of the Band Aid Trust in the poorest countries of Africa.”

Bob Geldof said:

“In a remarkable gesture and one that is wholly in the spirit of Band Aid, Gordon Brown, has announced that the Government, through the Treasury, have refused to take a single penny from sales of the Band Aid 20 record and the Live Aid DVD. They will do this by collecting and returning VAT receipts received through sales. It will be a hugely significant sum of money that will help alleviate the misery of the hungry in Africa. Those of us old enough to remember the original song, twenty years ago, will have noted the contrast between the Government’s response then and now. It is further proof that the Band Aid 20 record has already become the starting pistol for the vital political year of 2005.”

January 4, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK regains control of business subsidy regime [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 4 January 2023.
The UK’s new subsidy control system comes into force from today

the new rules mean UK authorities will be free to deliver money to the businesses that need it most in a quicker, fairer, and simpler way

the introduction of these new rules are the most significant changes in subsidy administration in over 40 years, replacing the prescriptive EU regime

A new system to regulate the award of subsidies to business comes into force from today (Wednesday 4 January), providing a boost to businesses across the country and empowering public authorities to deliver support to businesses in a quicker, fairer, and simpler way.

Subsidies will be tailored to local needs, with public authorities and devolved administrations having added flexibility to ensure they can get support to where it’s most needed as quickly as possible.

The introduction of these new rules is the most significant change in subsidy administration in over 40 years and marks a landmark transition away from the restrictive aid scheme the UK was subject to as part of the EU, which would regularly block elected devolved administrations and local authorities from delivering funds to businesses that most needed it in their communities.

Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

Our new subsidy control regime is another example of us making the most of our opportunities to be free of Europe’s bureaucracy and forge a future tailor-made for the UK.

New rules mean UK authorities will be free to deliver money to businesses in a quicker, fairer, and simpler way, without longwinded and unnecessary approval processes to bog us down.

Under the previous EU system, all subsidies except for a select few under a ‘Block Exemption Regulation’ would be required to undergo a time-consuming bureaucratic process, subject to European laws and the European Commission.

Subsidies would require notification to and approval from the European Commission well in advance, therefore delaying vital funds reaching businesses in good and efficient time. The new regime is tailor-made for businesses and public authorities in the UK, with views gathered from stakeholders across the country in an extensive consultation.

The new regime will also give public authorities the ability to award subsidies through streamlined routes, schemes that are pre-assessed by the government, and provide public authorities with an even easier and quicker way to award subsidies to businesses. The government is currently developing 3 of these schemes, which will cover research, development and innovation, energy usage, and local growth.

The new regime also contributes to the UK meeting international commitments on subsidy control, including its international commitments at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and in Free Trade Agreements.
January 4, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister sets ambition of maths to 18 in speech [January 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 January 2023.

In his first speech of 2023, the Prime Minister will set out his priorities for the year ahead and ambition for a better future for Britain.

The PM will commit to taking the necessary action to deliver for the long term on issues such as low numeracy rates.

As part of this, he will set a new ambition of ensuring that all school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of 18.

The Prime Minister is expected to say in a speech today:

This is personal for me. Every opportunity I’ve had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive.

And it’s the single most important reason why I came into politics: to give every child the highest possible standard of education.

Thanks to the reforms we’ve introduced since 2010, and the hard work of so many excellent teachers, we’ve made incredible progress.

With the right plan – the right commitment to excellence – I see no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world”.

Recognising the practical challenges involved, the PM will acknowledge that reform on this scale won’t be easy. He will commit to starting the work of introducing maths to 18 in this Parliament and finishing it in the next.

Around 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children. Currently only around half of 16-19 year olds study any maths at all and the problem is particularly acute for disadvantaged pupils, 60% of whom do not have basic maths skills at age 16.

Despite these poor standards, the UK remains one of the only countries in the world to not to require children to study some form of maths up to the age of 18. This includes the majority of OECD countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, Norway and the USA.

The Prime Minister will commit to take action to reverse these trends by introducing maths to 18 for all pupils in England. He will say:

One of the biggest changes in mindset we need in education today is to reimagine our approach to numeracy.

Right now, just half of all 16–19-year-olds study any maths at all. Yet in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, our children’s jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before.

And letting our children out into the world without those skills, is letting our children down”.

Maths to 18 will equip young people with the quantitative and statistical skills that they will need for the jobs of today and the future. This includes having the right skills to feel confident with finances in later life, including finding the best mortgage deal or savings rate.

The government’s focus on literacy since 2010, including phonics, has led to significant improvements in standards. In 2012, only 58% of 6-year-olds were able to read words fluently. By 2019, the figure had risen to 82%. Our renewed focus on numeracy will aim to match this achievement.

The government does not envisage making maths A-Level compulsory for all 16-year-olds. Further detail will be set out in due course but the government is exploring existing routes, such as the Core Maths qualifications and T-Levels, as well as more innovative options.

The ambition is the PM’s first major intervention on education since entering office and reflects his mission to ensure that more children leave school with the right skills in numeracy and literacy.

At the Autumn Statement, the government announced that it will invest an additional £2bn in schools next year and £2bn the year after, taking school funding to its highest ever level.

January 4, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine [3 January 2023]

The press release issued by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 3 January 2023.

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this afternoon.

The leaders discussed the abhorrent drone attacks on Ukraine in recent days, and the Prime Minister said the thoughts of the UK were with the Ukrainian people as they continued to live under such bombardment.

The Prime Minister said Ukraine could count on the UK to continue to support it for the long term, as demonstrated by the recent delivery of more than 1000 anti-air missiles.

Work was also underway to provide further equipment in the coming weeks and months to secure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield, the Prime Minister added.

Discussing the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in Latvia last month, the Prime Minister thanked the President for joining virtually and said the UK and JEF partners were working closely to provide the vital equipment requested.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming weeks.

January 3, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Enough is enough: Junior doctors ‘not valued correctly’ [December 2022]

The press release issued by the BMA on 30 December 2022.

Core surgical trainee Roshan Rupra tells Tim Tonkin how he and his colleagues feel undervalued by the Government ahead of January’s industrial action ballot.

‘There are other healthcare professionals that, as doctors, we’re supervising who have less responsibility than ourselves and who are actually getting paid more than us,’ says Norwich core surgical trainee Roshan Rupra.

‘That’s not to say they shouldn’t be getting paid what they are, it’s just that, as doctors, we’re not valued correctly.’

Dr Rupra feels there is little option for junior doctors than to consider industrial action due to the blatant disregard the Government had shown them in their efforts to engage with ministers over pay restoration. A BMA ballot for industrial action opens on 9 January.

He says the failure to adequately remunerate junior doctors was all the more insulting given the enormous sacrifices and contributions made by so many during the height of COVID-19.

‘Over the pandemic, we have all worked well above and beyond. Lives were at risk and lives were lost during the pandemic, and what we got for that was a further real-terms pay cut [and] no obvious call from the government saying that our work has been appreciated.

‘The Government sends a very clear message that it does not value doctors in this country. This message is extremely clear based on how money is being spent,’ he adds.

‘We’ve seen billions wasted on test and trace and inadequate PPE [while] doctors are starting their careers on £14 per hour – it’s absolutely ludicrous.’

Dr Rupra says the Government’s attitude to junior doctors and approach to negotiations on pay has left him feeling ‘hugely demoralised’ and feeling ‘expendable’.

Added to the pressures brought on by pay and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, he says other immense service pressures resulting from NHS staffing shortages were a further source of discontent for many doctors in training.

‘We all want to be able to train and be the best that we can be,’ he says. ‘There is fierce, fierce competition for us as doctors because the amount of available training posts is limited by Health Education England.’

Doctors who want to progress don’t have the time or support, he says, explaining: ‘Often we have to dig out of our own pockets, and in our own time, to become better than the other doctor.

‘Mentally that takes an enormous toll. We don’t all have [financial] support from family or friends. I‘m very fortunate that my partner goes the extra mile to help make sure I can get by day-to-day, but not everybody has that.’

On top of pay and the exhausting demands of day-to-day work, Dr Rupra says unacceptable working conditions faced by many juniors feel like a further kick in the teeth.

‘We have to pay for our own parking and I have to get changed in in toilets [as] there are no changing rooms available,’ he says. ‘More often than not in places I’ve worked there are no resting facilities or a doctors’ mess.

When a doctors’ mess is provided, he says his experience is that they ‘have very limited furniture’ are ‘extremely unclean’ and have no bedsheets or pillows.

‘I’ve commonly slept on the floor in the doctors’ office,’ he says. ‘These are completely disgusting working conditions and we’re supposed to be role models for health.’

Dr Rupra is among the doctors reacting to the results of a BMA survey on wellbeing in the latest edition of The Doctor, which you can read here.

January 3, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Leading barrister dismisses claim that doctors could face criminal liability for industrial action [December 2022]

The press release issued by the British Medical Association on 29 December 2022.

A leading barrister has dismissed a claim by solicitors acting for NHS Employers that doctors who take industrial action risk facing potential criminal liability.

The BMA asked Lord Hendy KC, of Old Square Chambers, to give his legal opinion on a passage in a document entitled FAQs – Contingency Planning and Industrial Action, which was published by Capsticks in October.

Capsticks solicitors proposed that ‘it is a criminal offence for a person to strike or take industrial action if to do so is likely to endanger human life or cause serious bodily harm’, arguing this applied to doctors in areas such as A&E, maternity, pharmacy and radiology.

The firm’s document suggested ‘the onus should be on unions/individual staff members to ensure that those areas designated critical are covered’ citing section 240 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

But Lord Hendy said: ‘I see no justification for the assertion that s.240 compels an automatic exemption from the right to strike’.

His legal opinion, seen by The Doctor, says ‘the [Capsticks] document is in danger of seriously misleading readers, whether doctors or managers’ and ‘fails to do justice to the provision.’

Lord Hendy said several aspects require consideration, including whether an individual taking industrial action not only intentionally breaks their contract but also knows the ‘probable consequence’ of the breach will be to endanger human life or cause serious bodily injury.

He argues that probable has a different meaning to possible and thus, for criminal liability to be upheld, any potential claimant must prove ‘the doctor’s withdrawal of his or her labour is significantly more likely than not to be the cause of death or serious injury to a patient.’

Lord Hendy noted a guilty intention must be shown to prove criminal liability and that ‘a hypothetical patient does not suffice’ when arguing a life may be endangered by a doctor taking industrial action.

He said: ‘This is an important point, for whatever ill-will a junior doctor in the present dispute may have towards the secretary of state or towards his/her employing trust and which may be part of the motivation for his or her participation in the planned strike, it is next to impossible to conceive that a doctor will join the BMA strike with the intention of harming a patient.’

Lord Hendy cited ‘no legal precedent’ for claiming striking doctors intentionally endanger life, adding: ‘The offence does not even merit a mention in the leading criminal law text [Archbold on Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice, 2023].’

He said: ‘It might be thought grossly insulting for an NHS employer to suggest of its doctors that any of them would participate in industrial action in the belief that his/her personal participation (alone or with other BMA members) would, or would probably, endanger human life or cause serious bodily injury. It would be equally insulting to suggest that such a doctor would be indifferent (reckless) as to such a consequence.

‘The principle of ‘first, do no harm’ is in the mind of every doctor. The avoidance of danger to human life or of serious injury is the very reason why the BMA invariably seeks to agree arrangements to deal with the industrial action with NHS employers, in the first place dealing with emergency cover and in the second in the circumstances of a complete withdrawal of labour by BMA members.’

Lord Hendy noted the Capsticks document is ‘hardly conducive to the maintenance of good industrial relations in the NHS’ and ‘may impede discussions about strike arrangements’.

January 3, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Almost 5.7 million customers still to file their tax return [January 2023]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 3 January 2023.

There is less than one month for around 5.7 million Self Assessment customers to file their tax return or they may face a penalty, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said.

More than 12 million customers are expected to file a tax return for the 2021 to 2022 tax year by 31 January 2023. HMRC has revealed that 129 customers submitted theirs on 1 January between 00:00 and 00:59, joining those customers who have already met their obligations.

More than 42,500 customers chose to see in the new year by submitting their return on 31 December and 1 January:

New Year’s Eve: 25,043 tax returns were filed. The peak time for filing was between 14:00 and 14:59, when 2,713 returns were received.
New Year’s Day: 17,571 tax returns were filed. The peak time for filing was between 15:00 and 15:59, when 1,697 returns were received.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

There is less than one month for customers to submit their tax returns and my message to those yet to start is: don’t delay, do it online. HMRC provides lots of useful information to help you get started. Visit GOV.UK and search ‘Self Assessment’.

HMRC is warning customers that the deadline to submit a paper return has passed and tax returns can only be submitted online. Anyone who files after 31 January may face a penalty.

HMRC will treat those with genuine excuses leniently, as it focuses on those who persistently fail to complete their tax returns and deliberate tax evaders. Customers who provide HMRC with a reasonable excuse before the 31 January deadline can avoid a penalty after this date. The penalties for late tax returns are:

an initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time
after 3 months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900
after 6 months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater
after 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater
There are also additional penalties for paying late of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.

January 3, 2023