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Tag: 2023

  • PRESS RELEASE : Joint cooperation to deliver two new Green Freeports in Firth Of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Joint cooperation to deliver two new Green Freeports in Firth Of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 13 January 2023.

    • The UK and Scottish governments jointly confirm that Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport have been successful in their bids to establish a new Green Freeport
    • Backed by up to £52 million in UK Government funding, Green Freeports will help to level up Scotland and bring new, high-skilled jobs to successful areas
    • New sites are expected to bring forward an estimated £10.8 billion of private and public investment and create over 75,000 new, high-skilled jobs

    Two new Green Freeports will be established in Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth, the UK and Scottish governments have jointly announced today (Friday 13 January), helping to create jobs, drive growth and level up the country.

    Backed by up to £52 million in UK Government funding, the new sites are expected to bring forward an estimated £10.8 billion of private and public investment and create over 75,000 new, high-skilled jobs.

    Bidding opened earlier this year and consortiums submitted their bids for their share of the cash, which were jointly considered by the UK and Scottish governments. As part of the process, the successful locations had to demonstrate to officials and ministers from both governments how they would regenerate local communities, deliver decarbonisation, establish hubs for global trade and foster an innovative environment to support levelling up.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

    Working together delivers results – and I am absolutely delighted that the First Minister and I can announce the delivery of our shared ambition for people in Scotland today with not one but two excellent Green Freeport areas.

    In extending the benefits of freeports to Scotland, we are unleashing the potential of the Firth of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth – backing the delivery of thousands of high-quality green jobs for future generations, as we continue to make gains on our commitments to transition to net zero.

    Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

    Scotland has areas of outstanding opportunity but there are also places that can benefit from more investment to truly level up communities that have been overlooked.

    This is a shared challenge faced by us all across the UK, which is why I’m delighted the UK and Scottish Governments have collaborated to deliver two Green Freeports in Scotland, which will undoubtedly be transformative for future generations to come.

    Inverness and Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth are fantastic areas for these new Green Freeports to set up, ensuring the benefits are felt right across Scotland. This will help to create exciting new jobs, boost business and encourage investment in the local areas and beyond.

    Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

    This is a milestone achievement in the process to deliver Green Freeports for Scotland. Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport will support businesses to create high-quality, well-paid new jobs, promote growth and regeneration, and make a significant contribution to achieving our net zero ambitions.

    A rigorous joint selection process has been followed. The successful applicants showed a strong determination to embed fair work practices, including payment of the Real Living Wage, and to enshrine net zero initiatives in their work.

    We look forward to working closely with them to ensure they deliver maximum positive impact and become operational as soon as possible. We will also work with the unsuccessful bidders to consider how they can build on the plans set out in their bids to deliver jobs and growth in their regions outside the Green Freeports programme.

    Scotland has a rich history of innovation, trade and manufacturing and as we look to seize the many opportunities achieving net zero offers, the creation of these internationally competitive clusters of excellence will help us to create new green jobs, deliver a just transition and support our economic transformation.

    Following a joint assessment process, UK and Scottish Government have selected Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport as the winning bids. Each will now be granted up to £26 million in funding over the next few years, primarily to address infrastructure gaps which are currently holding back investment.

    • The Forth Green Freeport aims to drive a transition to net zero by 2045 through attracting up to £6bn worth of investment and creating 50,000 jobs, generating £4.2bn in additional Gross Value Added in the first 5 years. The Green Freeport will have a focus on renewables manufacturing, alternative fuels, carbon capture utilisation and storage and shipbuilding, as well as the development of a new creative hub. The site includes the ports at Grangemouth, Rosyth and Leith, Edinburgh Airport, and a site at Burntisland.
    • The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport aims to create 25,000 jobs and generate £4.8bn in investment for the area, with a focus on floating offshore wind, nuclear and hydrogen that will drive a transition to net zero by 2045. An expansion of the Inverness Campus and Powerhouse is also planned, along with proposals to deliver innovation and skills support. The site includes the Ports of Inverness, Cromarty Firth and Nigg and Inverness Airport.

    We expect both Green Freeports to become operational in late 2023.

    Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

    I’m delighted to see Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth awarded Green Freeport status. Each can now be granted up to £26m in UK Government funding that will spark innovation, create high-quality jobs and encourage regeneration for the benefit of the whole of Scotland.

    UK Freeports are a key part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up strategy – they will bring prosperity and growth that is crucial as we tackle the challenges associated with rising energy prices and the increased cost of living.

    Working jointly with the Scottish Government, we had some very strong and creative bids to consider. We are excited about the opportunities the Green Freeports will bring to improve infrastructure and generate investment, all while taking a step closer to our Net Zero goals.

    This builds on the UK Government’s successful Freeport programme in England, where are all 8 Freeports are open for business, and sites in Plymouth and South Devon, Solent, Teesside, Liverpool and East Anglia recently being granted final government approval.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2023 Speech at the Centre for Social Justice

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2023 Speech at the Centre for Social Justice

    The speech made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, at the Centre for Social Justice on 10 January 2023.

    Can I thank the Centre for Social Justice for hosting me this morning.

    I want to pay tribute to the work the CSJ has done on pushing the issue of addiction up the political agenda.

    This is a cause close to my heart. I’ve spoken openly of the impact alcohol abuse had on my late father and I have raised thousands of pounds by running London marathons for the children of alcoholics’ charity NACOA.

    Today I want to talk about the importance of helping people back to work and outline new reforms and new thinking to help get Britain working again.

    But I want to start with my dad. He was a working-class man, but in in the 1970s started a job as a croupier in the Manchester Playboy Club casino.

    It was there he met my mum, then a Bunny Girl waitress who also worked two or three jobs at a time waitressing in Manchester bars and restaurants.

    Appreciate Manchester casino talk is not the most obvious topic for the CSJ but the point is those jobs meant the world to my mum and dad.

    Not just a wage but it was about opening doors to new horizons, aspirations and hopes for the future.

    And in the 80s the periods of worklessness they went through was crushing, demoralising.

    I was young but I remember the haunted looks on faces in the old grey dole office as my dad queued with me by his side.

    So, for me unemployment is never a price worth paying.

    And that why helping more people into good quality work is my priority.

    Today over a million people are out of work despite wanting a job. Yet employers are struggling to fill over a million vacancies.

    Employment is lower that pre pandemic and we have seen the biggest drop in the employment rate of the major G7 economies

    A great number of those who have fallen out of the workforce have done so because of ill health while other have taken early retirement:

    2.5 million – an increase of half a million, suffering long term sickness

    Just under two thirds of people out of work for ill health are living with a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety or stress

    Long term sickness has risen fasted in younger age groups, with the biggest increase for mental health

    Poor health is increasingly a reason for many of over 50s to leave employment as well.

    Being out of work is bad for health and the longer someone is out of work for reasons of sickness, the more difficult it becomes for them to return to a job.

    And we all know the longer a young person is left workless as increasing numbers are now because of ill health, the greater the risk of a life on the margins.

    To do nothing about, as is currently the case, means writing people off.

    Its means tolerating a situation where only around 4 per cent of people in the Employment Support Allowance support group return to work each year – to me that’s totally unacceptable.

    It’s nothing less than a monumental waste of the potential of the British people.

    And it’s both a social cost and a significant economic cost too, undermining economic growth and leaves taxpayers with an increased health-related benefit bill – which the Office for Budget Responsibility projects will see an £8 billion increase – as well as the cost of healthcare support and lost tax revenues.

    No responsible party seeking government can duck this challenge.

    We need new reforms and to apply new thinking to welfare to change lives, spread opportunity and helping people find appropriate, supportive, rewarding, well paid quality work.

    It’s good for them, good for society and good for the economy. I want to be clear. For people who can’t work, they deserve security with inclusion not fear or threats. A Labour government will always guarantee that.

    But when we know there are hundreds of thousands of people currently out of work and economically inactive who may want to participate in employment with the right support, then we owe it to them and their families to give them a fair chance to participate in decent employment.

    So a Labour government will modernise job centres, shift resources and guarantee local innovation in the design and delivery of employment support services, and transform the social security confronting the hindrances to work currently in the system.

    In contrast under the government’s approach only one in ten of out of work disabled people or older workers are receiving any support to find work. That’s frankly a scandal.

    And for many who do interact with DWP programmes, they are left wary of employment support services and Jobcentres, too often experiencing them as a combination of benefit policing and one-size-fits-all exercises like CV writing classes that they doubt will be of any help.

    It’s because ministers sit in Whitehall imposing different programme after programme on local areas – regardless of the local economic needs of a community.

    These various programmes, as a recent analysis found, amount to a massive £20 billion across 49 different employment and skills related schemes administered by 9 different government departments and agencies.

    I simply don’t accept we are getting bang for our buck.

    Instead we have a bewildering spaghetti junction of a fragmented system of different nationally imposed schemes with duplication and confusion failing to achieve the promises ministers make.

    There are better ways of spending this money, better way to designing the support on offer, better ways of setting priorities to deliver better returns.

    Keir Starmer said last week a Labour government shift power and resources out of Whitehall to every corner of the country.

    Because local action makes a difference and its local people best placed to design and shape employment support services to meet the needs, challenges and opportunities of their communities.

    Where some limited local design has been allowed in pockets of the country, such as the inspirational ‘Working Well’ initiative in Greater Manchester there have been real successes at helping those with complex barriers move into employment.

    Our reforms will build on success stories of partnership with the voluntary and private sector working at a local level. But we’ll go much further.

    We’ll shift resources to local communities, not just for people who are temporarily or long term unemployed but also for people with more complex barriers as well.

    Through our reform plans, we will ensure local areas put in place targeted support for the most vulnerable, guaranteeing genuine tailored help for those out of work to overcome the barriers they face.

    Taken together our reforms will mean local areas themselves can build the integrated employment and skills support they need to stimulate economic growth, get more inactive adults including the long term sick and over 50s back into the labour force, help more adults into high-skilled, better paid work, and address the labour market needs of businesses and the local economy.

    We will expand employment support for those will ill health by ensuring partnerships exist between employment support programmes and local health services.

    We will also include sweeping reforms, as our shadow employment minister Alison McGovern is developing, to modernise Jobcentres too so they become new hubs that – yes continue to support people navigate their social security entitlements, and help with job search and retraining, but also bring a focus to work progression, no longer just a conveyor belt to low paid work but act as escalator to better jobs with security.

    Thirdly, as people are helped to thrive into work, we will support people to thrive at work.

    For example, many older workers with a chronic health condition or caring responsibilities for a loved one say they would benefit from more flexible work options. Under our plans Jobcentres will help broker flexible opportunities.

    Crucially we will also reform the Access to Work scheme where the waiting lists for an assessment have trebled and people now wait months for a decision.

    For example, a constituent of mine was told to expect a 26 week wait for an assessment recently.

    These waiting times are preventing people taking jobs and even losing jobs. It’s shameful.

    Under our changes, people looking for work will be able to apply without a job offer, and be given an ‘in principle’ indicative award so that both they and their future employers know what support will be available for them if they find a job.

    Finally, the social security system should support – not hinder – people’s journeys to work.

    But too often the system disincentivises work, making even considering trying to engage in possible employment too much of a risk.

    So we will reform the Work Capability Assessment regime that leaves people trapped out of the workplace, out of the workforce and limits their potential. These assessments can be arduous, lengthy and stressful.

    Many people with ill health simply do not want to risk having to go through the whole benefits application and assessment process again if things go wrong.

    Let’s take away that fear and distrust which prevent so many from engaging with employment support and attempting a move into work.

    A Labour government would guarantee that people in this position who do move into employment with the help of employment support will be able to return to the benefits they were on without the need for another lengthy assessment process.

    A Labour government will tackle the barriers faced by the long term unemployed and economically inactive, bringing people back into productive labour market participation.

    We’ll get Britain working again and target the highest employment in the G7.

    These reforms are part of a fundamentally different and new approach, where we prioritise wellbeing and security above all when helping people into work.

    We’ll do this by offering genuine quality, tailored support for those who want it with help to explore the opportunities available and what might be appropriate.

    We’ll provide people with more independence, inclusion and fulfilment.

    For people who cannot work we guarantee security.

    For people who do want to work we’ll stand by them throughout any steps they are able to take, as they journey into employment.

    We’ll be there to support people if things don’t work out.

    They will help lift families out of poverty, make our economy more prosperous, and most importantly of all change lives, offer opportunity and give people hope for the future.

  • Keir Starmer – 2023 Speech in Belfast on the Northern Ireland Protocol

    Keir Starmer – 2023 Speech in Belfast on the Northern Ireland Protocol

    The speech made by Sir Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, at Queen’s University Belfast on 13 January 2023.

    Thank you Ian for that introduction.

    It is always an honour to speak at Queen’s – so I’d like to thank the President and Vice-President for the invitation today.

    This is a special place. A first-class university for research, technology and innovation, business and health.

    An institution that has always been rooted in its communities here in Belfast and in Northern Ireland, but which also enjoys a huge global reach.

    A reach never more on display than in the appointment of your Chancellors and we can see them on the walls here today.

    After all, who better to carry the message of peace this city embodies around the world, than Hillary Clinton?

    I’ve been here to Queen’s many times. In fact, I remember the last time clearly because I was half way through my speech, the United Kingdom announced a vote on Article 50…

    What a relief that’s all behind us now.

    That day, I came here to reflect on the success of the Police Service of Northern Ireland…

    And my role as the Human Rights Advisor to the Policing Board which oversees it.

    I’m immensely proud of the work of the board, of that whole period in my life.

    It’s given me a lasting love of Northern Ireland. Friendships that have endured, including people in this room here today, memories I’ll always cherish.

    And you know – after we were married, my wife and I took our first holiday here, because I wanted to show her Northern Ireland, the people and the communities that I’d met.

    I was in love with this island and that love has stayed with me.

    It’s also taught me so much about politics, about change, about the power of hope.

    And this year is a moment of reflection for Northern Ireland and, speaking for myself, standing here in 2023, It’s hard to describe just how different it feels to the Northern Ireland of 20 years ago, when I first came to take up my role here. How raw the emotions were back then, in a country still coming to terms with its hard-won but fragile peace.

    I wanted a chance to serve – because it felt like a huge moment.

    A chance to turn the page on decades, if not centuries, of pain, and I wanted to make a contribution. Help create a lasting institution.

    One that could reach out to all communities, hold the police to account, and in doing so help preserve that peace for future generations. I think we did that.

    Accountability, transparency, human rights, the framework we put in place was critical for both communities to have a degree of faith.

    That the Police Service of Northern Ireland was new, was different, was worth those risky first steps.

    We were tested of course – every day.

    As Tony Blair said at the time – every advance made in the name of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement has to be “ground out”.

    But over time, policing in Northern Ireland did change. The PSNI did become an institution which enjoys cross-community support, Catholics did sign-up to serve.

    Not enough – in Northern Ireland, you can always point to the work that still needs to be done, but, if you’d said to us then, in 2003, that in 20 years we’d have the PSNI we have today.

    That one day, a Sinn Féin leader would stand shoulder to shoulder with unionist leaders, in a campaign to help recruit new officers, yes – that would have felt like an achievement worth celebrating.

    And there are people here today who deserve huge credit for helping make that happen.

    This year, should be a year we celebrate achievements like that.

    All the achievements – big and small – of the Good Friday Agreement.

    25 years of relative peace, prosperity and a better Northern Ireland.

    It’s a proud moment for me, reflecting on the small role I played in that.

    And it’s obviously a huge moment for my party. The Good Friday Agreement is the greatest achievement of the Labour Party in my lifetime, without question.

    But of course, the real achievement – the real pride – belongs to the people and communities here in Northern Ireland.

    It’s your bravery, your determination, your courage, resilience and yes, your willingness to sacrifice, to compromise, to stand, despite everything, in the shoes of other communities.

    And above all – to keep doing so when there were bumps in the road, provocations, outbreaks of violence. That’s what won this peace.

    It’s why I fell in love with this place – I’d never seen anything like that spirit, that hope.

    I talk a lot about hope at the moment.

    About how hard it is for people to get through the challenges we face without the real possibility of something better.

    How, as we lurch from crisis to crisis, we’re losing our faith that the future will be better for our children.

    Some communities in the United Kingdom might once have taken that for granted – but not here.

    Because what I saw in Northern Ireland 20 years ago, were people and communities experiencing that hope for the first time.

    It’s what powered the Good Friday Agreement – drove the communities of this country on towards the history they made.

    And we’ve got to get it back.

    Because I get the sense – with the protocol, with the political situation at Stormont, not to mention the other problems we see here: the NHS, the cost-of-living, an economy on its knees.

    That the thought of April being a true celebration feels a little on ice.

    I understand that.

    Anniversaries are hard in Northern Ireland, looking back is hard.

    Even when we do so with pride, as we should in April – it’s tough.

    The past is a painful place for so many people, so many communities.

    People have suffered a lot. And with that comes a fear.

    Fear that if we stop trying to move forward – if things grind to a halt – then we could yet go backwards.

    It’s why, here more than anywhere, you always need that hope of a better future.

    That’s the spirit of 1998, that’s what the Good Friday agreement asked of people.

    It wasn’t to forgive, or forget – they were demands that could never be made.

    It was only to look forward. To commit to a journey. Walk, step by step. Each stride difficult, each stride precious, towards a better future, together.

    The anniversary this year should be a true celebration – people deserve that.

    History was made here, hard-won.

    But to respect that history, people also deserve action on the issues which currently hold Northern Ireland back. For politics to do its job and give people the chance to look forward with hope.

    There is a small window of opportunity before April – we’ve got to use the anniversary to fix minds.

    Get the country and its political process moving forward again.

    Deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

    I see two key priorities for this.

    They’re both urgent, both need to happen now, and so of course they rely on a change of direction from the Prime Minister.

    But in each priority, I also want to show the values I will bring to Northern Ireland, if I have the honour to serve as Prime Minister.

    First – the British Government must normalise and strengthen relationships with Dublin.

    The Taoiseach held out an olive branch in recent weeks – we must take it.

    But honestly, relations should never have been this strained.

    Brexit was a rupture in the UK’s diplomatic stance, a call to change, in every area of our society, which had to be recognised.

    I’ve been very clear about this – my Government will make it work, will take on the mantle of that vote, will turn its slogans into practical solutions.

    Yet throughout the last seven years, nothing has been more self-defeating than the determination of some Conservative ministers, to see our friends in Dublin as adversaries on Brexit.

    That has damaged the political process here in Northern Ireland – no question.

    And it’s certainly not the spirit of 1998.

    We should never lose sight of what binds us together on these islands – our shared commitment to peace here above all other considerations.

    So I encourage the Prime Minister, as the Taoiseach has said, to recognise past mistakes.

    It will help him with the second priority, the obvious one – the protocol.

    Look – there’s no point varnishing the truth, to get beyond the current stalemate we have to make the protocol work.

    Nobody wants to see unnecessary checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

    We just need to find a solution.

    And I want to commend the recent agreement on trade data-sharing, commend the EU, commend the Government.

    If they are finally serious about a deal, there will be no sniping from us – I can promise you that.

    I go back to the Good Friday Agreement – the pride we feel in the Labour Party towards it, has no bounds.

    But we know the political effort didn’t come just from us, from Tony Blair and Mo Mowlam, it didn’t come just from Bertie Ahern and Mary McAleese, from the unwavering support of the US – of Bill Clinton and George Mitchell, or the tenacity and brilliance of John Hume and David Trimble.

    It was also built on the work of John Major and Albert Reynolds, and afterwards by Lord Patten – whose commission led to the PSNI and the Policing Board, in the first place.

    My point is this – the spirit of 1998, on both islands, is not one of tribal politics.

    This is the process which brought Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness together – and they made it work – there can be no clearer example than that.

    So I say to the Prime Minister, if there is a deal to do in coming weeks – do it.

    Whatever political cover you need, whatever mechanisms in Westminster you require, if it delivers for our national interest and the people of Northern Ireland – we will support you.

    The time for action on the protocol is now.

    The time to stand up to the ERG is now.

    The time to put Northern Ireland above a Brexit purity cult, which can never be satisfied – is now.

    We can find ways to remove the majority of checks – a bespoke SPS agreement, a monitoring system that eradicates checks on goods that will only ever be sold in Northern Ireland.

    The opportunity for these reforms is there – and they would deliver for communities and businesses across these islands.

    Northern Ireland can be prosperous under the protocol.

    But it requires leadership from you, Prime Minister.

    And look – I enjoyed my dialogue with the DUP and unionist parties yesterday, so I want to reach out on this, speak to all unionist communities.

    There are legitimate problems with the protocol and these must be recognised in any negotiations.

    And as for the process that got us here, to this point, I think your anger about that is more than justified.

    I said this yesterday, I will say it here and I want every community in Northern Ireland to hear it – the Labour Party will always be a good faith guarantor of the constitution and the principle of consent.

    That commitment is written in to the agreement we want to celebrate in April – it stands above politics, it should stand above Brexit negotiations as well.

    I think people know we would have done things differently, and that we will stand by those values when in Government.

    But I also say this – in the coming weeks, it’s possible there will be siren voices in Westminster that say again, there is another path, a path that doesn’t require compromise on the protocol.

    In fact, it’s possible those siren voices will include – may even be led by – the very people who created the protocol.

    That were cavalier with the constitutional settlement of this United Kingdom.

    That came to this island and acted – to be blunt – in bad faith.

    You can listen to those voices, of course, it’s not for me to determine the interests of any community here.

    But I would counsel that the example to follow is not theirs. But the spirit of negotiation, of conciliation, of courage, that, in the end, is always the force which moves Northern Ireland forward towards the future.

    That’s what I want to do in April – look forward.

    Northern Ireland is personal to me, the Good Friday Agreement is personal to me.

    The drift, the lack of momentum, the elevation of ideological politics above the constitutional settlement – that would never happen with my Labour Government. Wouldn’t happen with any Labour Government.

    It’s not how we approach politics on this island.

    It’s not how my predecessors helped broker peace.

    My ambition as Prime Minister would be to give the people of Northern Ireland the hope I saw here in 2003, the sort of hope you can build your future around, that aspirations are made of.

    And which can – as we’ve seen for 25 years – bring communities together.

    Ordinary hope and ordinary politics – that’s what the people of Northern Ireland deserve.

    And we will govern by their example.

    When things get tough, we will persevere.

    Embrace the spirit of 1998.

    Keep our eyes fixed firmly on the future.

    A future of peace and prosperity.

    Partnership between Britain and Ireland.

    And a politics which delivers for every community in Northern Ireland.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s illegal and inhumane assault against Ukraine’s civilian population continues – UK statement to the OSCE [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s illegal and inhumane assault against Ukraine’s civilian population continues – UK statement to the OSCE [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 January 2023.

    Ambassador Neil Bush condemns Russia’s continued attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

    Thank you Mr. Chair. My statement today will once again focus on Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine. On Thursday 29 December, Russia subjected Ukraine to a massive bombardment, one of the largest seen since the invasion began and lasting five hours. Once again, in a repeat of a sickening pattern, Russia targeted civilians and energy infrastructure – killing three and wounding many more. A mere 36 hours later on the 31st December, as Ukrainians prepared to welcome in the New Year, Russia’s illegal and inhumane assault against Ukraine’s civilian population continued.

    The last day of 2022 saw more loss of innocent Ukrainian lives, with dozens injured and homes, schools, a children’s hospital and a hotel damaged. According to Foreign Minister Kuleba, Russia did not even pretend to attack so-called legitimate targets; these strikes were aimed at civilian areas, seeking to pummel Ukraine’s population into submission as they celebrated the New Year. There is zero justification for this – none whatsoever.

    There is an obvious path out of this senseless invasion. Ukraine has been clear that it seeks a diplomatic end to the war. An end that begins by stopping all Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure, and the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.

    Mr Chair, Russia portrays itself as the party of peace and Ukraine as the aggressor. This is absurd. It was Russia that illegally annexed Crimea in 2014; it was Russia that fuelled war in the Donbas for the last 8 years; and it was Russia that swept aside the principles of the UN Charter and of this organisation, when Putin launched his full-scale invasion last February. Russia’s armed forces are killing and maiming the people of Ukraine – and deliberately trying to deprive them of heat, light and water in the depths of winter. President Putin’s declaration of a ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas was a transparently cynical ploy to prop up his reputation at home. Russia’s claims of being interested in peace would be laughable if its actions were not so horrific.

    Russia’s destructive and illegal war aims in Ukraine have not changed as we move into 2023. Putin still seeks the complete subjugation of Ukraine; the erasure of Ukrainian history and culture; and the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratic government and institutions. However, the UK’s aims have not changed either. Our support for Ukraine – a free, sovereign and democratic Ukraine – remains steadfast as ever. Our admiration of the incredible courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people grows daily. Our belief in the principles of the UN Charter and of the OSCE remains unshakeable. In his first call of 2023 with President Zelenskyy, my Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK’s long-term support for Ukraine – throughout this year and beyond. We will not falter in the face of tyranny and aggression. We will not abandon our friends.

    Russia is alone on the world stage, isolated and facing a bleak future as it pursues a failing war based on the irrational decisions of one man. President Putin’s New Year speech was grim and hostile. In contrast, President Zelenskyy’s message was filled with hope and unity. As the New Year was ushered in, addressing the people of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy declared, “We fight as one team – the whole country, all our regions”. The UK is proud to stand with and support that team. We are with the whole country, we are with all the regions and we will be with them when Ukraine’s victory is realised.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Clare Lombardelli appointed as OECD Chief Economist [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Clare Lombardelli appointed as OECD Chief Economist [January 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 13 January 2023.

    Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury, Clare Lombardelli, has been appointed as the new OECD Chief Economist – the first time a British person has held this role in thirty years.

    As OECD Chief Economist, Clare will be working with OECD member countries and partners to confront difficult macroeconomic and structural challenges. She will lead the OECD’s economic work, replacing France’s Laurence Boone, who has held the post since 2018.

    Clare has worked in government since 2005, after starting her career as an economist at the Bank of England. During this time her roles have included Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor, Private Secretary for Economic Affairs to the Prime Minister and Budget Director. She has also worked as a technical adviser for the International Monetary Fund. She will step down from the Treasury after the Spring Budget.

    Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said:

    Clare is an exceptional civil servant – throughout her time in government she has always delivered clear and level-headed advice. Most recently she has led teams at the Treasury to promote sustainable economic growth and setting and implementing fiscal policy.

    I congratulate Clare on her well-deserved appointment. It’s great to have a Brit in the role and look forward to working with her in the future.

    Permanent Secretary to the Treasury James Bowler said:

    I’m delighted Clare is being appointed to such a key international role. With her proven economic experience and leadership over almost 20 years in government, she fits the job very well.

    Clare has been an exceptional Chief Economic Adviser and colleague at the Treasury making a huge contribution under successive Governments and I wish her all the best.

    Clare Lombardelli said:

    I look forward to taking up my new role, leading the OECD’s economic work to improve policies to benefit people around the world. I have loved my time in the civil service and the Treasury – it has been a huge privilege to work with such talented, dedicated and supportive colleagues as we’ve tackled the UK’s biggest economic challenges.

    A recruitment process for Clare’s replacement will be set out shortly by the Treasury.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Business Secretary in talks with Saudi Arabia to advance commercial collaboration in UK space based solar [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Business Secretary in talks with Saudi Arabia to advance commercial collaboration in UK space based solar [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 13 January 2023.

    • Business Secretary Grant Shapps met with Chairman of Saudi Space Commission and Minister of Communications and Information Technology, His Excellency Abdullah Al-Swaha in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
    • the Ministers discussed UK and KSA collaboration in space, including a potential joint investment in space based solar power that could help unlock significant commercial opportunities for British businesses
    • builds on a long-standing bilateral relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabia based on trade, investment, defence, security and energy

    The UK and Saudi Arabian governments discussed ambitious plans yesterday (Thursday 12 January), for collaboration in space and innovation, including the potential to invest in the development of space based solar power.

    Business Secretary Grant Shapps met with His Excellency (HE) Abdullah Al-Swaha, the Saudi Arabian Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission and Minister of Communications and Information Technology this week, to discuss the potential agreement that could help unlock significant commercial opportunities for British businesses.

    A collaboration between UK company Space Solar Ltd, and NEOM – a new Saudi city being built in the Tabuk Province to incorporate smart city innovations, world-class technology and data intelligence – could see each nation committing significant investment into developing space based solar power (SBSP) in the coming years.

    SBSP sees solar energy collected using a very large satellite in geo-stationary orbit with solar panels, and beaming the energy to a fixed point on earth using radio technology. Its main advantages over wind and terrestrial solar energy are the ability to deliver clean energy, day and night, throughout the year, and through all weather conditions. Interest in the technology has grown in recent years as costs fall rapidly.

    Early UK investment could leverage significant private investment, and development of SBSP in the UK could provide substantial benefit to the domestic space and technology sectors, through the creation of valuable intellectual property, jobs and industrial contracts.This collaboration on space follows extensive backing for the space sector from the Business Secretary.

    Business Secretary Grant Shapps said:

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is on an ambitious journey to modernise its economy and society, which opens up a host of opportunities for burgeoning British businesses, exporting UK expertise that could transform global access to renewable energy, including space based solar power.

    Collaboration on a global scale is an essential part of realising the UK’s ambitions in science and innovation, which is why I am excited to be here in the Gulf – where we are now playing an integral role in influencing energy transition plans – to develop our bilateral relationship with a state so open to business, and with aspirations so grand.

    The UK already has strong and significant links with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – with SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) and Alfanar committing to investing a combined total of £1.85 billion into decarbonisation and clean energy technology in Teesside.

    The UK and Saudi Arabia have a long-standing bilateral relationship based on trade, investment, defence, security and energy, and we intend to maintain our relationship with the country on the grounds of vital national security and economic interests.

    Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ shows encouraging signs of change – as well as social reform and improved human rights, it is full of opportunity for the UK economy, with possibilities for space based solar collaboration being just one example.

    Any future funding in collaboration with Saudi Arabia will be subject to value-for-money analysis and investment security scrutiny.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Net Zero Review – UK could do more to reap economic benefits of green growth [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Net Zero Review – UK could do more to reap economic benefits of green growth [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 13 January 2023.

    • Chris Skidmore publishes his Net Zero Review, setting out the ‘historic opportunity’ offered by net zero
    • former energy minister says the UK’s leadership on tackling climate change has led to changes at home and around the world – with more than 90% of the world’s GDP now committed to net zero
    • review makes 129 recommendations, all to seize opportunities from creating a green economy

    The UK’s leadership on tackling climate change has delivered real change at home and led to a global transformation – but more should be done to reap the economic benefits that presents, Chris Skidmore says today.

    Mission Zero, his Net Zero Review, makes 129 recommendations covering areas including the greater role that business can be supported to play, making better use of infrastructure and delivering more energy efficient homes. Every one is designed to maximise economic investment, opportunities and jobs – all while working towards achieving legally binding targets to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

    He urges ministers to grasp the ‘historic opportunity’, highlighting how the government’s Net Zero Strategy offers the right direction, and the right policies to do so.

    Chair of the Net Zero Review, Chris Skidmore MP, said:

    We should be proud of the lead the UK has taken in tackling climate change, having exceeded expectations so far in our race to net zero emissions by 2050. As essential as that is environmentally, it also puts us at an economic advantage globally.

    We lead in areas including clean technologies, science, manufacturing and green finance – areas that, if managed right, can lead to new jobs and strong economic growth.

    In developing this report, we have engaged with communities, economists and climate experts from across the country through more than 50 roundtables and 1800 submissions – all of which have led to the Mission Zero findings.

    My recommendations are designed to make the most of this historic opportunity, covering the length and breadth of our economy, so that people in every part of the country can reap the benefits of this both in their communities, and in their pockets.

    Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said:

    With a wealth of talent and expertise, and a track record to be proud of, the UK is well placed to ensure that tackling climate change also brings new jobs and investment for businesses and communities.

    I am grateful to Chris Skidmore – the man who signed our climate commitments into law – for his detailed report today, which offers a range of ideas and innovations for us to consider as we work to grasp the opportunities from green growth.

    Chris Skidmore’s proposals include:

    • backing business – these include reviewing incentives for investment in decarbonisation, including via the tax system, and launching a Help to Grow Green campaign offering information and advice to small businesses so they can plan ahead
    • backing local action – these include reforming the planning system to put net zero at its heart nationally and locally, and backing at least one Trailblazer Net Zero City, local authority and community that can work towards reaching net zero by 2030
    • delivering energy efficient homes – including legislating for the Future Homes Standard so that no new homes will be built with a gas boiler from 2025, adopting a 10-year mission to make heat pumps a widespread technology in the UK
    • using infrastructure to unlock net zero – including developing a cross-sectoral infrastructure strategy by 2025 to support the building and adaptation for new green energy sources such as hydrogen to support the green economy

    Official statistics show there are already around 400,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chains across the UK, with turnover estimated at £41.2 billion in 2020. Both the British Energy Security Strategy and Net Zero Strategy aim to leverage an additional and unprecedented £100 billion of private investment, while supporting an additional 480,000 British jobs by 2030.

  • Andrew Lansley – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Deal (Baron Lansley)

    Andrew Lansley – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Deal (Baron Lansley)

    The speech made by Andrew Lansley, Baron Lansley, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

    My Lords, I am glad to follow my noble friend for these purposes, the noble Earl, Lord Sandwich, as we are fellow members of the International Agreements Committee. I ask noble Lords to bear with me, as I am the fifth member of that committee to speak in this debate. I hope not to repeat too much of what my colleagues have said but, in so far as the scrutiny of these two agreements is concerned, the committee in this place was able to produce a report in June last year, which was debated here on 11 July. To that extent, I think that many of the criticisms of the scrutiny of these deals were of the other place, rather than here. They have been scrutinised here, as was demonstrated by that debate, in a timely fashion under CRaG.

    My friend the noble Earl, Lord Sandwich, referred again to the importance of the Government having a trade policy document, and referenced the New Zealand Trade for All strategy. This was the first agreement entered into by New Zealand after the publication of that policy document. That demonstrates the benefits of a high-quality document. I was rather struck that noble Lords have been quoting George Eustice, the former Secretary of State at Defra, who I will refer to later. It was important when he said that we should look at strengthening the role of Parliament in scrutiny and perhaps even agreeing the negotiating mandate. My noble friend Lord Frost referred to that. As he said, countries such as Japan and the US, and the European Union, all use their parliamentary processes to their advantage. As my noble friend said, we do not want disagreements to be suppressed within government and then erupt afterwards, with Ministers saying, as George Eustice did, that we gave away far too much for far too little in return. I do not happen to agree with him but that is not the point. We should be able to see what the Government’s objectives are in trade policy—not necessarily the detailed negotiating trade-offs but certainly the objectives. As the noble Lord, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, said, we can illustrate that by reference to examples. We ask about matters such as the Government’s approach to investor-state dispute settlements but all we get in reply is, essentially, the conclusion that they have reached on any individual negotiation, not what the Government’s approach is in general.

    The result was different in different agreements, depending upon the approach of the other counterparties. There are a number of illustrations of that. The noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, chair of the EU Affairs Committee, was here a moment ago. That committee and the International Agreements Committee have a right to expect that we are consulted soon about what the Government’s policy is in relation to carbon border adjustment mechanisms and the implementation of emissions trading schemes, not only between ourselves and the European Union but on the impact that the policy will have on our trading policy more generally. If we do not do that, we will find that, as a consequence, it is potentially one of the largest non-tariff barriers being erected across the globe, alongside the issue that the noble Earl raised about the Inflation Reduction Act in America.

    This has been an interesting and wide-ranging debate. In the rest of what I have to say, I want to focus on the Bill itself. This has been a great debate, and I have much enjoyed it, not least the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Swire. We overlapped for only 14 years in the other place. I hope that perhaps we will overlap a little longer in this place—who knows, as he is not 74? It is a great pleasure to have him here and the benefit of his experience in our debates.

    It is not in my register of interests, but I should say that my sister-in-law is a sheep farmer in north Wales. Even over Christmas, she did not raise the question of the Australia or New Zealand trade agreements with me at all, so I do not know what her view on these may be—just as well, perhaps.

    Those of us on the International Agreements Committee welcomed these agreements as being of high quality and demonstrating what can be achieved; that is also my personal view. There is a feeling that some of the 32 chapters were included without sufficient substance and that the substance will have to be added over time. For example, I thought that the innovation chapter in the agreement with Australia was a very good thing, but we will not know what it is going to mean for some time to come. I hope it will mean something pretty substantial.

    This Bill simply provides the power to implement the procurement chapters—chapter 16 in each of the two agreements—and it is necessary because the powers are not there already. Once the Procurement Bill passes, the powers will be available in that legislation to do this by statutory instrument in the future; the noble Baroness, Lady Liddell, made this point earlier. The Procurement Bill means that we will not see primary legislation for purposes such as this in the future. I think that is probably correct, because the changes in our domestic legislation are relatively modest. In future, this kind of thing should be done by statutory instrument, as long as—taking the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Kerr—it is done by an affirmative procedure, because there will be a whole range of changes. The other place implements the tariff changes, and this place looks at things such as the procurement changes and a whole raft of others, but we should be doing such things by affirmative procedures wherever possible. That will enable us to exercise some control if need be—if there is a serious problem—at each stage. I hope that the ratification process will be under way by then; we will have seen it under CRaG. If there are serious problems associated with an agreement, we should know beforehand.

    I said I wanted to refer to George Eustice again; I am going to mark the card of the noble Lord, Lord Purvis of Tweed, in advance of his speech, because he referred to George Eustice’s speech at Oral Questions. The point that George Eustice was making was that he believed a problem with the agreements was that they could lead to hormone-fed beef coming to this country but that this would also be possible under the CPTPP. I do not think he is right about that. In any case, it is not a problem associated with the Australia and New Zealand free trade agreements; it is an issue we need to address in the CPTPP. That is when it comes up. What is the dispute resolution mechanism under the CPTPP? If necessary, that would need to be addressed by our Government in the context of that agreement itself.

    I took part in the passage of the Procurement Bill and tabled amendments which would have limited the nature of the repeal of this Bill by that one in due course. The problem is not that the Procurement Bill will take future powers instead of this Bill but the way it repeals it. The Procurement Bill will repeal:

    “An Act of Parliament resulting from the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill that was introduced into the House of Commons on 11 May 2022.”

    So if we amend this Bill, it will be repealed by the Procurement Bill in due course. This is not a satisfactory procedure. The assurances that we received in this House from my noble friend Lady Neville-Rolfe during the passage of the Procurement Bill were that, if we amend this Bill, the Government will look to ensure that any necessary changes might be made to the nature of the repeal during the passage of the Procurement Bill in the other place. I ask my noble friend Lord Johnson of Lainston simply to reiterate, if he may, that same reassurance.

    I am not aware of a necessity for amendment. In the other place, the Official Opposition supported the Bill, and the amendment they were looking for was for further impact assessments. As my noble friend Lord Udny-Lister rightly said, the Government have committed themselves—and I hope my noble friend will further commit the Government—to two-year monitoring reports and a five-year comprehensive evaluation of both agreements. Frankly, that should be sufficient for this purpose, so I do not think we need to amend the Bill to make that happen.

    From my point of view, there are issues that we have raised and issues that I feel strongly about in the agreement. For example, there is the fact that we managed to get an agreement with Australia before the European Union did; perhaps that is one of the benefits of Brexit. However, is it not ironic that, for example, the geographical indications element of our agreement is wholly dependent on the European Union securing changes in the Australian geographical indicators regime so that we might take advantage of it? It is ironic and regrettable. It is just one more of the many illustrations of how we want to see what our trade policy should be and, in future, to see that we scrutinise not only the deal that the Government return with but the negotiating mandate that they take with them in the first place. In those circumstances, I think we would find our overall scrutiny and the support we were able to give to the Government’s trade policy all the better, all the stronger and probably all the more effective internationally.

  • John Montagu – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Deal (11th Earl of Sandwich)

    John Montagu – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Deal (11th Earl of Sandwich)

    The speech made by John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

    My Lords, I shall start with enthusiasm, but I may not be able to keep it up. The Australia and New Zealand agreements have been trailblazers among the FTAs post Brexit and I am glad that the Minister and the International Agreements Committee, to which I belong, have helped to see them through government as well as Parliament. They are, in general, excellent and productive agreements with two old friends and allies which bring undoubted benefits to this country across the whole spectrum of goods and services.

    We should also acknowledge the co-operative attitude of the Government, or the various Governments, to our committee and our various reports. I thank successive Ministers for recognising the critical role of Parliament in scrutinising these agreements—the new Secretary of State’s response to our Australia report has confirmed this—but the CRaG process itself is inadequate, as the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, and the noble Baroness, Lady Young, have said so well already. The committee itself has pointed out several times, over nearly three years, that to have any useful role we have to assess the negotiation objectives of an agreement right at the start. The noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, said that the Government have everything to gain by this. We also need to discuss the outlines of the agreement, without of course giving away any of its content, in which case the NDA process would be involved. I am not convinced that Ministers have gone far enough to meet these requirements but, since we have had more than one change of personality, maybe we will be better understood in future. Our relationship is still being developed. We have not yet received the response to our New Zealand report, and when we do, the horse will have long bolted.

    I recognise that this is a somewhat artificial procurement Bill due for instant repeal, but it seems appropriate to make concluding remarks on the FTAs themselves, as others have. On the content, we were concerned about three issues on Australia in particular: agriculture, the environment, and the role of the DAs in both these agreements. I suspect that none of us was wholly satisfied with the way these three issues were handled. I shall use the helpful “Myth” and “Reality” sections in the DIT explainer accompanying the Bill. On agriculture, HMG persist in saying that 15 years of TRQs and safeguards provide sufficient protection for UK sheepmeat and beef producers, simply on the grounds that “it is unlikely” that Asian and Pacific countries will cease importing Australian meat. The noble Lord, Lord Frost, for example, said this was much too long and that we need adjustment and competition. On the contrary, it is just the sort of thing that could happen given an unfavourable political climate in China or elsewhere in Asia. It remains unsettling for farmers planning ahead. Here I also speak as an NFU member.

    On animal welfare, it is quite true that standards are going up and the TAC did provide convincing reassurance, as the Minister said, that Australia was raising its animal welfare performance. However, the Government admit that they are raising standards only to the level of many other countries. The noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, mentioned the procedure of mulesing, for example, and she should know. It seems that higher standards apply only to RSPCA-approved farms, so there is still a way to go.

    On pesticides, Defra says that the results of monitoring are published after consideration by its Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food. Public concern about residue levels seems to us to justify a more specific monitoring exercise relating to Australia, and perhaps the Minister could say if this will be undertaken. Apart from this, the side letter on GIs and the chapter on SMEs are both to be welcomed as promising support for small businesses, including farmers. The noble Baroness, Lady Liddell, mentioned migrant workers which was extremely helpful because it has not been covered.

    Moving to the environment, I say that the new Government in Sydney are likely to prove much more positive about climate change, although it is too late for the FDA itself. Our Government claim that illegal logging will be tackled under the agreement, but there are no policy statements or details as to what happens in the separate states of Australia. It is another case of wait and see and further monitoring. Australia’s reliance on coal remains a major issue, but the Government have promised that the committee will receive reports and updates over time. This is welcome, and perhaps the Minister will confirm it. The noble Baroness, Lady Young, who is no longer in her place, pressed the Government on monitoring, so I hope the Minister will be able to respond fully.

    I need say only one word about the devolved Administrations. This has been said time and again and I am surprised it has not come up today: devolved matters are not just matters for consultation. They are integral to the national policy of each of our member nations. This means that agriculture in the DAs comes right at the front of negotiations. This did not happen in the case of these agreements. I believe the Government still claim that the DAs have been fully engaged. Of course, the overlap of policy in different departments does make life more difficult for them.

    I have touched on only three issues, and I have left New Zealand to last. On agriculture, environment and climate, New Zealand is and has been a model country. We can learn a lot from her. I recognise the other benefits that have come in, such as extending copyright—another thing not mentioned—and the growing importance of motor vehicles and machinery in UK exports by value under this agreement. New Zealand has been a model in one other respect: it has published an exemplary policy document summarising its aims and objectives in trade agreements, including more difficult issues such as human rights. I could spend some time on this, but I will not. The noble Lord, Lord Kerr, has said that trade is not a watertight department. It is surely natural to discuss wider policies with friends who are also our trading partners. The Minister knows from our recent meeting that most of us in the committee have strong views on this. As we have heard today, we are hoping that the Government will take them seriously.

    Finally, I should add that our application to the CPTPP will be greatly assisted by these two FTAs, while providing access to new markets in Asia and standing up to China, as the noble Lord, Lord Howell, given all his experience, fluently reminded us. But that will be a subject for another day.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Response to Drug Deaths Taskforce report [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Response to Drug Deaths Taskforce report [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 12 January 2023.

    Cross-government action plan backed by £68 million.

    More than 80 actions supported by £68 million over the course of this parliament are outlined in the Scottish Government’s response to Changing Lives, the final report from the Drug Deaths Taskforce.

    Measures are being taken across a broad range of areas including employment, justice, transport, education and health and social care to improve the lives of those affected by drugs.

    The response is underpinned by two principles – that services treat problem drug use the same as any other health condition and that people with lived experience are involved in policy decisions.

    Many of the 20 recommendations and 139 action points made by the Taskforce are already being addressed but new announcements include:

    • £30 million ringfenced from the Enhanced Services Allocation to NHS territorial Boards from April 2023 to support specific drug treatment services within primary care settings
    • £18 million to develop stabilisation and crisis care services, in addition to the £100 million already available for residential rehabilitation
    • £4.3 million for a Stigma Action Plan which includes an accreditation scheme for organisations to improve awareness and challenge stigma across public life
    • £5.5 million for new programmes for children and families including the expansion of Routes, a young person’s support group run by Scottish Families Affected By Drugs
    • £3.4 million additional funding to deliver a workforce action plan and expand the Addiction Workers Training Programme run by the Scottish Drugs Forum and an additional £3.3 million to expand trauma training
    • £2.4 million to improve care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions to build on the recommendations set out in the recent rapid review
    • £0.5 million for an initial pilot to expand the concessionary travel scheme to include people with a substance dependency

    Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said:

    “Every drug death is a tragedy and unacceptable. We continue to face a public health emergency and cannot underestimate the scale of this crisis.

    “The Drug Deaths Taskforce was formed to provide independent expert advice on our response to this emergency and this cross-government action plan includes a broad range of initiatives which will not only support the complex needs of people who use drugs but also help support prevention and early intervention.

    “This publication outlines our whole government commitment to addressing this challenge and ensuring that people with problem substance use can access all the services they need and are entitled to.

    “I thank the Taskforce members, past and present, for their important contribution. The final report, Changing Lives, has provided us with clear, evidenced recommendations and our response outlines a new, even more ambitious, phase of our mission to save and improve lives.”