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Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Make the Northern Ireland energy payment now – Carla Lockhart [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Make the Northern Ireland energy payment now – Carla Lockhart [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the DUP on 7 December 2022.

    Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has endorsed the message from the Consumer Council NI made at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, that the Government should issue the Energy Bill Support Scheme immediately to households in Northern Ireland.

    Speaking after the Committee session today in Westminster, Carla Lockhart said:

    “The Government could, if it wanted to, make this payment. It could have made it already, but chose to delay the payment in a futile attempt to make people demand the immediate return of Stormont.

    There is no such demand for the return of Stormont amongst the unionist community until the concerns with the Protocol are addressed. It is an insult to Unionists to suggest they would allow the Protocol to remain to accelerate the energy support payment.

    The payment can be made last week if the Government had not moved the goal posts. My colleague Gavin Robinson MP exposed the myth propagated by the Government, and endorsed by SF, SDLP, Alliance and UUP, that the lack of devolution is holding up payments. It is a nonsense. It is only being made to undermine Unionism’s case to replace the Protocol.

    Today, the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland reinforced their call for the payment to be made now to support households. The DUP support that call, and again we say to the Government that they can and must issue this payment as soon as possible.

    We will remain resolute in our determination to get this payment made. We urge the Government to have the same resolve. If they do, the support can be provided imminently.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK Science and Technology Minister launches new global international science partnership funding in Tokyo with initial £119m of funding [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK Science and Technology Minister launches new global international science partnership funding in Tokyo with initial £119m of funding [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 December 2022.

    A new global research fund to deepen scientific collaboration between the UK and international R&D powers like Japan will be opened with an initial £119 million in UK Government funding, UK Science Minister George Freeman announced yesterday (Tuesday 13 December) in Tokyo, Japan.

    The UK Science Minister was in Tokyo, Japan yesterday to announce the first phase of the new International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). The fund will support and fund UK scientists and innovators to work with peers around the world on some of the most pressing issues facing our world.

    In a keynote speech to scientists, investors, industrialists and global research leaders, Minister Freeman set out the UK’s plans to take a more global approach to science, innovation and business.

    This will involve collaborating with partners across the world to both drive innovation, investment and prosperity in the UK, while also strengthening the UK’s leadership in tackling the big global challenges facing the globe; from leading the fight to tackle global warming to harnessing new energy like fusion, cleaning up the oceans and making space safe and sustainable.

    UK Science and Technology Minister George Freeman said:

    “The UK has a well-earned reputation for world-class science and research, and an extremely vibrant start-up enterprise sector. But being a Science Superpower means ensuring we don’t just win prizes but invest in the appliance of science for global good: collaborating more deeply with other leading nations to tackle the urgent global challenges facing our planet.

    “This Fund will help the UK deepen our global research network in Japan and beyond tackling some of humanity’s greatest challenges.”

    The Japan visit follows Minister Freeman’s securing of a Memorandum of Understanding on science with European science powerhouse Switzerland earlier this year.

    The announcement comes as the UK is facing continued block by the EU to membership of the Horizon, Copernicus and Euratom projects. While this partnership is not aimed as a replacement to our European collaborations, the Government cannot wait forever to invest through association.

    The government’s top priority is to invest in the UK’s world leading R&D sector and facilitate their collaborations with international counterparts. It is disappointing that while the government continues to focus on strengthening the UK’s international links and collaborations globally, the EU’s persistent delays to the UK’s association to Horizon is damaging collaboration with European partners. Association remains the UK’s preference, but the government cannot wait forever to invest through association.

    One of the projects announced as part of the UK-Japan collaboration includes a research collaboration in neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases and dementia, aimed at tackling the growing health issues associated with the both the UK and Japan’s ageing populations.

    Full details of aims and partners of the ISPF program will be released in the new year.

    UKRI’s international champion Professor Christopher Smith said:

    “Today’s announcement is a positive first step in the development of this important new international fund. Research and Innovation know no boundaries nor do the multiple challenges we face from pandemics to conflict, climate change to economic shocks.

    “International collaboration is integral to ensuring the UK harnesses the extraordinary potential of research and innovation to enrich and improve the lives of people living in the UK and around the world. Having a specific fund to enable international collaboration will help the UK achieve this vision. UKRI will help to deliver ISPF bringing benefits for the UK research and innovation sector and our international partners.”

    Alongside the launch of the multi-million-pound fund, Science Minister Freeman today (Wednesday 14 December) also launched a further £15.5 million investment in the ISThe Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) experiment, which is a next generation global neutrino experiment in Japan.

    The experiment aims to measure the properties of neutrinos, a type of particle, which aim to provide a “microscope,” used to observe the very smallest of particles, and also a “telescope” for observing the Sun and supernovas. The experiment is hoped to give us a greater understanding of the properties of the universe.

    The UK has already invested £4.2m in the R&D phase of the Hyper-K project between 2014 and 2020, and this additional investment will ensure the UK is able to play a leading role in this cutting-edge research.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Our commitment to the South Sudanese people’s quest for peace, prosperity and democracy – UK Statement at the Security Council [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Our commitment to the South Sudanese people’s quest for peace, prosperity and democracy – UK Statement at the Security Council [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2022.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council briefing on South Sudan.

    Thank you President, and thank you also to SRSG Haysom and our briefers for their updates.

    I welcome the update from the Permanent Representative of Gabon. I also welcome the presence of the Permanent Representative of South Sudan in our meeting today.

    President, I will make three broad points:

    First, four months have now passed since South Sudan’s Government announced a two-year extension and subsequent roadmap to implement the peace agreement ––progress remains woefully slow.

    The United Kingdom welcomes the passing of the constitution-making bill, as well as the continued graduation of the Necessary Unified Forces.
    Such progress is long overdue and we urge the Government to capitalise on this momentum and meet the remaining benchmarks within their agreed timelines. This is essential in order for free and fair elections to take place before the end of the agreement.

    Second, the need for Government action to protect their civilians is no clearer than in Upper Nile State; there, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

    The United Kingdom condemns these attacks on civilians. We are gravely concerned by the potential implications of this conflict for the already severely overcrowded Protection of Civilian site in Malakal and on the wider peace in South Sudan.

    We call on the Government to protect civilians and create the conditions for an inclusive dialogue to stop the violence.Military intervention must not aggravate existing tensions or pose additional risk to civilians.

    We also reiterate our call for the Government of South Sudan to immediately remove obstructions, and address violence against humanitarian workers and civilians.

    Third, the situation in Upper Nile and rising levels of insecurity across South Sudan, require an urgent response from the international community to help save lives.

    The United Kingdom commends the efforts of UNMISS to provide protection to civilians and its coordination with South Sudan.

    A coherent, whole of UN approach across humanitarian, development and peace priorities is needed and we endorse the Secretary General’s encouragement for the Government and partners to apply a similar endeavour.

    In closing, President, the United Kingdom remains committed to the South Sudanese people’s quest for peace, prosperity and democracy. We once again call on the leadership to deliver real change for its people. Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK signs Plan for Defence Cooperation with Saudi Arabia [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK signs Plan for Defence Cooperation with Saudi Arabia [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 13 December 2022.

    The Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, met His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in London today (13 December 2022).

    The Defence Ministers reflected on the strength of the historic UK-Saudi defence partnership of over half a century, based on a shared commitment to peace, stability, and the strengthening of mutual and regional security.

    The Defence Secretary and His Royal Highness welcomed the signing of a Plan for Defence Cooperation which will enhance bilateral defence and security cooperation to address shared security challenges, including through regular dialogue and consultation, education and training, and capability-building. It reaffirms the UK’s enduring commitment to working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on promoting regional security and stability.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

    It is a pleasure to sign this Plan for Defence Cooperation, bringing us even closer to one of our most important partners. It is a key milestone between our two nations, as we look to enhance our defence partnership further in support of mutual and regional security.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Investing in the health and protection of women and girls in humanitarian crises – UK Statement at UNFPA Humanitarian Action 2023 Overview [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Investing in the health and protection of women and girls in humanitarian crises – UK Statement at UNFPA Humanitarian Action 2023 Overview [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2022.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UNFPA Humanitarian Action 2023 Overview.

    Thanks very much, good morning, and good morning to all colleagues on the call.

    First of all, let me just thank Executive Director Kanem and UNFPA staff for everything they do to provide life-saving services to the millions of women and girls in crisis-affected countries. You have the UK’s full admiration and support.

    We are faced with a sobering picture and a bleak trajectory. In 2023, 339 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance. Conflict and crises are increasingly trapping marginalised people, in particular women and girls, in cycles of vulnerability.  70% of women in crisis settings experience gender-based violence; adolescent girls in conflict zones are 90% more likely to be out of school; and 60% of preventable maternal deaths take place in conflict, displacement and natural disaster settings. These are not just numbers. They represent individual lives.

    It is why the UK funds humanitarian efforts aimed at the health and protection of women and girls. It is why UNFPA’s work is so critical. The UK is proud to be one of your top humanitarian donors, supporting life-saving Gender Based Violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health interventions this year in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine. We are also proud to be the largest donor to UNFPA’s Supplies Programme, ensuring contraceptives and life-saving maternal, new-born and child health commodities reach those most in need.

    But it’s not just about funding. The UK uses all levers at our disposal to ensure the health and protection of women and girls, including our convening power. Just two weeks ago, at the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Conference in London, we led efforts to strengthen the global response to conflict related sexual violence, including through prevention, justice and accountability and support to survivors. Alongside our partners, we committed:

    • First, to strengthen humanitarian responses to gender-based violence (GBV), including by ensuring access to clinical management of rape and by championing the Call to Action on Protection from GBV in Emergencies;
    • and, second, to ensure access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, including safe abortion, at the outset and throughout crises.

    We are grateful to you, Dr. Kanem, and UNFPA colleagues for engaging in the conference and using your platform to highlight the critical role of women-led organisations in preventing GBV and supporting survivors’ access to SRHR and GBV services, including the life-saving role of safe abortion emergencies. The UK is committed to bolstering our support to local, women-led organisations – the true experts on the needs of their communities.

    The UK’s aim is to strengthen people’s ability to recover from crises, to protect and prioritise the most vulnerable when crises occur, and to amplify the voices of the most marginalised, in particular women and girls, to ensure their needs are met.

    Only if we work collectively can we better prepare, take early action and respond to safeguard the rights, health and lives of women and girls in emergencies. We have seen first-hand the critical role UNFPA plays in this regard, and I urge other donors to continue to step up so that UNFPA has the funding it needs to continue leading the global response to GBV in emergencies and to prepare and respond flexibly when those crises hit.

    Thank you very much.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Social housing tenants to receive training and support to make their voices heard [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Social housing tenants to receive training and support to make their voices heard [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 13 December 2022.

    People living in social housing will have access to new government-backed training scheme, helping them to raise issues with their landlord.

    • Residents in England to get new advice on how to hold their landlord to account
    • £500,000 government grant awarded to training provider for launching new scheme in Spring
    • Part of wider reforms that will give social housing residents a stronger voice.

    Social housing tenants will be better empowered to raise issues with their landlords and help hold them to account, as a result of new guidance and support announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities today.

    A partnership of experts in the sector has received a £500,000 government grant to roll out a new training package open to anyone living in social housing in England. The scheme aims to help residents engage effectively with their landlord to demand a higher quality of service, where needed.

    Residents will learn how to take an active role in how their home is managed – through a series of workshops, forums and online resources that will run over the next two and a half years. For example, this could include advice on how to set up a residents panel or how to challenge a landlord if they fail to meet required standards.

    The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove last month called for all landlords to meet their responsibility in providing decent homes for tenants. The warning came as he took action against Rochdale Boroughwide Housing for failing to treat hazardous mould that contributed to the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.

    The Social Housing Regulation Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, will also mean that tenants’ complaints are listened to and dealt with quickly and fairly, with stronger powers for the Regulator to hold landlords to account.

    Minister for Social Housing Baroness Scott said:

    Landlords are responsible for giving tenants the decent home they deserve and the government is taking action to ensure tough consequences for any who fall short.

    We also want to make sure every resident is heard and has the opportunity to be actively involved in how their home is managed.

    This new government-backed scheme will help to do just that – empowering residents to challenge their landlord where needed and contribute to positive change in their homes and communities.

    The government-backed training will be provided by two organisations – the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) and the Public Participation, Consultation and Research (PPCR). Both have expertise in empowering residents within the social housing sector.

    CCH Chief Executive Officer, Blase Lambert, said:

    CCH and PPCR is receiving support from government to enhance our work empowering and inspiring social housing residents in England.

    We exist to promote resident empowerment and control and want all residents to understand their rights, be able to raise issues with their landlords and hold them to account and to be able to shape and improve the services they receive and the homes they live in.

    Our vision for this programme is for it to be a catalyst for change, complementing other government action outlined in the Social Housing White Paper and helping to drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents.

    Last month, social housing residents from across the country came together to launch a new 250-strong panel, which will advise the government on its plans to raise social housing standards.

    This new training will now form part of the government’s work to address issues raised by the panel, such as the handling of repairs and maintenance, as well as landlord accountability.

    Details of the programme and how to participate in training will be provided by CCH before the scheme launches for social residents across England, in Spring 2023.

    To make sure tenants know their rights and can hold housing providers to account, the government is also launching a £1 million public information campaign early next year.

    The Social Housing Regulation Bill will introduce new powers for the Housing Ombudsman to take action on complaints. It will also provide the regulator with tougher powers to enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs where there is a serious risk to tenants and the landlord has failed to act, with landlords footing the bill.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Assembly stunt provides useful distraction for Sinn Fein – Gordon Lyons [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Assembly stunt provides useful distraction for Sinn Fein – Gordon Lyons [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the DUP on 7 December 2022.

    DUP MLA Gordon Lyons has said the recalled sitting of the Assembly was another political stunt and called on the UK Government to get on with delivering the UK-wide assistance to all parts of the UK, including the Energy Support Payments.

    Speaking after the Assembly sitting he said,

    “Each time the Assembly has been recalled it has been a political stunt, but this one had an additional benefit for Sinn Fein. It provided a useful attempt to distract from ongoing proceedings in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin and the allegations made there about Sinn Fein’s links to gangsterism and crime.

    The cost of living crisis is impacting every single person in Northern Ireland, but Sinn Fein also recognised how this could be best tackled when Conor Murphy said in July that “the levers which can make the biggest difference sit with the UK Government” when he penned a joint letter along with the Scottish and Welsh Finance Ministers.

    The United Kingdom Government has delivered additional support. Each of those has been delivered on a UK-wide basis, including the Energy Price Guarantee which was administered despite energy being devolved in Northern Ireland and the fact we have a different energy market to Great Britain. The Energy Support Payment is another UK Government scheme which they have promised to all citizens in the UK. They now need to get on with delivering it to all parts of the UK.

    The Government knows what needs to be done to restore devolution in Northern Ireland. Threatening an election doesn’t change anything, cutting salaries doesn’t change anything but what will unlock devolution is getting the Protocol sorted, restoring Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market and removing the democratic deficit.

    When that happens, we will not be found wanting. We will elect and Speaker and we will nominate Ministers.“

  • PRESS RELEASE : Call for Public Health co-operation on Strep A [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Call for Public Health co-operation on Strep A [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the DUP on 6 December 2022.

    East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson has encouraged co-operation amongst Public Health Agencies across the UK and called for resources to be made available if necessary in tackling incidences of Strep A.

    He raised the issue in the House of Commons today. Speaking afterwards the DUP MP said,

    “The commitment that antibiotics are available is welcome, but we know dangers that Strep A can pose. Tragically it has taken the life of a young girl who was a P2 pupil at Blackmountain Primary School. Everyone’s sympathies will be with the family dealing with this heart-breaking tragedy.

    It is important in tackling any incidences of Strep A that resources available where they are needed and for our Public Health Agencies to work together across the UK.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Sir Jeffrey Donaldson – Emulate Common Travel Area in seeking Protocol solution [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Sir Jeffrey Donaldson – Emulate Common Travel Area in seeking Protocol solution [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the DUP on 6 December 2022.

    DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said the centenary of the Common Travel Area should be used as an opportunity to emulate the positive and practical principles of the CTA and emulate them in finding a solution to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

    Sir Jeffrey said, “On 6th December 1922 the Common Travel Area came into being. It is so ingrained as part of life across these islands that we can sometimes overlook its significance. The House of Commons library estimated that the number of people living in the UK who were born in the Republic of Ireland is equivalent to around 1% of the Republic’s population. There are just over a quarter of a million people born in the UK and resident in the Republic.

    The Common Travel Area was a sensible and practical arrangement established between the United Kingdom and the then newly formed Irish Free State. It has worked to the benefit of both countries over the past 100 years and enjoys the support of people in both jurisdictions. This stands in stark contrast to the Northern Ireland Protocol which has not only failed in its objectives but also does not enjoy support across the community in Northern Ireland.

    The Common Travel Area long pre-dated the entry of either the UK or Ireland to the European Union. Whilst the Common Travel Area has been based on a concept designed to facilitate everyone, the Protocol has been based on punitive measures imposed against the UK under the cover of rhetoric about the Belfast Agreement. On this centenary we should return to the positive and practical principles demonstrated by the Common Travel Area and seek to emulate them in finding a solution to the Protocol.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Online anonymity must be tackled – Carla Lockhart

    PRESS RELEASE : Online anonymity must be tackled – Carla Lockhart

    The press release issued by the DUP on 5 December 2022.

    Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has said that online anonymity remains the core issue to be tackled at the heart of social media abuse. She was speaking ahead of the Online Safety Bill being debated once again in the House of Commons.

    The DUP MP said, “This Bill has been through a huge amount of scrutiny and has undergone significant amendment since it was first brought forward. The core issue of online anonymity however remains outstanding.

    The Government’s decision to remove the proposed offence of harmful communications. This is not to say such behaviour doesn’t exist or that we should do nothing about it. However, it is difficult to tackle behaviour and content which is deemed harmful but not criminal. One way this area, and others could be addressed and improved however would be by looking at the issue of online anonymity and identity verification of those opening accounts.

    If the identity behind an account was known to the platform then taking action against harmful content obviously becomes easier and more direct. People who have been repeatedly targeted by trolling and other abuse deserve to know that it is being taken seriously. Whilst proposals in the Online Safety Bill make some progress, the core of the problem remains untouched.”