Tag: 2023

Will Quince – 2023 Statement on the Transfer of NHS Digital into NHS England

The statement made by Will Quince, the Minister for Health and Secondary Care, in the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Lord Markham) has made the following written statement:

Today, NHS Digital legally becomes part of NHS England, to create a single, central authority responsible for all elements of digital technology, data and transformation for the NHS.

Laura Wade-Gery was commissioned by the Government to lead an independent review of how we can ensure digital technology and the effective use of data is at the heart of transforming the NHS.

Her report “Putting data, digital and tech at the heart of transforming the NHS”, published in November 2021, recommended merging the functions of NHS Digital into NHS England, to provide a single statutory body for data, digital and technology to provide the right leadership and support to integrated care systems.

NHS Digital, since its creation as the Health and Social Care Information Centre, has been a powerful force for change in the NHS and guardian of its key data IT and data systems. These will be transferring to NHS England, together with its expert staff.

All the protections of people’s data which existed in NHS Digital will apply in NHS England. Rigorous internal controls will continue to ensure that data is used and shared safely, securely and appropriately to deliver high-quality care, understand and protect the health of the population, effectively plan and improve services, and research and develop innovative treatments, vaccines and diagnostics.

This is an important step in bringing together in a single place, the essential systems and programmes to digitally transform the NHS, and to harness the full potential of data. This will enable health and social care services to use digital and data more effectively to deliver improved patient outcomes and address the key challenges we face.

February 6, 2023
Kevin Hollinrake – 2023 Statement on Register of Overseas Entities

The statement made by Kevin Hollinrake, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

The Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility, my noble Friend Lord Callanan, has today made the following statement:

The register of overseas entities is a vital new information tool for our law enforcement agencies and is part of the Government’s comprehensive and ongoing programme to tackle and prevent economic crime and illicit finance.

The Government legislated for it within weeks of the invasion of Ukraine and, with the assistance of Parliament, expedited the regulations needed to launch the register, which opened on 1 August 2022.

Yesterday marked the end of the six-month period for overseas companies and other legal entities in scope to register. By 5 pm yesterday, about 19,665 overseas entities were successfully registered and there were approximately 5,054 pending registrations that were submitted before the deadline. As such, the UK now has a valuable new database for law enforcement and others to access.

Throughout this period Companies House has been working closely with the three UK land registries to ensure that overseas entities are aware of and comply with the new requirements. Companies House sent 57,000 notice letters to all entities in scope in August, including duplicate letters to those that had multiple contact addresses recorded at the land registries. In October 2022, HM Land Registry issued a notice letter to the entities registered in England and Wales to alert them that a restriction notice had been placed on their land. In early January 2023, Companies House issued further reminders to those that had not yet registered.

Companies House has endeavoured to ensure that it has the best possible information about those that have not yet complied, matching registrations against data from the land registries. While some entities may have changed their name, not updated the land registry records or may no longer exist, Companies House continues to research and to work with company registries in those jurisdictions with the highest number of in-scope entities to determine the status of all unregistered entities.

An estimated 7,000 overseas entities have not yet complied with the provisions of the register. From today, those entities will find that they cannot freely lease, charge or dispose of their land. This is a significant and effective sanction for non-compliance. Data about unregistered entities may also provide valuable information for law enforcement.

Companies House is now assessing and preparing cases for additional enforcement action. These cases will be prioritised using an intelligence-led approach and Companies House will work with those entities making a genuine attempt to comply. Warning letters will shortly be issued to all unregistered overseas entities. Those wilfully failing to comply may find themselves subject to financial penalties or criminal prosecution.

The Government are also announcing that, through an investment of up to £20 million of allocated spending on economic crime, new anti-money laundering intelligence teams will be created to tackle the misuse of UK companies, corporate entities and property. Intelligence analysts and data scientists will be recruited over the coming months. They will play a key role in supporting the prevention, detection and disruption of money laundering, terrorist financing and kleptocracy through identifying, analysing and disseminating intelligence about high-level threat actors and enablers of those activities, to a wide variety of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. There will be a strong focus on networks controlled from overseas, for example those operating from former Soviet states. The new functions will be based within Companies House and the Insolvency Service, and will work closely with the National Economic Crime Centre and their private sector partners. The teams will use and support the existing powers of both agencies and new powers being introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.

February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government confirms £60 billion for local authorities to deliver vital services [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 6 February 2023.

The local government finance settlement has confirmed £60 billion for councils to deliver local services.
- Levelling Up Secretary confirms increased funding package for councils to deliver local services and support vulnerable households with council tax bills
- An extra £5.1 billion available on last year’s settlement, including access to £2 billion new social care grant
- Government funding gives certainty to local government and stands behind councils in challenging times
Councils in England will benefit from almost £60 billion to deliver vital frontline services as the Government confirms an average funding increase of 9.4% for town halls over the next financial year.

After close engagement with councils, the settlement includes £2 billion in additional grant funding for adult and children’s social care for 2023/24 and a one-off Funding Guarantee that ensures every local authority in England will see at least a 3% increase in core spending power before any local decisions around council tax are taken.

Following consultation, the Government has expanded the total funding allocations to include a further £19 million for all services and £10 million extra for the Rural Services Delivery Grant. This additional funding will help councils deliver core services and address the unique challenges faced by rural communities.

The Government proposed the funding package in December and consulted with councils on all elements of the settlement. Now, the Government is confirming its intention that councils across England will benefit from an additional £5.1 billion – an increase of 9.4% on last year – as it continues to stand behind councils and public services in the face of financial pressures.

The final settlement for local government ensures the most relatively deprived areas of England receive 17% more funding per household than the least deprived.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

“Every day councils across the country deliver for their communities and play a crucial role in driving forward levelling up.

“This funding package represents an increase of over 9% for councils on last year, ensuring a fair deal for local government that reflects the vital work councils do to provide key services on which we all rely.”

Alongside the provisional settlement, the Government announced a £100 million of additional funding for local authorities to support the most vulnerable households in England – delivering on the manifesto commitment to protect local taxpayers from excessive increases. This funding supports the government’s council tax referendum package, which strikes a fair balance to ensure taxpayers are not over-burdened at a time of significant pressure on the public finances.

This announcement follows a major £2.1 billion investment for councils across the UK through the Levelling Up Fund, which will deliver transformational projects to help spread opportunity to historically overlooked areas.

The provisional settlement consultation was open for 4 weeks and closed on 16 January 2023.
February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government moves ahead with plans to crack down on illegal waste [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 February 2023.

Reforms to crack down on dangerous waste cowboys and illegal practices.

New reforms to target waste criminals and combat dangerous practices at waste sites were unveiled today (6 February 2023) by Environment Minister Rebecca Pow.

The current rules in England and Wales allow certain low-risk, small-scale waste activities to be carried out under a registration scheme, exempt from the need to hold an environmental permit, providing a light-touch but valuable form of regulation.

However, criminals have used the cover of exemptions to carry out illegal waste activities such as stockpiling large amounts of undocumented or unsuitable waste and evading Landfill Tax in England and Landfill Disposals Tax in Wales. These abuses are estimated to cost the English economy £87.2 million a year.

The government confirmed plans to close these loopholes in the Environmental Improvement Plan, which was published last week, alongside a pledge to seek to eliminate waste crime by 2043.

The government proposes to remove three of the 10 waste exemptions of most concern, covering the use of depolluted end-of-life vehicle parts, the treatment of tyres, and the recovery of scrap metal. Illegal or improper activity that undermined legitimate operators and posed a risk to the environment and the public was particularly pronounced for these exemptions. The conditions of a further seven exemptions will also be tightened.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Waste crime costs taxpayers tens of millions of pounds every year. We are determined to take the fight to those shameful criminals who seek to wreak havoc on our environment and economy.

We are clear in our commitment to eliminate this kind of illegal activity and these reforms will prevent dishonest operators from gaming the system and putting our health at risk.

This is just one of the measures we’re taking to tackle waste crime – we’re also giving regulators and local authorities more power to bring criminals to justice.

Steve Molyneux, the Environment Agency’s strategic lead on Waste Regulation, said:

The Environment Agency is determined to make life harder for criminals by disrupting and stopping illegal activity through better regulation and tough enforcement action.

Today’s announcement will help us in our goal by restricting or removing waste exemptions that are used to mask illegal waste sites. These sites are a risk to the environment and people’s safety, and undercut legitimate business. We will keep working with Government and the waste industry to drive further action on waste crime.

The Environment Agency’s regulatory compliance checks have revealed that certain exemption types have been routinely used to hide illegal waste activities from regulatory oversight in recent years.

For instance, in November 2020 firefighters tackled a blaze for a week at a site in Bradford that held an exemption allowing the storage of tyres. The exemption was being abused and 600,000 tyres were on the site. The proposed reforms would mean a full environmental permit would be needed for this kind of site.

The government is also planning to introduce greater record-keeping requirements for all waste exemption holders; impose limits and controls on how multiple exemptions can be managed at one site; and ban the use of exemptions at a site operating under an environmental permit, or where there is a ‘direct link’ between the exempt and permitted activity.

This follows our consultation on proposals to tackle crime and poor performance in the waste sector.

We recently consulted on reform of the carrier, broker, dealer regime, meaning increased background checks for firms moving or trading waste; and on the introduction of mandatory digital waste tracking, ensuring better record-keeping to help regulators detect waste crime.

On top of this we are awarding councils with grants to tackle fly-tipping, and have provided funding of over £450,000 to help several councils purchase equipment to assist further, such as CCTV.

The Environment Agency has today launched a National Waste Crime Survey to help stop criminals. They want to hear from victims of waste crime such as landowners, insurance companies and residents as well as from those who can provide important information such as industry.

At present only 25% of waste crimes are reported. Don’t let the criminals get away with it. Report anything suspicious to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or our 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

February 6, 2023
Rishi Sunak – 2023 Comments on Supporting Turkey Following Earthquake

The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on Twitter on 6 February 2023.

My thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake.

The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.

February 6, 2023
James Cleverly – 2023 Comments on Supporting Turkey Following Earthquake

The comments made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on Twitter on 6 February 2023.

The UK is sending immediate support to Türkiye including a team of 76 search & rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs.

In Syria, the UK-funded White Helmets have mobilised their resources to respond.

We stand ready to provide further support as needed.

February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : MDP launch new anonymous reporting line for officers and staff [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 6 February 2023.

On 6 February, the MDP Professional Standards Department will be launching a Crimestoppers Police Integrity Line.

As the experts in speaking up about crime and wrongdoing, Crimestoppers are working with organisations such as the MDP to improve crime prevention and detection, as well as protect their staff and communities.

It can be difficult to come forward with information. Often people don’t know what to do, or are scared to say anything, especially in the working environment when an issue involves their colleagues – but Crimestoppers offer a safe way to do this.

MDP officers and staff can now telephone the Crimestoppers Police Integrity Line, safely and anonymously. This service is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is specifically designed to protect the caller’s identity.

A Crimestoppers operator will record the information from the caller and pass it on to the Professional Standards Department to further investigate.

Head of the MDP Professional Standards Department, Temporary Superintendent Karryann Rogers, joined the MDP in July 2022 after serving with Cambridgeshire Constabulary for 30 years and retiring from their Professional Standards Department as a Detective Chief Inspector.

Temporary Superintendent Rogers said:

This new reporting line is part of a bigger piece of work being undertaken by the MDP to set up its own Anti-Corruption Unit.

The reporting line is a safe avenue for officers and staff to anonymously report any misconduct within the Force. We all need to be ‘doing our bit’ in calling out bad behaviour and reporting any wrongdoing, after all the Police Regulations make it quite clear that we have a duty to challenge and report.

It is an opportunity for us to improve our working conditions and to establish better processes for dealing with bad behaviour. We want to make the MDP a great place to work and a safe space for individuals to speak up when they feel they have been mistreated.

In the past, individuals may have felt that they weren’t being listened to, or that they did not have the confidence in previous systems to report any wrongdoing. This new reporting line is 100% anonymous, guaranteed by Crimestoppers, who are specially trained to protect the caller’s identity.

The new reporting line also supports the MDP’s work to achieve White Ribbon Accreditation and its commitment to stamping out violence against women and girls (VAWG).

MDP Assistant Chief Constable Territorial, Crime and Support, Jason Gwillim said:

The MDP is committed to creating an inclusive culture where all our officers and staff enjoy coming to work without fear of being the victims of bad behaviour. We hope that by introducing systems such as this new reporting line, we can not only deal with corruption more effectively but prevent it from happening in the first place.

The Police Integrity Line is a big step for the Force, in making real lasting change to eradicate corruption within the Force and protect our officers and staff. By bringing the issue to the forefront, we might be able to encourage perpetrators to recognise their behaviour and stop.

February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK General Statement at the 60th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2023.

Delivered by Deputy Ambassador Nicola Murray at the United Nations in Vienna on 6 February 2023.

Chair, Distinguished Delegates,

Before the United Kingdom makes its general statement, let me first clearly state that the UK continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and calls upon the Russian Federation to end its illegal war and respect the territorial integrity of other Member States.

Now let me move onto the UK General Statement within which the Delegation of the United Kingdom is pleased to have the opportunity to share with you the progress and developments we have made since the last meeting of this sub-committee.

In November last year, the UK reaffirmed its commitment to international collaboration of space missions and the development of new technologies through a 14% increase in its annual funding for ESA. An example of this is the upcoming Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, due for launch in April this year which will make detailed observations of Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. The mission will carry a range of science instruments including the J-MAG, a Magnetometer which is led by Imperial College London in the UK and will seek to characterize the Jovian magnetic field, its interaction with the internal magnetic field of Ganymede, and to study the subsurface oceans. The UK also celebrates the success of Artemis 1 in November last year and looks forward to collaborating with the US and international partners in a new and sustained programme of human exploration to the Moon.

On January 9th 2023, the UK conducted its first ever launch from UK soil through Virgin Orbit at Spaceport Cornwall. While the rocket reached space, it did not reach the intended orbit and could not complete its mission successfully. Despite this, the project has succeeded in creating a horizontal launch capability in the United Kingdom, and we remain committed to becoming the leading provider of commercial small satellite launch in Europe by 2030.

Space Sustainability continues to be a key priority for the UK. Notable highlights from the last year include: the hosting of the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability in June alongside the Secure World Foundation, the announcement of a Space Sustainability Standard to be developed by industry in partnership with government, the commencement of two mission studies that will establish the preliminary design and programmatics of a national Active Debris Removal Mission and the launch of a third project with UNOOSA, entitled Awareness-raising and capacity-building related to the implementation of the Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. The UK also established a new project with UNOOSA to enhance international expertise in the registration of objects launched into outer space which we see as a crucial enabler for transparency, capacity building and novel missions.

To support its work on sustainability the UK also acknowledges the critical role and important work of the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) whose guidelines remain the most effective method to reduce the long-term environmental impacts of global space activity.

The UK delegation recognizes the continuing, constructive work of the working group on the use of nuclear power sources in outer space and looks forward to receiving its draft report at this session. We would again like to offer our thanks to Dr Sam Harbison, as he steps down as chair of the working group, for his long-serving and excellent leadership of the working group.

The UK also recognises the need for continued dialogue on the Dark and Quiet Skies topic and looks forward to discussions on the subject of extending the single year agenda item and the establishment of an expert group.

Finally, Chair, distinguished delegates, we look forward to a constructive session to further our cooperation and dialogue in the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space.

February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK responds to Türkiye’s request for assistance with immediate deployment of search & rescue and medical teams following earthquakes [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2023.

The UK will immediately deploy emergency response teams to Türkiye to assist rescue efforts.
- 76 UK search & rescue specialists, four search dogs and rescue equipment will arrive in Türkiye this evening.
- UK is also sending an Emergency Medical Team to assess the situation on the ground.
- UK is in contact with the UN on emergency humanitarian support to those affected in Syria.
The UK will immediately deploy emergency response teams to Türkiye to assist rescue efforts.

The Government is deploying a team of experts to help on the ground in Türkiye following the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK is sending immediate support to Türkiye including a team of 76 search & rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs.

In Syria, the UK-funded White Helmets have mobilised their resources to respond.

We stand ready to provide further support as needed.

A flight is expected to depart the UK at 4pm and arrive around 9pm local time in Gaziantep.

Jill Morris, British Ambassador-Designate to Türkiye, said:

The British Embassy in Ankara is in close contact with the Turkish authorities to understand how we can best support those on the ground.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes today. We pay tribute to the brave Turkish first responders working to save lives.

The UK is providing support that the Turkish government have asked for. The UK International Search and Rescue team have specialist search equipment including seismic listening devices, concrete cutting and breaking equipment, propping and shoring tools.

In north-west Syria, the UK-aid funded White Helmets have activated a significant search and rescue response and mobilised all their resources to respond to emerging needs.

The Government is in contact with British humanitarian workers in the affected areas, and we stand ready to provide support to any British nationals affected. Anyone in Türkiye and in need of urgent help should call +90 312 455 3344. Anyone in the UK concerned about relatives or friends should call the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London on 020 7008 5000.
February 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Strike to affect travellers and goods entering the UK in February half-term [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 February 2023.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced Civil Service industrial action that will impact Border Force operations.
Travellers who are planning to enter the UK between 17 February and 20 February 2023 may face longer wait times at border control.

Travellers should check the latest travel advice with operators before travelling.

Please be patient and respect officers who are working to keep the UK border safe and secure for all travellers during strike action.

We encourage all passengers eligible to use eGates to do so.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced Civil Service industrial action that will impact Border Force operations.

Border Force strike proposed dates

Dates

17 February

18 February

19 February

20 February (until 7am)

Locations

The proposed strike action will impact travellers (passengers and freight) entering the UK via the following juxtaposed ports (border controls outside of the UK that allows Border Force to check passengers and freight before they begin their journey):

Port of Calais

Port of Dunkirk

Coquelles Channel Tunnel Terminal

If you are travelling into the UK through these ports, you should prepare for disruption and check before you travel.

Our number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, and we will never compromise on this.

Military personnel, civil servants and volunteers from across government are being trained to support Border Force at airports and ports across the UK in the event of potential strike action. Border Force are ready to deploy resource to meet critical demand and support the flow of travellers and goods through the border, however those entering the UK should be prepared for potential disruption.

We are working closely with port authorities, operators and French counterparts to make sure travellers are prepared and do not experience unnecessary delays at the border due to the proposed strike action.

Advice for people entering the UK

Although this strike action targets the above ports, all those who are due to travel into the UK during the proposed industrial action should be prepared to face longer wait times at UK border control.

All passengers should check the latest advice from their operators before travelling.

Please be patient and respect officers who are working to keep our citizens safe and border secure, and supporting travellers during the strike action.

We encourage all passengers where available and eligible to use eGates to do so.

Please respect staff as we try and get you through the border as quickly and safely as possible. All forms of abuse and any inappropriate behaviour will be reported to the police.

Hauliers – impact of strike action

Hauliers who are moving goods during the proposed strike action should be prepared for potential disruption and longer queues at ports.

Please check with your operator before travelling, be prepared for delays and carefully plan your movements if they coincide with days of strike action.

Border wait times

As you’d expect, accurate queue time data can take some time to gather and check, however if you are travelling during the proposed strike dates be prepared for longer wait times.

There are multiple factors that might influence wait times including an increase in passenger numbers, delays and congestion caused by multiple flights disembarking passengers at the same time. Weather delays, and other ad hoc incidents, can also impact border control queues.

We advise travellers to check with travel agents, tour operators, and airlines / carriers before travelling, to check if the proposed strike action will affect your journey.

Passengers can also check port websites before travelling to stay up to date with the latest information related to travel or possible delays caused by strike action.

What we are doing to avoid disruption and queues at the border during the strike action

We continue to work closely with our French counterparts and industry to minimise disruption and delays at the border during proposed industrial action.

Border Force and the travel industry work together very closely at a local and national level and have regular meetings to agree plans for pressures while keeping the public safe.

Remember:

there are often a few things that might influence wait times including an increase in passenger numbers, flights delays and congestion due to multiple flights disembarking passengers at the same time

check the latest advice from your operators before travelling
February 6, 2023