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PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak announces new support to keep British Jewish communities safe [October 2023]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 October 2023.

Members of the UK Jewish community, including school children, will be given more protection against antisemitic attacks in the wake of Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel, the Prime Minister has announced.
£3 million of extra funding will be provided to the Community Security Trust to protect schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.

The Community Security Trust has recorded a 400% increase in the prevalence of antisemitic incidents in the UK since Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel.

This morning the PM convened representatives from UK policing and the Jewish community with ministers in Downing Street for discussions on policing protests.

Specific guidance to be provided to police on the beat on where and when to intervene.

Members of the UK Jewish community, including school children, will be given more protection against antisemitic attacks in the wake of Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel, the Prime Minister has announced.

£3 million of additional funding will be provided to the Community Security Trust (CST), an organisation established to protect British Jews from antisemitism and related threats. The CST works closely with the police to secure Jewish community buildings and events. Today’s announcement brings the total funding for Jewish Community Protection Security grant to £18 million for 2023-24.

The money will enable the CST to place additional guards in schools it supports throughout each school’s operating hours. They will also be able to place additional security staff at outside synagogues on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

Today the Prime Minister gathered senior ministers, police chiefs and the CST in Downing Street for a discussion on protecting British communities and policing protests chaired by the Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The roundtable comes ahead of expected protests and marches taking place across the UK this weekend. It also follows a significant increase in antisemitic incidents since the terrorist attacks against Israel.

The CST has recorded 139 antisemitic incidents in the last four days. This represents an increase of 400% compared to the same period in 2022.

The Prime Minister said:

This is now the third deadliest terror attack in the world since 1970. The United Kingdom must and will continue to stand in solidarity with Israel.

At moments like this, when the Jewish people are under attack in their homeland, Jewish people everywhere can feel less safe.

That is why we must do everything in our power to protect Jewish people everywhere in our country. If anything is standing in the way of keeping the Jewish community safe, we will fix it. You have our complete backing.

Representatives at the roundtable, who included the Home Secretary, Communities Secretary, Attorney General and Policing Minister, discussed the threat increased antisemitic attacks and the policing response to provocative protests. Reflecting on the distressing scenes we have seen both online and on Britain’s streets in the past week, the Prime Minister asked police chiefs to ensure a consistent and clear approach is taken to tackling hate crime, policing protests and protecting Jewish communities. He stressed that the police have the Government’s total backing in ensuring that any glorification of terrorism is met with the full force of the law.

Following the discussions, the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council will brief all commanders clarifying guidance they should be using as they police protests over the weekend, as well as clarifying guidance around the use of face coverings to purposefully conceal identity.

During the meeting, the Home Secretary asked police chiefs to consider using their existing Section 14 powers in in the Public Order Act where appropriate to prevent assemblies blocking roads, including outside Jewish monuments and buildings such as the Israeli Embassy.

Earlier this week the Home Secretary wrote to police chiefs in England and Wales to urge them to step up patrols and use all available powers to prevent disorder and distress to our communities. She was clear officers should act immediately to crackdown on criminality – both in our streets and online.

The Home Secretary said:

Hamas terrorists have carried out barbaric attacks on the people of Israel. They massacred civilians, raped women and kidnapped the most vulnerable.

This terrorism is an attack on all of our values. Whenever Israel is attacked, people use legitimate Israeli defensive measures as an excuse to stir up hatred against British Jews. The UK stands unequivocally with Israel.

I have been clear with police chiefs in England and Wales that there can be zero tolerance for antisemitism, and that they should act immediately to crackdown on any criminality – both in our streets and online.

I have been in close contact with the Community Security Trust whose work helps enhance the security of the British Jewish community. To further support their work, we will be providing them £3 million in funding for additional security guards at Jewish schools, synagogues and in Jewish communities. This is in addition to the £15 million of annual funding provided by the Government.

Mark Gardner, Chief Executive of Community Security Trust said:

We are grateful to the Government for providing extra funding for security guards at Jewish community buildings, following the horrific Hamas terror attack on Israel. The support that we and the Jewish community are receiving from across government and policing is greatly reassuring and welcome at this difficult and worrying time.

We will work with the Home Office to ensure that this extra funding is used in the most effective way to enhance the existing security that is in place and provide the Jewish community with the protection that they need and deserve.
20/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Coordination between the African Union, UN, and sub-regional organisations is critical to ending conflict – UK statement at the UN Security Council [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 October 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on the African Union.

Thank you, President, and I join others in thanking the Special Representative, the Permanent Observer and Mr. Dersso for their briefings.

President, UN-AU cooperation is fundamental to achieving our shared goal of a freer, more secure, more prosperous, greener, and healthier continent.

So I am delighted we demonstrated our shared commitment by agreeing a communique at last week’s AUPSC/UNSC meeting in Addis.

President, I want to highlight three points about this partnership:

Firstly, following nine coups on the continent since 2020, efforts to tackle this scourge and its underlying causes are critical. The AU PSC’s decisive action in this regard has been important.

I reiterate UK support for efforts by AU and sub-regional organisations, including ECOWAS, to bring about inclusive political dialogue and peaceful return to the constitutional rule.

We look forward to deepening this dialogue, including exploring the potential of the New Agenda for Peace as Mozambique outlined on behalf of the A3 earlier.

Secondly, coordination between the AU, UN, sub-regional organisations, and international partners is critical to ending conflict and promoting stability.

This is why the UK has long supported permanent African representation on the Security Council.

And it is why we look forward to working with Council colleagues on a framework resolution about UN financing for AU-led missions.

We reiterate our concern about the potential for terrorism in the Sahel to spread to coastal states in West Africa.

And we express our resolute support for efforts to tackle this, particularly regionally-led solutions such as the Accra initiative.

We remain committed to the current sustainable drawdown of ATMIS and thank the AU Commission and TCCs for their tireless work in supporting Somalia’s security.

Since 2022, we have given over $60 million in funding and will contribute again this year.

We also support a coordinated African-led response to the crisis in Sudan that harnesses a supporting role for the UN.

Thirdly, I welcome the continued implementation of the AU-UN framework for the implementation of agenda 2063, and the 2030 agenda, and the Silencing the Guns agenda.

To realise their shared vision of inclusive and sustainable economic development we

must increase international cooperation.

Indeed, collaboration is instrumental in addressing the humanitarian challenges on the continent such as food insecurity, where more than 160 million people in Africa are acutely vulnerable.

Next month, we are partnering with Somalia and UAE to host a Global Food Security Summit, bringing together international expertise to galvanise action to prevent food insecurity, malnutrition and to save lives.

President, we look forward to developing and deepening the cooperation between the AU and the UN in pursuit of our shared goals.

Thank you.

20/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government to invest £30 million in innovative technology for NHS [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 12 October 2023.

Applications are now open for Integrated care systems to apply for a share of £30 million to roll out innovative technology.
Effective use of the latest medical technology can help cut waiting lists, with the potential to speed up diagnoses and improve care for patients

Technology could include virtual wards to help care for patients at home, or wearable devices to monitor chronic conditions remotely – easing winter pressures and supporting the workforce

Patients across the country will benefit from a £30 million government investment in innovative medical technology (medtech) which will help ease pressures on the NHS this winter and could include the expansion of 3D checks that speed up cancer tests and novel logistics solutions such as the use of drones.

Available to each region in England, ICSs – organisations that come together in local areas to deliver joined up health and social care services – can now bid for funding to invest in the latest technology that can help cut waiting lists, speed up diagnosis and deliver new and improved ways to treat patients.

Depending on local need, ICSs could use the funding to expand virtual wards, allowing more patients to receive the care they need at home, freeing up hospital beds. Over 9,800 virtual ward beds have already been created, and the NHS is on track to meet its target and deliver 10,000 ahead of winter.

ICSs could also invest in wearable medical devices for use by patients at home, to aid diagnosis and management of numerous chronic conditions – these devices allow the monitoring of vital signs such as blood oxygen levels, heartbeat and blood pressure. Alternatively, investing in digital 3D and other imaging technology could bolster diagnostic tests, supporting the NHS to detect and treat cancer and other serious illnesses earlier.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:

It is vital that clinicians have access to the latest technology to save staff time, deliver high quality care and help cut waiting lists – one of the government’s top 5 priorities.

This investment will see the latest tech innovations rolled out across the NHS. From virtual ward beds to wearable medical devices, patients will be better supported, and we will ease pressures on hospitals this winter.

We’re preparing for this winter earlier than ever before, including delivering thousands more hospital beds and hundreds of new ambulances.

NHS interim National Director of Transformation, Dr Vin Diwakar, said:

The NHS’s world-leading ability to adopt new technology has already helped more than 210,000 patients be treated in their own homes through the rollout of virtual wards, and this new funding will allow the health service to adopt more innovations that improve patient care and reduce pressure on wider services.

Local NHS areas known as integrated care systems can now submit bids to the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to access the funds so they can roll out the technology.

Earlier this year, the government published its medical technology strategy, which set out steps to ensure patients can access safe, effective and innovative technology through the NHS.

This builds on the £21 million artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics fund, which aims to improve access to the latest AI technology to diagnose and treat patients more quickly. NHS trusts were invited to bid for funding to accelerate the rollout of the most promising AI imaging and decision support tools to help diagnose patients more quickly for conditions such as cancer, stroke and heart conditions.

The new funding comes on top of a series of other measures the government is taking to support the NHS this winter. In September, an additional £200 million was invested in the health service to boost resilience and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible in the coming months. The Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, announced in January, also committed to deliver 5,000 additional permanent, fully staffed hospital beds, 10,000 virtual ward beds and 800 new ambulances, backed by £1 billion.

Notes to editors

The NHS Innovation Service is already helping the NHS find the best new innovations and provides innovators with the resources, tools and support they need to increase the chances of getting their product or idea adopted by the NHS.

Applications are open and project delivery is expected this financial year, getting benefits to patients as quickly as possible.
20/10/2023
Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech at the Connected Futures Conference

The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in London on 12 October 2023.

Thank you to the Youth Futures Foundation for inviting me to be part of this Connected Futures Conference.

Days like today are a real opportunity to explore how we best go about supporting disadvantaged young people into education, employment and training.

I’m pleased to be able to share with you some of what we’re doing in Government to help our young people achieve their potential.

Changing young people’s lives and giving them the best start in life is the reason I entered into politics.

Because, as all of you in this room will know, how we help and support young people can make a phenomenal difference.

Every bit of support we give, makes a difference to an individual and I wanted to start with a story of a girl, called Shamza.

Earlier this year I took part in a roundtable with young people who had taken part in a national citizens service programme.

Around the table was a group of young adults, inspiring young people who were confident and engaged with their communities.

This hadn’t always been the case.

Many of them were disadvantaged, a significant proportion were carers.

Amongst them was an inspiring young woman called Shamza.

Shamza told me that she came to the UK 3 years ago and when she came she didn’t speak any English.

But despite this obstacle, she carried with her a dream of one day working for the police.

She signed up to the NCS, she’s now fluent in English and last month she started her journey into the police as an apprentice.

She grasped the opportunities that came with the NCS programme and used that programme as a springboard to start her new life in the UK.

Her story is one that speaks to the power of youth services and what they should be about – opening doors for young people and creating chances where they didn’t previously exist.

And that’s why this kind of event is so important.

Because it brings together all of you.

Think tanks. Local Government. National Government. Businesses. Delivery partners.

From Blackpool FC Community Trust, the British Chambers of Commerce and the University of Central Lancashire to KPMG, PWC and Virgin.

The huge range of organisations we have here today reflects the fact that young people are not just the responsibility of governments – we all have a role to play.

And while you may all be here from different organisations, you all have one thing in common: you are invested in the future of our young people.

You share our ambition of giving young people the tools they need to realise their untapped potential.

As a Government, we recognise how important all of your organisations are, and we’re grateful for everything you’re doing collectively to improve outcomes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

YFF, in particular, has used Dormant Assets Funding to really unpick and find solutions to some of the challenges facing young people today.

And – by bringing together the youth sector, local authorities, schools, parents, and the private sector – your focus on building the evidence base is already helping to make a difference to how we help more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into education, into employment and into training.

And I know that the Connected Futures Programme is exactly about this sort of work.

Fostering local partnerships to address challenges, to share best practice and to drive greater quality of youth provision at a local level.

Now, as many of you may know, this is one of the areas of my portfolio I am most passionate about – investing in maximising the potential of young people across the country.

I believe that we should ensure that every young person should have more opportunities than their parents.

And to achieve that I think every young person needs someone to talk to, something to do, and somewhere to go.

It’s an issue I’ve been passionate about throughout my time in Government.

When I was on the education select committee, when I was a justice minister responsible for youth justice and now as Secretary of State with some responsibility for youth policy.

I’d like to just touch on why these 3 things are so important and measures I have recently announced that build on them.

When it comes to giving young people someone to talk to, I know millions of young people across the country were just as lucky as I was.

Many have parents and grandparents to lead them on their journey.

Some people find teachers.

So last month, we announced our plan to work with the Youth Futures Foundation to support young people at risk of falling out of education, employment or training after 18.

So, through the £15 million Building Futures programme, funded by the Dormant Assets Scheme, as many as 5,000 young people aged 14 to 16, will be offered intensive mentoring and wraparound support.

We have high hopes this programme will provide a leg up to those young people who need it most, with personalised guidance, career coaching, and mental health support, and at the same time, it will help really build up the evidence base for what works.

And I know YFF will be setting out details later in the year on the structure of the programme and the locations for support.

Secondly, turning to somewhere to go;

We know that young people don’t want to hang around the streets and fall into the wrong crowd.

We know that giving them somewhere to go where they can socialise, make new friends, develop new skills, and become more rounded individuals makes a massive difference.

And that aim is at the heart of our Youth Investment Fund, where 87 organisations across the country have already received Youth Investment Fund grants with over 200 more to come so we can provide more safe spaces for young people.

At the same time, we’re continuing to deliver the Million Hours Fund, which we run in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund.

The fund is injecting £22 million directly to youth organisations in wards across England that are identified as having high rates of anti-social behaviour.

Each ward will then be able to provide additional hours of any youth activity that is ‘open to all’.

And finally, young people need something to do.

We’ve teamed up with a number of the expert organisations in this area to launch programmes tailored to reach different groups.

To begin with, we’ve extended the Adventures Away from Home Fund.

Through this Fund we are providing bursaries for around 7,500 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, across England, to access outdoor trips.

I’ve been fortunate to see first hand how much of a difference these projects and trips can make to people’s lives in igniting their passions.

I recently visited the Avon Tyrrell outdoor learning centre in the New Forest and had a brilliant conversation with one of their Senior Outdoor Instructors, Jake.

Jake entered the outdoor industry through an apprenticeship with Avon Tyrrell, after attending a Prince’s Trust residential work placement trip to the outdoor centre.

He told me about how that work placement, and that experience, made him fall in love with the outdoors and instilled in him a determination to help other young people discover that same love.

On top of this scheme my Department, with the Youth Endowment Fund and Youth Futures Foundation is going to be launching a new Summer Jobs Programme for up to 2,600 young people, across England.

To make sure this programme is really targeted where it’s needed most, we’ll be working with local agencies, for example, pupil referral units, local authorities to ensure it reaches those most at risk of becoming involved in youth violence and crime.

These young people will be offered employment placements for up to six weeks, helping them to not only have something engaging to do, but to improve their life chances on the other side of the placement and help them choose the right path in life.

As well as both of these schemes, we’re supporting the UK Year of Service, alongside the National Citizen Service Trust.

The UK Year of Service is about helping those young people who are ready to take their first step into work, but who need some additional support to take it.

This programme is going to provide meaningful 9 to 12 months work placements to at least 100 young people, across the United Kingdom with the aim of setting them on a positive path towards long-term employment, education or training.

Once the placements are available later this year, young people will be able to apply directly to roles that inspire them and that they can contribute to the most.

All these programmes offer something slightly different, but all of them will give young people more of the ‘something to do’ in future.

We want to give more, more Jake’s and more Shamza’s the chance to thrive.

And I believe, taken together, we’ve been able to make a huge amount of progress in a relatively short amount of time.

But I know, and all of you know, that there is a long way to go.

I’m confident that all of you here today and all of us in Government share the same purpose and are pulling in the same direction.

You recognise the value of youth services and the sense of belonging they create among young people.

It is this sense of belonging and the social networks that come with these experiences and these programmes that is vital to improving the life prospects of young people in all parts of the country.

I am looking forward to working with you all to give young people a fair shot at maximising their potential, now and in the years ahead.

20/10/2023
NEWS STORY : Labour Win Tamworth By-Election with a Swing of Over 20%

STORY

Labour have won the by-election in Tamworth, caused by the resignation of Conservative MP Christopher Pincher, in the second highest swing in the post-war period. Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said that the result represented an “incredible night in politics” and that “it is clear the voters here have turned their back on a failed Tory government. They’ve had enough of the decline for the past 13 years”. The seat was won by Sarah Edwards, who is currently working in the NHS, with a majority of 1,316. Pincher had represented the constituency since 2010 but had resigned to a sexual abuse scandal.

RESOURCES

News Story – Labour win Mid Bedfordshire By-Election

Tamworth By-Election Result

20/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Three trustees reappointed to the Science Museum Group [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 12 October 2023.

The Secretary of State has reappointed Judith Donovan CBE, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill and Professor Ajit Lalvani as trustees of the Science Museum Group.

Judith Donovan CBE

Reappointed from 1 September 2023 until 31 August 2027

Judith Donovan is a Yorkshire businesswoman, who started her own direct marketing agency in Bradford.During her 20 years at the helm of a rapidly growing business she also chaired the Training and Enterprise Council and was the first female president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce after 167 years.

Judith is a trustee of the National Army Museum as well as the chair of its trading subsidiary. She is also chair of the Employment Advisory Board for the two Yorkshire women’s prisons as well as chair of Ripon Cathedral Council. Previously she has been a Millennium Commissioner, a Health and Safety Commissioner, vice chair Postwatch, board member British Wool and Yorkshire Dales National Park, and chair of the Yorkshire Tourist Board

She holds CCMI; FIOD; FRSA; FCIM; FIDM; FCAM and honorary degrees from Hull and Leeds Beckett Universities.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill

Reappointed from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2027

Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, has been the Chair of Network Rail since July 2015, and Chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation since July 2017. Peter was previously Commissioner of Transport for London for nearly 10 years. He started his transport career in 1975 as a London Transport graduate trainee. He was knighted in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List, having been made CBE in 2006. He was introduced in the House of Lords in December 2022. Peter has a strong interest in transport heritage, and is a Trustee of the London Transport Museum and Chair of the Heritage Railway Association.

Professor Ajit Lalvani

Reappointed from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2027

Ajit is Chair of Infectious Diseases and Director of the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections at Imperial College London. He develops and deploys scientific advances to protect the nation’s health from the most serious respiratory infections: flu, TB and COVID-19. He translates his discoveries into innovative practical solutions to improve patient care and public health, including new technologies and policies that have helped to halve England’s TB burden. He has raised £40 million research funding and published 200 research papers. He is passionate about reversing health inequalities through tackling the social determinants of health and empowering individuals to improve their wellbeing and resilience, including through the role of the arts.

Ajit is a member of the Board of the English National Opera (ENO) and the Scientific Advisory Council of the College of Medicine. He develops India’s medical research ecosystem through chairing the Strategic Advisory Board of The India Alliance, India’s pre-eminent medical research funding organisation.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees for the Science Museum Group are not remunerated. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared; this is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Judith Donovan, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill and Ajit Lalvani have not declared any significant political activity.

20/10/2023
NEWS STORY : Labour Win Mid Bedfordshire By-Election with a Swing of Over 20%

STORY

Labour’s Alistair Strathern has won the Mid Bedfordshire by-election which was caused by the resignation of Nadine Dorries who had represented the constituency for the Conservatives since 2005. Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, said on the result in the constituency and also in the by-election held in Tamworth:

“These are phenomenal results that show Labour is back in the service of working people and redrawing the political map. Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour party to deliver it. Voters across Mid Bedfordshire, Tamworth and Britain want a Labour government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country. To those who have given us their trust, and those considering doing so, Labour will spend every day acting in your interests and focused on your priorities. Labour will give Britain its future back.”

Alistair Strathern, the new MP, was educated at Oxford University and became a teacher before starting employment at the Bank of England. Following his victory, Strathern said:

“I’m just so, so overwhelmed and grateful for the faith that people have placed in me today. People right across our towns and villages were turning their backs on the government and an MP that had not shown sufficient respect over the last few years and we were incredibly heartened by the strong positive reaction we were getting right up until today.”

RESOURCES

By-Election Result

20/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : More primary school pupils meet reading standards [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 12 October 2023.

Primary school pupils show improvement in their reading ability as attainment in this year’s reading assessment increases since last year.

Education standards continue to improve as new statistics on the phonics screening check published today (12 October) show 79% of five- and six-year-olds met the expected standard, up from 75% last year.

Phonics is a body of knowledge that is necessary for pupils to learn to read and spell, at whatever age. Young children learning to read are taught how to recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes, as well as the skill of blending the individual sounds together to read.

Improvements in children’s reading ability in English primary schools builds on the international success earlier this year, when England came fourth for primary reading proficiency, out of 43 countries that tested children of the same age in the highly anticipated Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Teaching children to read using phonics has been a key part of this government’s focus on driving up school standards over the past 13 years, and our children are now the best readers in the west.

Today’s results reflect the hard work of our teachers and show strong progress as pupils continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

The phonics screening check was first introduced in 2012 when only 58% met the expected standard. Since 2012, there has been a 21% point increase in attainment in the check, highlighting the government’s commitment to raising standards across the board.

Literacy and numeracy are the cornerstones of a world-class education. Last week, the Prime Minister announced plans to build on this at post-16 through the new advanced British standard, which will bring together the best of A Levels and T Levels into a single new qualification and make maths and English mandatory.

Raising standards in primary schools is a key priority for this government to set children up with the best start in life. The government established the network of English hubs to support schools to ensure all children are given a strong start in reading. It also introduced a validated list of phonics programmes to ensure schools have access to high-quality programmes.

The £60 million English hubs programme was rolled out in 2018 and is designed to develop expertise in teaching reading in schools. The lead schools work with partner schools by modelling best practice and providing expert teachers to help them raise standards through phonics.

Our network of 40 maths hubs is supporting schools across the country to improve maths teaching based on mastery teaching approaches used by some of the highest performing parts of the world.

The key stage 1 attainment statistics were also published today, showing the number of pupils meeting the expected standards in reading, writing, maths and science increasing from 2022.

This year:
- 70% of pupils met the expected standards in maths, up from 68% in 2022
- 68% of pupils met the expected standard in reading up from 67% in 2022
- 60% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, up from 58% in 2022
- 79% of pupils met the expected standard in science, up from 77% in 2022.
Since 2010, the proportion of schools rated good or outstanding by Ofsted has increased from 68% in 2010 to 88% based on latest data.

DfE media enquiries
19/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : New flood embankment will better protect properties in Birmingham [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 12 October 2023.

Work is underway to build a new £2million flood risk management scheme to better protect homes from flooding in the Pebble Mill area of Birmingham.
- New flood embankment will better protect more than 100 properties from threat of flooding from River Rea
- Construction work is underway and will be completed next summer
- Work includes new wildflower meadow providing food for bees and butterflies and nesting boxes for kingfishers.
The £2m scheme will provide better protection from the River Rea to more than 100 residential properties. The area has historically been impacted by flooding with the most recent floods taking place in June 2016 and May 2018.

The scheme will see the construction of a 250m embankment within the Pebble Mill Playing Fields reaching a peak of 1.2metres. There is a risk of flooding to properties in the roads around the playing fields when water in the River Rea exceeds the existing capacity of the site and the embankment will divert flood waters away from properties back into the River Rea.

The work follows the removal of four weirs undertaken in partnership with Birmingham City Council last year. The removal of the weirs has improved water flow as well as the water quality by allowing water to flow naturally. It also benefits fish and invertebrate species as weirs act as barriers to their movement.

When the embankment is complete the restoration of the playing fields will include the creation of a wildflower meadow, providing bees, butterflies and other pollinators with food throughout the year. The restoration will also include re-alignment and re-surfacing of public footpaths and improved planting and landscaping to encourage local habitat diversity and increase biodiversity. Kingfisher boxes were also installed at the site as part of the works.

Jon Saner, Senior Flood Risk Advisor, Flood & Costal Risk Management for the Environment Agency in the West Midlands said:

“We are delighted to be delivering this new flood embankment for Peddle Mill which will help to better protect homes in the area from the devastation of flooding in the area while also supporting wildlife.”

The work follows similar schemes for Selly Park North and Selly Park South also on the River Rea.

Furtherinformation

5.2 million properties in England are at risk of flooding

• The average cost of flood damage to a home is £30,000

• The average cost of flooding to a business is £82,000

• If you are flooded, temporary accommodation costs on average £10,000

• If you are flooded you are likely to be out of your home for an average of 5 months

• Know what to do when you receive a flood warning and download our three point flood plan – https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/what-to-do-in-a-flood
19/10/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Section 40 determination from the Northern Ireland Secretary [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 12 October 2023.

Notice of Determination by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry under section 40(4) of the Inquiries Act 2005.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has determined under section 40(4) of the Inquiries Act 2005 (“the Act”) that the power of the Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry (“the Inquiry”) to award amounts in respect of legal representation under section 40(1) and (2) of the Act to persons eligible for an award under section 40(3) shall be subject to the qualifications and conditions set out below.

The qualifications and conditions are:

Given the exceptional nature and gravity of the Omagh bombing, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recognises that it will be in the public interest for certain applicants to be provided with funding for legal representation, without investigation as to the financial resources otherwise available to them.

Accordingly, Rule 21 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 is qualified to the extent that the general criteria in Rule 21(2)(a) (financial resources) is satisfied without further enquiry as to means.

The Chair shall only make an award relating to a person’s costs of legal representation (which includes the legal costs referred to at paragraph 2.5 below) where he considers it necessary, fair, reasonable and proportionate to make an award.

An award shall be subject to the condition that payment will only be made for work that is properly evidenced, directly related to the work of the Inquiry as determined by any costs protocol issued by the Chair, and can be identified as having been done in an efficient and effective manner, avoiding unnecessary duplication and making the best use of public funds.

Expenditure incurred by an applicant in respect of legal representation before an award is made by a Chair shall not be recoverable except in respect of any reasonable and proportionate costs incurred responding to the Inquiry’s consultation on the terms of reference prior to the setting up date of the Inquiry, and any such prior expenditure shall be recoverable only in accordance with the rates expressed in paragraph 3 below.

An award shall be made only in respect of legal work undertaken by an applicant’s legal representative whom the Chair has designated under either Rule 6 or Rule 7 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 to be that person’s recognised legal representative in relation to the Inquiry.

The Chair shall approve the size and composition of any legal team to be engaged by an applicant’s recognised legal representative including the number and seniority of counsel whose retention he agrees to be necessary.

In determining whether to make an award the Chair shall specify the broad areas of work that are to be covered by the award and the hourly rates applicable to all members of the applicant’s approved legal team subject to the maximum hourly rates specified at paragraph 3 below.

Having regard to the inquisitorial nature of the Inquiry, an award shall not be made in respect of investigative work undertaken by an applicant’s recognised legal representative or in relation to obtaining an expert’s report, save in exceptional circumstances.

An award shall limit the maximum number of hours that can be charged by any member of a legal team in connection with Inquiry work to 40 hours per week save that exceptionally, the Solicitor to the Inquiry may authorise an increase to a maximum of 60 hours during the eight-week period immediately preceding the commencement of the oral hearings and during the oral hearings where they are satisfied that such increase is justified in all the circumstances. For the purposes of this paragraph a week shall be taken to commence on a Monday and end on the following Sunday, and no unused hours below the maximum in any one week may be set-off against any other week.

The maximum hourly rates for legal work by the members of an applicant’s legal team shall be:

Leading Counsel

Whether a member of the Bar or a Solicitor acting in the role of advocate – £180.00 plus VAT

Junior Counsel

Whether a member of the Bar or a Solicitor acting in the role of advocate – £110.00 plus VAT

Solicitors

Solicitors with over 7 years post qualification experience – £120.00 plus VAT

Solicitor Partner – £150.00 per hour

Assistant Solicitor – £130.00 per hour

Trainee Solicitor or Paralegal – £60.00 per hour

The maximum hourly rates for travel and waiting time by the members of an applicant’s legal team shall be half of the applicable maximum hourly rate relating to legal work specified in paragraph 3.
19/10/2023