Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Support for women tackling conflict [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

Funding extended for sustainable conflict resolution in 25 countries.

Funding to support women working to prevent and resolve conflict in 25 countries will be extended for 2023-24, the First Minister has confirmed.

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship, run by Scottish cultural exchange non-profit Beyond Borders, will receive a grant extension of £300,000 during 2023-24 from the Scottish Government’s International Development budget.

The Fellowship equips female peace-building activists from countries affected by conflict across the Middle East, South Asia and Africa with skills in gender-sensitive conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation.

The funding will support the principles set out by the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women’s participation in peacemaking and peace-building initiatives in conflict-affected regions.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“This funding will support Women in Conflict 1325 Fellows to continue their vital work to promote peace and equality. Their expertise, specialism and – above all – compassion in dealing with the broader issues resulting from conflict, which are being further exacerbated in many cases by the impact of climate change, is invaluable.

“I have been privileged to attend several fellowship meetings, and every time I am impressed and heartened by the devotion and determination of the women carrying out extraordinarily difficult work across the globe.

“It’s no wonder the organisation has grown from strength to strength since 2016 to now number 42 Fellows in the 2022-23 project year, with a broader network of alumnae spanning over 300 women from some of the countries hardest hit by conflict – each and every one of whom make an enormous contribution towards building and maintaining peace.”

Mark Muller Stuart KC, Founder of Beyond Borders, said:

“Since 2016, Beyond Borders has helped to establish and nurture a unique community of practice of over 300 women peace practitioners who operate across the globe.

“Through this programme, Scotland has not only provided these Fellows with a platform by which to exchange best practice with seasoned peace practitioners – including from the UN. It has also offered a critical safe space for them to share experiences and connect with other women working in peacebuilding and conflict resolution as well as learn about devolution and Scotland and the UK’s own remarkable constitutional journey.

“Beyond Borders is particularly indebted to the First Minister for her inspirational support and visionary leadership, which time and again has helped to further galvanise this remarkable community of women peacemakers in their ground-breaking work.”

Alaa Assani, a Syrian Fellow of the November-December 2022 Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Programme, said:

“Through the Fellowship I have met amazing and incredible women Fellows who supported me with their feminist solidarity during my most difficult times as an asylum seeker – supporting my family Syria and Turkey after the devastating earthquake while I was in the UK. The conversations with other Fellows and the reflections on our feelings, standing by each other and exploring opportunities and resources to support ourselves and others affected by this disaster, were significantly helpful for me.

“The Fellowship encouraged me to start my self-care and healing journey by acknowledging my challenges, revisiting my priorities and prioritising my mental health after it was neglected in the last 12 years due to the ongoing Syrian war and accumulative traumas over the years. This helped me restore energy which I have poured into fighting for women’s rights and accountability, and seeking for justice and sustainable peace for my Syria.”

Background

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship was piloted in 2016 and then launched as a full programme in 2017. The Fellowship progresses UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 – Gender Equality and 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions which supports Scotland’s contribution to International Development. Since financial year 2017-18 the Scottish Government has contributed £300,000 per annum, bringing total funding to £2.1 million including grant funding for 2023-24.

In November 2021, a new Fellowship on gender, conflict and Climate Change, was announced at COP26: Supporting women in climate action and conflict resolution – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The total number in the Alumnae Network is now over 300 women from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

April 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Scottish Government Calls for targeted cost of living support [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

Chancellor should use “full range of powers”.

The UK Government is being urged to invest in public services and deploy its full range of powers to tackle the cost of living crisis, supporting people and businesses.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt ahead of his Spring Budget to call for targeted support to help more families out of poverty by reinstating the uplift to Universal Credit, increasing it to £25 per week and extending it to means-tested legacy benefits.

He said vulnerable households should not have to bear the burden of soaring energy prices, and called for windfall tax revenues to fund much-needed support. Mr Swinney also pressed for support for struggling businesses to provide the certainty to invest and grow.

April 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : £1 million flood support for Pakistan [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

Communities in worst flood-affected areas will receive funding.

International Development Minister Neil Gray has announced a £1 million funding package for organisations working to support the worst flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Pakistan Floods Appeal and the British Council Pakistan Women and Girls Scholarships Programme will each receive £500,000 this year.

This builds on previous funding for the DEC appeal which is helping to deliver relief efforts after devastating floods in 2022 left millions of people in Pakistan homeless and vast swathes of the country under water.

The funding for British Council Pakistan will double the number of school and university scholarships available to women and girls in the worst affected areas, ensuring they can continue their education with minimal disruption.

Mr Gray said:

“The impacts of the climate emergency are hitting countries in the Global South like Pakistan much harder than other areas. Pakistan is one of the Scottish Government’s international development partner countries and this £1 million funding package builds on our previous support to provide immediate relief to those worst affected by last year’s floods.

“We know that during a crisis, such as we have seen in Pakistan, the impacts can too often affect women and girls. We hope by doubling the number of school and university scholarships available, this funding for British Council Pakistan will ensure more women and girls can study and help bolster the country’s long term economic recovery.

“The Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment as a good global citizen includes ensuring we are supporting countries and regions worst affected by the impacts of climate change. This commitment is backed by investment and our international partnerships which help ensure we play our part by responding to humanitarian emergencies across the world.”

Disasters Emergency Committee Scotland External Relations Manager Huw Owen said:

“Whilst there is still significant focus on the Ukraine conflict and the earthquakes in Türkiye and Northwest Syria, it is very heartening to get this fresh support from the Scottish Government for our member charities to continue to help millions of people across Pakistan recover from last Autumn’s floods.

“After the initial emergency response, this type of extra funding allows DEC member charities and their local partners to maintain and develop the best responses to meet the needs of so many families whose homes and possessions were swamped in the floods. As in many disasters, the news agenda rapidly moves on but this continued support will allow many more people to rebuild their lives and their livelihoods in the months and years to come.”

Background

This humanitarian funding has been drawn from the existing Scottish Government budget for Official Development Assistance.

The Scottish Government funds an annual £400,000 scholarship programme for women and girls in Pakistan via the British Council Pakistan. The additional £500,000 will be split between school scholarships (£200,000) and university scholarships (£300,000).

In response to last year’s floods in Pakistan the Scottish Government provided £500,000 from its Humanitarian Emergency Fund and Climate Justice Fund.

April 14, 2023
Michael Gove – 2023 Statement on Freeports in Wales

The statement made by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the House of Commons on 23 March 2023.

Today the UK and Welsh Governments have jointly announced that there will be two new Freeports in Wales: Celtic Freeport and Anglesey Freeport.

This is an important moment for people across Wales. Freeport status will support the creation of high skilled jobs, drive growth and level up parts of our great country that have been previously overlooked. Each freeport, subject to business case, will be backed by up to £26 million in UK Government funding, and a range of tax incentives, including locally retained business rates to upgrade local infrastructure and stimulate regeneration. This is alongside a generous package of trade and innovation support for businesses locating there.

These two new freeports will unlock significant funding for Wales, helping to boost the economy and ensuring the benefits are felt from Anglesey to Port Talbot and Milford Haven. They will help to create tens of thousands of new jobs, boost business, and unleash potentially billions of pounds of investment in the local areas and beyond. The strong bids from the Celtic and Anglesey sites compellingly demonstrated how they will use freeport status to regenerate their local communities, establish hubs for global trade, and foster an innovative environment.

Freeports are at the vanguard of levelling up: driving growth and bringing opportunity and prosperity to the communities that surround them. The new freeports in Wales will build on the UK Government’s successful freeport programme in England, where all eight freeports are open for business, and in Scotland where two new green freeports have recently been announced.

The Government remain committed to ensuring that the whole of the UK can reap the benefits of our freeports programme. As well as freeports being set up in England, Scotland and Wales, we also continue discussions with stakeholders in Northern Ireland about how best to deliver the benefits associated with freeports there.

April 14, 2023
Dominic Raab – 2023 Statement on Family Law – Dispute Resolution and Mediation

The statement made by Dominic Raab, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, in the House of Commons on 23 March 2023.

Today the Government are launching a consultation that will inform proposals to support more families, in appropriate cases, to agree their children and financial arrangements without court involvement.

Family courts are under unprecedented pressure. In recent years, more families than ever before are applying to the court to resolve their disputes about children and financial matters, and once at court their cases are taking longer to be resolved. We believe that many of these disputes can be successfully resolved outside of court, and that in supporting this we can spare families, and especially children, the anguish of protracted litigation. Resolving more disputes outside of court will also help enable the courts to focus available resource on the cases that need to be there, including where domestic abuse is evidenced or there are urgent issues, and ensure these are resolved swiftly. This will help us to deliver on the levelling-up agenda by ensuring we improve the experience of parents across the country, including the most deprived areas.

Key proposals in the consultation include:

Supporting parents to resolve their children and financial arrangements without court involvement:

We propose to strengthen access to resources and guidance for parents/carers and separating couples, and seek views on requiring parents/carers, in appropriate cases, to attend a co-parenting programme alongside mediation to help them better understand their family’s options.

Resolving private family law arrangements through mediation:

We propose to introduce a requirement, in appropriate cases, to make a reasonable attempt to mediate before applying to court. We are seeking views on how this could operate, and the circumstances that should make an individual or family exempt from the requirement. We propose that Government would fund the cost of this mediation for child arrangement cases and seek views on the funding of mediation for finance cases.

Accountability and costs in court proceedings:

We are also consulting on how costs orders could be used by the family courts to enforce requirements to mediate and discourage unnecessary prolonging of court proceedings.

The consultation also seeks views on the impact these proposals may have on the mediation sector, and the role of other forms of dispute resolution in family cases.

We want to hear from a range of people with experience of the private family law system, including families with experience of family courts, the organisations that work to support them, and the professionals who work within the system sector. We will be holding a number of stake- holder engagement events to ensure we receive detailed responses from a wide range of people and organisations.

The consultation is available at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/

The consultation closes on 15 June 2023.

April 14, 2023
Kevin Hollinrake – 2023 Statement on Post Office Horizon Compensation

The statement made by Kevin Hollinrake, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business and Trade, in the House of Commons on 23 March 2023.

The Post Office Horizon scandal, which began over 20 years ago, has had a devastating impact on the lives of many postmasters. Starting in the late 1990s, the Post Office began installing Horizon accounting software, but faults in the software led to shortfalls in branches’ accounts. The Post Office demanded sub-postmasters cover the shortfalls, and in many cases wrongfully prosecuted them for false accounting or theft.

The High Court group litigation order case against the Post Office brought by 555 postmasters exposed the scandal. The House will know that Sir Wyn Williams is now chairing a statutory inquiry to establish what went wrong and identify those who were responsible for what has happened.

The settlement of the High Court case ensured that postmasters who had not been party to it would receive proper compensation through what is now the historical shortfall scheme. However, group litigation order postmasters had much of their compensation taken up by the associated costs of funding their case and they were ineligible to access further compensation through the historical shortfall scheme. This meant that they received less than those in similar circumstances who were not party to the case. Government have agreed to run an additional compensation scheme to put this right and to allow group litigation order postmasters to access similar compensation as that available to their historical shortfall scheme peers in similar circumstances.

On 7 December the then Secretary of State announced the outline of the scheme. Since then, a great deal of work has been done to finalise the details, drawing on helpful input from the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and claimants’ legal representatives as well as utilising lessons learned from the historical shortfall scheme and compensation for those with Overturned Historical Convictions. On 10 February the Government published a tariff (agreed with claimants’ lawyers) for reasonable legal fees and a registration form.

In December we announced an independent advisory board on the scheme chaired by Professor Christopher Hodges and includes Lord Arbuthnot, Professor Richard Moorhead and the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), all of whom have long been distinguished campaigners for postmasters. I am pleased to report that the advisory board has met three times, and reports of its meetings are on gov.uk.

We also said that we would follow an alternative dispute resolution model delivered by the Government. I can report today that we have appointed Dentons as our independent claims facilitators. Its role will be to promote fair and prompt resolutions of each case. We have also appointed Addleshaw Goddard to act as my Department’s external legal advisers on the scheme. They will take a collaborative approach, ensuring that there is no place for aggressive litigation in resolving claims.

I am delighted to tell the House that the scheme is open to receive claims from today. Details of how to submit claims can be found on gov.uk. Our legal powers to pay compensation run out in August 2024, but we certainly hope to make payments much faster than that. As the then Secretary of State told the House in December, we hope that most cases can be resolved before the end of 2023. I am placing documentation on the scheme in the Library of the House.

I am further pleased to report that the statutory instrument exempting group litigation order compensation from income tax, national insurance contributions and capital gains tax was laid before the Commons on 23 February and came into force on 16 March.

Historical Shortfall Scheme

I am also pleased to provide an update on Post Office’s progress in delivering compensation to those in the historical shortfall scheme. I am pleased to see the progress that Post Office has made in delivering compensation to post- masters. As of 21 March, 98% of eligible claimants have been issued offers of compensation, totalling £90.2m. Post Office is working to issue offers to remaining claimants as soon as possible.

Post Office has also received 231 late claims to date, with 15 offers issued so far.

I also recognise the concerns that have been raised in recent weeks around the tax position of claimants in the historical shortfall scheme. It has always been the intention of the scheme to return postmasters to the position they should have been in had they not been affected by the Horizon issues. The Government want to see fair compensation for all victims and my Department is working urgently to address this issue with the Post Office, HM Treasury and HMRC.

Overturned Historical Convictions

I am also pleased to provide an update on Post Office’s progress in delivering compensation to those with overturned historical convictions.

As of 20 March, Post Office had paid out over £17.6m in compensation. 79 of the 84 postmasters with overturned historical convictions had received interim payments, totalling over £10.2m. Post Office has reached full and final settlement with 4 postmasters. In order to deliver compensation as quickly as possible, Post Office is handling non-pecuniary and pecuniary claims separately.

A further 63 non-pecuniary claims had been received, of which all but three had received offers. 49 of these had been paid and settled, with one more claim paid, subject to settlement paperwork, which will bring the total to 50, once received.

In addition to the four full and final settlements, Post Office had made pecuniary settlement offers to four of the nine postmasters who had submitted a pecuniary claim.

April 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Philip de László painting of two Indian soldiers at risk of leaving UK [April 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 14 April 2023.

A painting by Philip de László of two Indian soldiers who served in the First World War is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found.
Export bar placed on portrait to allow time for a UK institution to acquire the work

Portrait depicts two cavalry officers who are thought to have fought at the Battle of the Somme

A painting by Philip de László of two Indian soldiers who served in the First World War is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found.

The unfinished portrait, valued at £650,000, depicts the cavalry officers Risaldar Jagat Singh and Risaldar Man Singh. The pair were junior troop commanders in the British Indian Army’s Expeditionary Force who served at the Battle of the Somme and are presumed to have died in action.

The soldiers sat for the artist in London two months before being sent to France to fight in the trenches. The painting is extremely rare in depicting active Indian participants in the First World War.

The painting is a fine example of a portrait by one of the most renowned artists of the twentieth century and captures an important moment in British history as soldiers from across the Empire came to fight in Europe.

The painting appears to have been created for de László’s own collection and it remained in his studio until he died in 1937.

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

“ This wonderful and sensitive portrait captures an important moment in our history as soldiers were drawn from across the globe to help fight in the trenches of the First World War.

“ I hope this magnificent painting can remain in the UK to help tell the story of those brave soldiers and the contribution they and so many others made to Allied victory.”

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.

Committee Member Peter Barber said:

“ Philip de László was one of Britain’s most distinguished society portrait painters of the early twentieth century. But this sensitive portrait, all the more powerful because it is unfinished, offers an exceptionally rare glimpse not of maharajahs or generals but of two ‘ordinary’ middle-ranking Sikh soldiers about to depart for the horrors of the Battle of the Somme. The enormous contribution made by them and millions of other Indians to Britain’s war effort between 1914 and 1918 has until recently been largely overlooked and the life stories of de László’s sitters remain to be uncovered. Yet numerous descendants of Indian soldiers now live in Britain, rendering the portrait ‘British’ at several, increasingly significant, levels.

“ The portrait also raises more general questions of personal and externally perceived ‘British’ identity. That the painting, apparently undertaken voluntarily and without payment, had special meaning for the artist is suggested by the fact that it remained in his studio until he died. De László could well have seen parallels between the position of these outsiders loyally serving their imperial master and his own as a humbly-born Hungarian Jew who had reinvented himself as a patriotic member of British high society. Like the Indians serving in the British forces, he too faced discrimination in face of growing public xenophobia. Within months of creating this portrait he was to be interned for over a year as a suspected foreign agent and to suffer a nervous breakdown after having been, sadistically, refused permission to paint.

“ This perceptive and deeply personal painting, exceptional in de Lazlo’s oeuvre, speaks at several levels to the British experience, both positive and less positive, and should remain in this country to be viewed, studied – and enjoyed.”

The committee made its recommendation on the basis of the third Waverley criterion for its outstanding significance to the study of the Indian contribution to war effort and the individuals involved.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 13 July 2023.

At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £650,000 (plus VAT of £130,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.
April 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine [April 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 April 2023.

The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy this morning.

The leaders discussed the latest situation on the battlefield and the Prime Minister paid tribute to the efforts of the Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut.

Discussing the abhorrent beheading of a Ukrainian soldier shown on social media in recent days, the Prime Minister said the video was appalling and those responsible had to be held to account.

The leaders also discussed efforts to accelerate military support to Ukraine, and the Prime Minister said the UK and its allies needed to continue to ensure Ukraine was in the strongest possible position to build on its recent battlefield successes.

That included increasing interoperability with NATO both in the short and long term, the Prime Minister added.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

April 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Shortage of bus technicians leads to licence revocation – Millmans Coaches [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 14 April 2023.

The 20-vehicle bus and coach operator licence of Millmans Coaches Ltd, t/as Grey Cars and Coaches of Torbay has been revoked by Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney following reports of serious mechanical defects.

One minibus checked by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency had a completely dry brake fluid reservoir. Another had a fuel tank dislodged causing Devon County Council to have to re-surface 100m of road. Eight of twenty-one recent DVSA inspections had found vehicles so dangerous that they could not be allowed to continue in service.

The commissioner heard that the company had struggled to retain professional PSV technicians, despite multiple attempts to recruit and offering market-average salaries. Former driver and current transport manager Paul Hamlyn-White had adopted the title of fleet engineer having had only a few days technical training. At the hearing, he demonstrated a complete lack of the fundamental knowledge required for an engineering role. The commissioner found Mr Hamlyn-White and the company had acted recklessly in allowing the fleet’s maintenance to be managed with no relevant qualified personnel.

The traffic commissioner said “…it so bad that I need to put the operator out of business. I cannot allow a sixteen-vehicle operation to continue. The risk is simply too great. Every other vehicle inspected by DVSA whilst in service is so dangerous that an immediate prohibition is issued… the person in charge of the fleet has no relevant qualification and demonstrated in the hearing a lack of even the most basic understanding of vehicle systems and the physics that lies behind them. This is an operation that, for the safety of schoolchildren in south Devon and other road users must be brought to an end.”

Further details can be found here.

April 14, 2023
Rishi Sunak – 2023 Vaisakhi Message

The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 14 April 2023.

I want to wish Sikhs across the UK and around the world a very happy Vaisakhi.

You make an incredible contribution to national life. From the heroes of both world wars to those working in the modern-day NHS, Sikhs have played a huge role in making Britain what it is today.

As your PM I thank you for everything you do, and whether celebrating this auspicious occasion at your local Gurdwara or at home with loved ones, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Saareya nu Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan!

April 14, 2023