Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : First Rapid Deployment Cells unveiled to boost prison places [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 3 March 2023.

New modern prison cells that can be built and rolled-out at speed in order to boost jail capacity and keep the public safe were unveiled at HMP Norwich yesterday (2 March 2023).
first tranche of cells up and running at HMP Norwich as 1,000 rolled out across the country

comes as work starts on £38 million renovation of Victorian prison wing

move to build 20,000 new prison places to protect the public

The new units are the first of 1,000 Rapid Deployment Cells being rolled out at 18 prison sites across the country to meet the rising demand for prison places.

The first batch of 48 rapid cells at Norwich are already taking their first prisoners, having been constructed and lifted into place just 7 months after the signing of contracts.

It comes as work started yesterday on a £38 million renovation of HMP Norwich’s Elizabeth Fry wing which will create over 170 new jail cells by 2025, delivering the long-term places needed to lock up dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.

Minister for Prisons and Probation, Damian Hinds, said:

Prison cells protect the public by making sure we have enough space to put dangerous offenders behind bars – that’s why we’re investing £4 billion to deliver 20,000 extra places.

We’re rolling out a thousand Rapid Deployment Cells to create extra spaces quickly while we press ahead with the biggest expansion of prisons in over a century – building six new jails and creating thousands of additional cells by renovating and expanding existing sites.

The first rapid cells at HMP Norwich are already boosting capacity while our multi-million-pound renovation of the Elizabeth Fry wing will create long-term places to protect the public.

Rapid Deployment Cells have a lifespan of around 15 years and are designed to quickly create extra capacity across the prison system estate to meet rising demand, while longer-term expansion is underway.

By creating extra space, the new rapid cells also aid the smooth running of prisons by giving governors more choice in how they manage prisoners day-to-day.

The Rapid Deployment Cell Project is seeing 1,000 cells rolled out at 18 sites across the country – the majority of which will be delivered this year.

The news comes as builders yesterday broke ground on the £38 million renovation of HMP Norwich’s Elizabeth Fry wing – which is the first project in the Ministry of Justice’s Accelerated Houseblocks Delivery Programme to commence.

Thousands of new prison places across the country are being delivered by expansions and renovations to existing prisons. In June the government announced a £500 million contract to create 2,200 extra places by building new house blocks at 6 prisons, while major renovations at HMP Birmingham and HMP Liverpool – where every cell is being renovated – will create more than 600 new places between them.

The government is delivering the biggest expansion of prison places in over a century, creating 20,000 additional places to achieve the vision set out in the Prison Strategy White Paper of a resilient system which can meet the capacity demands of the 21st century. This includes building 6 new jails backed by over £4 billion.

This spring the 1,700-capacity HMP Fosse Way near Leicester will open its doors, and construction has already started on HMP Millsike, the UK’s first all-electric prison in East Yorkshire, which will hold nearly 1,500 prisoners when full.
March 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : More action needed to protect the world’s ocean, says Environment Secretary on World Wildlife Day [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 3 March 2023.

The Environment Secretary calls for countries to join together to halt and reverse the loss of nature and protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

Countries around the globe must join together, raise ambition and act faster to protect and restore nature on both land and sea, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has said on World Wildlife Day (3 March).

Following the historic agreement reached at the UN Biodiversity summit last year, the Environment Secretary is attending the Our Ocean conference where she will work with other countries to make this the decade we halt and reverse the loss of nature and protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. She will also acknowledge the effectiveness of established tools such as CITES convention that celebrates 50 years of protecting endangered species today.

Building on commitments outlined in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan launched last month and progress to protect nature on land, the UK is this week announcing vital funding to boost marine conservation efforts worldwide, fight climate change, and support vulnerable coastal communities.

The UK has renewed support through its ambitious £500 million Blue Planet Fund to protect and restore important marine habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses that play a key role in the fight against climate change. This includes an additional £24 million to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, and the UK becoming the first donor to the Blue Carbon Action Partnership, committing £4 million to support countries unlock and mobilise finance to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems.

The Environment Secretary has also announced £45 million to the new ‘Blue Tech Superhighway’ project. From community-led fisheries management enabling local communities to set and monitor their own catches; new seawater farming systems working with species more resilient to warmer waters; through to pioneering approaches to reduce food waste, this investment will support small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers improve their climate resilience, sustainability and incomes. The project will also encourage collaboration between countries across Asia and Africa to scale action.

This comes as the UK announced it will provide £1.5 million to the Asian Development Bank’s new Blue Pacific Finance Hub to support climate resilient, sustainable blue economies for Pacific Small Island Developing States including developing circular economies to reduce plastic waste and improved fisheries management.

The Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey said:

It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of stepping up our efforts to bolster the resilience of the marine environment and, in turn, the economies and communities that depend on it.

At the UN nature summit in Montreal, we made a commitment to manage our whole ocean sustainably and set a target to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030. The UK is leading, co-leading, and supporting global coalitions of ambition to drive forward this mission, and I urge countries to come together to deliver coordinated, impactful action on the ground.

She also urged more countries to join forces to tackle the scourge of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, one of the most serious threats to the world’s ocean which equates to approximately 11-19% of reported global fisheries production and leads to losses of roughly $10-23.5 billion in value. IUU fishing undermines efforts to conserve fish stocks, damages marine ecosystems, impacts global food supply chains and threatens coastal communities whose livelihoods rely on sustainable fishing.

The UK, US and Canada launched the world’s first global alliance to tackle IUU fishing last year, with members sharing data and tools to monitor and crack down on this pervasive issue. This builds on progress under the UK-led Blue Belt Ocean Shield programme which uses innovative surveillance techniques to tackle illegal practices in over 4.3 million square kilometres of waters around the UK Overseas Territories.

Since its launch, the Alliance has grown to 16 members, with Norway, Iceland and Korea recently coming onboard. More members will sign up at the Our Ocean conference today, including the EU, Panama and New Zealand.

Thérèse Coffey said:

For too many communities, the threat of IUU fishing looms year after year, as they bear the brunt of the instability and violence that accompanies this serious, organised, transboundary crime.

For marine species, the impact can be devastating and this has a catastrophic effect on the lives of the hundreds of millions of people who depend on fisheries for their livelihoods.

So, we need to accelerate our efforts and scale up. That is a priority for us in the UK – something we are addressing by improving import controls, sharing more data on vessels, identifying those who profit from IUU fishing, and holding them to account.

March 6, 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 March 2023.

Mr Nic Bowler has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic in succession to Mr Charles Garrett OBE. Mr Bowler will take up his appointment during June 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Nicholas Bowler

Married to: Leanne Bowler

Children: Two

Dates	Role
2020 to present	Kyiv, Head of UK Programmes in Ukraine
2017 to 2020	Occupied Palestinian Territories, Team Leader, Governance and Security
2015 to 2017	Department for International Development, Deputy and Acting Development Director, Kyrgyzstan
2014 to 2015	Kabul, Governance Adviser
2013 to 2014	Coffey International, Evaluation Manager
2008 to 2013	Coffey International and Palladium, Programme Manager and Governance Expert

March 6, 2023

PRESS RELEASE : German given boost as part of new schools language programme [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 3 March 2023.

New flagship language programme launched, designed to boost the quality of language lessons in primary and secondary schools.
Programme to improve language lessons in schools to be led by University College London from September 2023.

Part of the Language Hubs programme will be to promote German language in schools.

Government remains committed to boosting language learning in schools by announcing an expansion to the Mandarin Excellence Programme.

Thousands of pupils will benefit from a new flagship language programme, designed to boost the quality of language lessons in primary and secondary schools. The programme aims to meet Government’s targets of increasing the number of pupils taking languages at GCSE level and beyond, by providing high-quality, evidence-based language training.

The Department for Education today (Friday 3 March) is announcing IOE, University College London’s (UCL) Faculty of Education and Society has successfully secured a contract worth £14.9 million to run its Language Hubs programme in primary and secondary schools over the next three years, building on the ground-breaking work the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP) had delivered to improve language teaching.

Recruitment will begin for up to 25 lead schools who specialise in languages to support up to 105 partner schools who sign up to the programme, in its first year. The lead schools will work with partner secondary schools by modelling best practice and evidence-based training for language teachers. The programme aims to improve the transition of language learning from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3, so students have strong language knowledge – an important component of a broad and balanced curriculum.

Another part of the Language Hubs programme will be focused on German. Plans will be developed to promote German language learning and culture, working with trained German specialist teachers to widen the participation of German language learning in both primary and secondary schools. UCL IOE will partner with Goethe-Institut to implement these phased plans.

This will support the Department’s EBacc ambition for 90 per cent of year 10 pupils in state-funded schools to study a combination of core academic subjects including a language, by 2025.

Nick Gibb, Minister for School Standards said:

Our economy needs people who can communicate across the globe and trade with overseas businesses. This programme is about ensuring we have the next generation of young people with the languages needed to compete on the world stage.

Raising academic standards in schools has been a key priority for the Government since 2010. Our range of Curriculum Hubs – exemplary schools spreading their best practice – have played a huge part in improving the quality of teaching in schools. Language teachers will benefit from rigorous training and knowledge, working with experts, to improve language lessons in both primary and secondary schools, opening up these global opportunities for generations to come.

The Language Hubs programme will be rolled out in line with Ian Bauckham’s 2016 Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review which recommended the need for systematic knowledge of the vocabulary, grammar, and phonics of the language being studied. It will also deliver on the Department’s Schools White Paper pledge to create a network of Language Hubs.

Since 2012, the Department has rolled out several curriculum Hubs including Maths Hubs, English Hubs, Music Hubs and Computing Hubs, which were all designed to develop expertise in subject specific teaching. The Language Hubs programme will build on the success of curriculum hubs to help to build a system of leadership in languages in the lead schools as well as personal development for teachers in the partner schools.

Professor Li Wei, Director and Dean, IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society said:

Language skills and intercultural understanding widen opportunities for individuals, communities and society. With our consortium partners, we are delighted to be taking forward this next step in re-energising language teaching in schools across the country, for all learners, grounded in the principles of the Bauckham Review.

At IOE, we are equally delighted to be extending our work in supporting teachers’ professional development, including as provider, with the British Council, of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, and as a provider for the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications programmes.

Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, Chair Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review (2016) said:

Learning languages has never been more important in our global world. Doing so successfully at school requires our language teachers to be well supported with their curriculum planning and sequencing, that they have access to good quality teaching materials and that we invest in high quality, evidence-based professional development for them.

I am pleased the work of the 2016 Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review is being taken forward with the new Hubs programme. I hope it brings important support to more languages teachers and I wish UCL well as they build on important foundations.

Maddalaine Ansell, Director Education, British Council, said:

The British Council is delighted to be part of this new flagship languages programme and to continue our work on the Mandarin Excellence Programme. The importance of language skills and knowledge and understanding of other cultures cannot be overstated.

Language learning can open doors for young people embarking on their careers and bring new opportunities for cultural understanding in a globally connected world.

In addition to the launch of the Language Hubs programme, the Department is announcing an expansion to the Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) which began in 2016. This programme has been highly successful, with our data showing pupils who have been on the MEP are more likely to get a higher grade (Level 8 or 9) in GCSE Mandarin than pupils not on the programme. The programme is expanding and recruiting an additional 21 schools over the next two years to reach an expected 100 participating schools by September 2024.

The Department will also hold a consultation on changes to Chinese A level subject content, with the intention of making this qualification more appropriate for students without a Chinese speaking background.
March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of patients to benefit from quicker diagnosis and more accurate tests from ground-breaking AI research [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 3 March 2023.

Nine of the most promising artificial intelligence healthcare technologies to receive nearly £16 million in government funding to accelerate research.
- Nine of the most promising artificial intelligence healthcare technologies to receive nearly £16 million in government funding to accelerate research
- Examples include systems to run cancer checks, diagnose rare diseases and identify women at highest risk of premature birth
- Successful technologies will be fast-tracked into NHS to improve speed and accuracy of diagnoses, tackle waiting lists and free up clinician time
Tens of thousands of patients across the country could benefit from quicker, earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments for a range of conditions – as the government invests nearly £16 million into pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) research.

Nine companies have been awarded funding through the third round of the AI in Health and Care Awards, which is accelerating the testing and deployment of the most promising AI technologies. The awards were set up in 2019 to develop AI technology focused on helping patients manage long-term conditions, improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, and ultimately help tackle the COVID backlogs and cut waiting lists. They are delivered between the NHS AI Lab, the Accelerated Access Collaborative and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The winners include AI systems which can help detect cancer, diagnose rare diseases, identify women at highest risk of premature birth and support the treatment of neurological conditions like dementia. The funding will be used to support the testing, evaluation and adoption of their technologies by the NHS.

So far, in total, £123 million has been invested in 86 AI technologies across 3 rounds of awards supporting over 300,000 patients and improving their care and treatment for health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Artificial intelligence has the potential to speed up diagnoses and treatments and free up time for our doctors and nurses so they can focus on caring for patients. Around 300,000 people have already benefited from companies supported by our AI awards, with tens of thousands more set to benefit.

These schemes include technology that could recognise the signs of cancer more quickly and accurately, predict which women are more likely to give birth prematurely or analyse electronic health records to detect the signs of an undiagnosed rare disease.

Start-up Ibex has been awarded more than £1.5 million and it has developed an AI-driven algorithm to run checks for breast cancer. The technology analyses images of tissue extracts, helping pathologists detect cancer, so they can complete diagnoses more quickly. Its high accuracy rate could reduce the need for patients to repeat the biopsy process and free up more time for consultants.

Known as Galen Breast, it will be trialled at Nottingham University Hospitals, Cambridge University Hospitals, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and University Hospitals Birmingham. Researchers will analyse its findings on 10,000 patients and evaluate improvements in the quality of diagnosis, cost-effectiveness and quicker turnaround times for patients.

Ibex previously won an AI award in 2020, enabling the roll-out of Galen Prostate – the equivalent technology for prostate cancer – at 6 hospitals including University College London and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

Another winner, medical device company Medtronic, has been rolling out devices and therapies to treat more than 30 chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s and diabetes, some of which are being trialled in the NHS. It has been awarded £2.5 million to further develop an AI-based medical device called GI Genius, which has been trained to process colonoscopy images and detect signs of colon cancer, enabling earlier, more accurate diagnoses. An earlier study carried out in Dublin, Ireland suggested the technology could increase the detection of hard-to-detect precancerous polyps – small growths on the inner lining of the rectum – by up to 14.4%. In the 2021 study it was shown to reduce the missed polyp rate by nearly 50%.

Digital health start-up Mendelian has been awarded £1.4 million to support an AI system which identifies patients with undiagnosed rare diseases, as well as recommending the best management options, by analysing electronic health records. In the past decade undiagnosed rare diseases have cost the NHS in excess of £3.4 billion and data shows that patients with rare diseases attend hospitals more than twice as often as other patients, costing the NHS 4 times as much on average. To complement this kind of research, a new Rare Diseases Action Plan for England was published this week to ensure those living with these conditions continue to receive better care and treatment along with fairer access to testing.

The winners also include a consortium led by the University of Bristol which has already developed an online medical tool which is identifying pregnant women who are most at risk of giving birth prematurely or of developing complications that could lead to stillbirth. Tommy’s App has been created to process information gathered at pregnancy check-ups which then generated a risk score for each patient. This is used to provide personalised care recommendations, lowering the risk of preterm birth or stillbirth. The team will receive nearly £1.9 million in government funding to build on the clinical decision tool.

Last year, data was published in obstetrics and gynaecology journal BJOG, showing the tool can help reduce health inequalities in Black, Asian and other pregnant women in ethnic minority groups. Researchers found perinatal death rates – those affecting pregnant women and others up to a year after giving birth – were 3 times higher in ethnic minority mothers. However, when the tool was used alongside targeted care, these rates fell to approximately the same across all the ethnic groups.

Professor Emad Rakha, Honorary Consultant Pathologist at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust, said:

Over the last several years in the UK, cancer cases increased while the number of pathologists decreased, resulting in record-high workloads for pathology departments.

Timely and accurate diagnosis can significantly impact breast cancer survival rates, making Ibex’s solution a vital and welcome addition into NHS trusts.

Dr Jackie Cook, Consultant in Clinical Genetics and Co-Clinical Director at North East and Yorkshire NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, said:

Patients with rare diseases can face a long diagnostic journey, often taking many years with multiple investigations and appointments before a diagnosis is made.

By using this technology to interrogate patient records, my hope is that patients with rare diseases will be identified much faster, avoid unnecessary investigations and achieve a diagnosis in a much shorter timeframe.

This could enable patients to receive potential treatments earlier, inform ongoing care and, where appropriate, allow reproductive decisions.

Dr Bu Hayee, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Principle Investigator of Medtronic’s study, said:

I’m pleased to be working on this project to establish whether the use of AI in colonoscopy might influence endoscopy performance and improve outcomes for patients.

There has never been a greater need for innovation in the NHS and this research may be able to shine a light on the possible benefits this technology can provide.

Our NAIAD (National study of Artificial Intelligence in Adenoma Detection for colonoscopy) study is set to explore the use of AI in a ‘real world’ setting, and how it might influence endoscopists in their day-to-day practice.

Professor Basky Thilaganathan, Clinical Director to the Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement, said:

We believe that our Clinical Decision Support Tool can make a significant change in the delivery and experience of maternity care.

We are thrilled to be able to expand our work with this funding, and further our learning to support our aim for NHS-wide adoption.

Dominic Cushnan, Director of AI, Imaging and Deployment at the NHS Transformation Directorate, said:

The AI Award is helping to develop the clinical and economic evidence for AI technologies we need to help build confidence among the NHS workforce that these technologies can not only free up some of their time but safely support them in providing care for patients.

Cutting NHS waiting times is one of the government’s top 5 priorities, backed by record funding including up to £14.1 billion for health and social care over the next 2 years. Advances in innovation and technology – including in robotics and artificial intelligence – will give patients greater control and help tackle some of the biggest healthcare challenges from cancer to genetic diseases. These kinds of innovations can free up staff time while speeding up treatments and diagnoses.
March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Lord Ahmad strengthens the UK-Iraq partnership [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 March 2023.

Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, visited Iraq, including the Kurdistan region, from 28 February to 2 March 2023.

Following his visit to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, Lord Tariq Ahmad, welcomed the UK and Iraq’s commitment to working together on shared challenges such as climate change, security, human rights and freedom of religion and belief.

During his visit he met President Mr Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al Sudani, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, and National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji.

In Erbil, he met KRI President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, as well as Minister of Interior, Mr Rebar Ahmed; Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Qubad Talabani and KDP President, Mr Masoud Barzani.

Discussions focused on shared challenges such as climate change, security, and human rights; deepening our historic relationship on trade and education; supporting priority areas of economic and digital reform in Iraq; and working together on regional and international issues of common interest, including the global implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The shared collective commitment to freedom of religion or belief was central to Lord Ahmad’s trip. He visited some of Iraq’s most significant religious sites and met with a wide range of representatives of Iraq’s religious and faith communities, including Ayatollah Hussein Al-Sadr, in Baghdad and representatives of the Yazidi community at the Lalish Temple.

He also bestowed an MBE on the Reverend Cannon Faez Jerjes of St George’s Anglican Church. Lord Ahmed’s discussions focussed on Iraq’s rich religious and ethnic diversity and the importance of interfaith dialogue in Iraq.

In meetings with senior politicians, civil society and religious leaders Lord Ahmad discussed the human rights situation in Iraq, especially issues facing survivors of Da’esh atrocities. Lord Ahmad welcomed the passing of the Yazidi survivors’ law in 2021 and reiterated the UK’s continued commitment to help the Iraqi government fully implement the law.

During his visit to Duhok, he also discussed the situation for Internally Displaced Persons and the importance of supporting their return and safe integration back into Iraqi society.

During his visit to Erbil, Lord Ahmad met with the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Foreign Minister and Minister of Interior as well as the President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He visited the Department of Information Technology, where he learned about the support the UK is providing to help the Kurdistan Region of Iraq deliver digital reform.

Speaking at the end of his visit, Lord Ahmad said:

I am delighted to have returned to Iraq and the Kurdistan region to see how the relationship between our 2 countries is continuing to flourish. I am especially pleased that we are working together to address shared challenges such as climate change, human rights and security.

I was honoured to visit some of Iraq’s impressive and important religious sites and to meet religious leaders. This underlined the richness of Iraq’s religious and ethnic diversity, the need to protect freedom of religion or belief and the importance of interfaith dialogue.

I was glad to see that progress has been made with the passage of the Yazidi Survivors Law, but from my conversations with survivors it was clear they need continued support and full access to justice. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the Yazidi Survivors Law.

I was impressed with what I saw at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s state of the art Department of Information Technology I’m delighted the UK is able to support ambitious reform programmes in Iraq and the Kurdistan region. Meeting with business leaders and inspiring young professionals underlined that developing new economic expertise and encouraging bilateral investment and trade is of vital importance.

March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government steps up counter-fraud skills and capability [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 March 2023.

Ambitious new plans for stepping up the government’s fight against fraud have been unveiled today, as the Public Sector Fraud Authority unveil their new strategy for the Counter Fraud Profession.

Ambitious new plans for stepping up the government’s fight against fraud have been unveiled today (Thursday 2 March).

The Counter Fraud Profession Strategy outlines how the new Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) will increase the skills, standards and capability of staff within government and beyond working on protecting public services from fraud.

As well as investing in counter fraud investigation skills, the cornerstone of the profession, the new strategy increases the focus on skills in fraud prevention and identification.

The government is also upskilling those that lead public sector counter fraud work and ensuring the 7,000 counter fraud professionals working across the public sector continue to develop their knowledge and skills. This will include 250 fraud risk experts trained by the end of 2023.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

The challenge we face from fraud is stark. That is why I am proud to announce the launch of the updated Government Counter Fraud Profession Strategy, which will continue to enhance the capability and expertise of those fighting hard to protect taxpayers’ money.

Apprenticeships are also a key focus of the new strategy, with the PSFA launching in 2024 a new Apprenticeship in Counter Fraud. This will run alongside the existing Fraud Investigation Apprenticeship.

The new strategy has been developed and will be delivered in collaboration with government, law enforcement and industry counter fraud and learning experts. It will create a diverse and skilled pipeline of counter fraud talent to prevent fraud against the public sector.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority is partnering with experts including from Cifas, University of Coventry and the Australia Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre to deliver the strategy.

It is estimated the cost of fraud and error against the public sector is at least £33 billion per year. Although often hidden, fraud is the most pervasive crime in the UK and must be rooted out.

Mark Cheeseman, Interim CEO of the PSFA and Head of the Government Counter Fraud Profession said:

Fraudsters are a committed, capable and evolving adversary and the public sector is just as affected by this hidden crime as other sectors.

The launch of the new Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) strategy sets out how the government is investing in building and modernising its fraud fighting capability.

The GCFP was launched in 2018 to develop a common structure for counter fraud capability across government and for those leading the fight against the crime.

At its inception the Profession had 3,000 members across 17 organisations including HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Serious Fraud Office.

Since then it has grown exponentially and it now has around 7,000 members across 48 organisations, including policing and local government.

March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Local audit bolstered with new Memorandum of Understanding [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 2 March 2023.

A new Memorandum of Understanding outlines the responsibilities of the Financial Reporting Council as shadow system leader for local audit.

The local audit system in England is set to be strengthened as the new responsibilities of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) are given the green light today.

Local audit is the process whereby a local authority’s accounts are independently verified, so taxpayers can be assured the information provided is reliable, true and fair. By setting new responsibilities for the FRC in this area, the government aims to build a more resilient system that operates effectively so local taxpayers get the transparency and accountability they need.

As outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding published jointly by DLUHC and the FRC today, system leadership will enable a more coherent and quicker response to challenges across the local audit system which covers local government, NHS bodies, fire and rescue authorities, local police bodies, internal drainage boards and national park authorities.

This marks a significant milestone in the delivery of reforms committed to by Government following the Redmond Review, which found that the local audit system was too fragmented to operate effectively. A key recommendation of the review was that a system leader should be created, which should also report on local audit.

Neil Harris, Director of Local Audit at the FRC, will lead a new local audit department at the organisation with five key responsibilities:
- leading a coherent and coordinated policy response to challenges arising across the local audit system;
- facilitating stronger governance across the local audit framework;
- leading work to improve competition, bolster capability and market supply;
- overseeing the entire quality framework for local audit;
- and reporting on the local audit system.
DLUHC has acted as interim system leader since July 2021 through the local audit liaison committee. The Financial Reporting Council will take on its new role later in the year.

Lee Rowley, Minister for Local Government, said:

The Government remains strongly committed to building a stronger more resilient local audit system, properly equipped to deliver the transparency and accountability which local taxpayers deserve.

Sir Jon Thompson, CEO of the Financial Reporting Council, said:

We welcome this new role for the FRC and are committed to working with DLUHC and the rest of the local audit system to address the challenges facing the sector.

About Neil Harris, Director of Local Audit at the Financial Reporting Council:

Neil has over 20 years’ experience in local public audit. Before joining FRC, he was a Key Audit Partner for EY with responsibility for a range of local public sector audits across local government, central government, police and the fire sector. Neil contributed to EY’s response to a range of consultations on the future of financial reporting and external audit in the public sector. Before EY, Neil was a District Auditor for the Audit Commission where he spent 14 years. Neil is passionate about securing a sustainable future for high quality financial reporting, governance and audit in the public sector.
March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Continued disruptions to the Lachin Corridor – UK statement to the OSCE [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 March 2023.

Ambassador Neil Bush expresses concern regarding disruptions to the Lachin Corridor and takes note of the judgement by the International Court of Justice.

Thank you Chair.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned by the continued disruption to the Lachin Corridor, particularly the flow of goods and people.

This issue remains near the top of the international agenda. We have discussed the disruption here in Vienna, multiple times, and at the United Nations Security Council. That this has now been taken to the International Court of Justice, and judgment passed, reinforces the need for urgent action to be taken. The current disruption to the Lachin Corridor is detrimental to efforts to secure peace and stability.

The UK Government has taken note of all the judgements by the Court, and urges immediate action be taken to restore the flow of goods and people into Nagorno-Karabakh. The parties must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict and to resolve all outstanding tensions.

March 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : OSCE report on climate and security – UK statement [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 March 2023.

UK Ambassador Neil Bush welcomes Secretary General Helga Schmid’s proposals for taking climate and security work further at the OSCE.

Thank you, Secretary-General. I would like to share a few brief reactions to your report.

Firstly, we share your widely-held view that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the urgency with which it needs to be addressed is only becoming more pressing. The security implications of climate change reach right across the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security. From shrinking glaciers, to increasing aridity, wildfires, droughts and floods, the OSCE region is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; tackling these risks will require dialogue and transboundary co-operation which in normal times should be intrinsic to this organization.

We thank you and the OCEEA for progressing OSCE’s work on climate change throughout a challenging year, and for your consideration of what more the OSCE could do to advance co-operation in addressing climate-related risks. We welcome your proposals for taking this work further in future.

First and foremost, we share your concern with the devastating impacts that Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine continues to have on people, environment and climate action; and we welcome the Chatham House analysis commissioned on the impact of the war. We support your proposal to learn from and act on the war’s consequences, including how vital climate action can become a victim of war. We support your proposal to look more closely at the risks that tensions and conflicts pose to climate action and climate security, and promote the development of complementary approaches between climate and conflict that recognise the underlying drivers of fragility for climate-vulnerable populations.

We support your idea to bring a climate and security perspective into the climate policy-making, including in strategies and planning for climate finance. And finally, we praise the particular attention the OSCE’s activity pays to the needs of women and their active involvement in work on climate change and security.

Thank you, Secretary-General, for the report and I look forward to the deliberations it has started, including at the rescheduled high-level meeting on climate change.

Thank you.

March 4, 2023