Tag: 2023

Alastair Goodlad – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Deal (Baron Goodlad)

The comments made by Alistair Goodlad, Baron Goodlad, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Liddell, who made such a distinguished contribution to British-Australian relations when she was high commissioner—comprehensively erasing my footprints in the process, not least in bilateral trade and investment promotion, which is an important part of the job. It is a privilege to open the batting with her; I just ask her not to ask for any quick singles.

I look forward to the maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Swire, who also made a great contribution to British-Australasian relations during his period as Minister at the Foreign Office. I have some Australasian relations, descended from two uncles who migrated to New Zealand and Australia from the Shetland Islands when they were very young; those cousins were jolly supportive too. I welcome my noble friend Lord Johnson of Lainston to his new job and congratulate him on a very fine opening innings; I hope that we see many more of them.

This Bill is narrow and technical in nature. It is appropriate and important to recognise that our first post-Brexit ab initio—as opposed to rollover—trade agreements should be with Australia and New Zealand. They are important trading and investment partners already, as they have been for many years. They are also close intelligence and defence allies. We share a history that has led to the present deep family, cultural, educational, sporting, diplomatic and political relationships, together with legal systems rooted in the common law. The histories and destinies of our three countries are and will remain inextricably intertwined.

My noble friend the Minister has comprehensively and authoritatively set out the provisions and merits of the Bill. I shall address some of the criticisms that have been made. In a forthright speech in the other place last November, the right honourable Member for Camborne and Redruth pointed out that CPTPP negotiations are under way, as are those with Canada, and he sought to draw lessons from our recent negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. He said that the first and most important was that

“we should not set arbitrary timescales for concluding negotiations.”—[Official Report, Commons, 14/11/22; col. 425.]

In this case, that meant the then-forthcoming G7 summit. There is nothing new in that. I remember negotiations with Australia in the early 1990s, when I was a Minister at the Foreign Office, over our respective shares of the cost of cleaning up the Maralinga test site in South Australia. The senior Foreign Office official responsible rejected the Australian suggestion that the negotiations be conducted while watching a test match. Instead, they were conducted in the Foreign Office and concluded in good time for the Australians to be at Lord’s by 11 am, which is what they wanted. The senior official—who went on to be a very senior official—and I believed that the UK was the beneficiary of that tactic but, as in the present case, we shall never know.

The second lesson that the right honourable Member suggested was on changes to the machinery of government. I have no particular view on this, provided that the chains of command are clear and unambiguous.

The third lesson, which the noble Baroness, Lady Liddell, touched on, was on strengthening the role of Parliament in scrutiny and perhaps in agreeing the negotiating mandate. I am in full agreement on this. Other Members also commented on what some saw as defective scrutiny procedures for the Bill. For what it is worth, my experience, both in the other place and here, is that, in the long run, government has everything to gain and nothing to fear from effective parliamentary scrutiny, as other countries—notably Japan and the United States of America—have demonstrably found. But every Government have to learn their lessons in their own time and reinvent the wheel. I have no doubt that your Lordships will not let the side down in repairing any deficiencies in scrutiny of the Bill, as we always do with any legislation.

Reference was made in the other place to the possibility of triggering Article 32.8 and thereby giving six months’ notice of terminating the agreements. I hope it does not come to that; such a move would not bode well for our success in concluding other negotiations. As the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, rightly said in a different context, pacta sunt servanda. Whether or not a better agreement could have been struck we shall never know. Not every match can be a draw—if Ben Stokes has anything to do with it in the summer, there will be no draws at all. Trade agreements are not a zero-sum game; as in the present case, everyone is supposed to benefit. These agreements are popular with business in all three countries and deserve our support. I hope that noble Lords will give a fair wind to the Bill and all who sail in her.

January 12, 2023
Helen Liddell – 2023 Speech on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Bill (Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke)

The comments made by Helen Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

My Lords, I welcome the Minister to his position. It is quite exciting to do your first Bill before any House and he has got off to a good start. I used to have a colleague in the other place who, at the end of a speech, would often say “it says here” because that way they could get out of any problems that had been created. I used to get notes from the civil servants saying, “Please read out paragraph 3 because that is the one that the judges need to hear about,” because I would quite frequently avoid doing that.

I have to announce to the House that I have no relatives in Australia or New Zealand, but I have spent a little time in Australia as British high commissioner. I followed in the footsteps of the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, who had laid an excellent foundation for me and managed to keep me out of an awful lot of trouble.

Let me see if I have this right about this Bill. This Bill is needed to ensure that the procurement provisions of the trade deals with both Australia and New Zealand can go ahead with no delays. However, this Bill is to be superseded by the Procurement Bill that is starting in the other place in the next couple of days. That Procurement Bill will repeal this Bill, and both Bills have to go on the statute book around the same time. I have lost the plot here. I know that is not something I should admit to. Sometimes, I think I have followed my namesake Alice through the looking-glass, because this is the most bizarre arrangement I have ever come across in relation to a piece of legislation.

We are going to have to pass this Bill when we have been denied the full opportunity for scrutiny. That is a major issue. On both sides of the House, there have been arguments about the need for scrutiny of trade Bills. Furthermore, there is no published trade strategy, so how can we know whether these deals meet the criteria set for the negotiators? It is a very difficult thing to try to do. I am not casting aspersions on the Minister but there can sometimes be an addiction to hyperbole on the part of the Government. Not everything is an absolutely wonderful deal. There are failings in these deals; they are the first we have done since leaving the EU and it is no surprise that there will be difficulties. I can remember, as a Minister, standing at the Bar of the House and suddenly discovering from some of the experts on these Benches that I had completely ignored engineering in an energy Bill. I had to go back and table amendments. It happens; we do not get everything right all the time. I strive to get some things right occasionally, but my family say that I do not.

If we are to take these deals as setting the pace for trade deals around the world, we need to take into account things that are quite controversial, such as the CPTPP. We need more information and, again, more scrutiny, to be able to go down that path because in the CPTPP countries there are a number of examples of trade deals that we would be quite uncomfortable with—on both sides of the House—in this country.

One thing that concerns me about the Bill—it is very narrowly drawn Bill—is whether this is how we are going to be expected to scrutinise other treaties. Are we going to have to do everything by statutory instruments? That is not the right way to properly scrutinise something as significant as a trade Bill. It raises issues about the responsibility of government to Parliament. It is an unfortunate path to go down. I know that the Minister has met the International Agreements Committee, of which I have been a member since its inception, and we are enormously grateful for that, but we want to know: where are the transparency and openness in the debates and advice that have to be put before us? This very constrained Bill is the only opportunity that both Houses have to scrutinise these trade deals. The United States has better provision for the scrutiny of trade deals than we have in this country. That should be a warning to us that we need much better scrutiny.

Obviously, having spent time in Australia, I am going to concentrate on it. People do not seem to realise that Australia is 32 times the size of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom can fit into the Northern Territory with quite a lot of space left over. When the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, was trying to get it through to me that this was actually quite a big country, he showed me a postcard that had the United Kingdom in a corner of New South Wales. It is not just the fact that Australia is a big, big country; it also has 25 million people, while we have 67 million—and there are an awful lot of farms in Australia. They are known as properties and some of them can be the size of countries within the United Kingdom because of their scale. No wonder that we end up with a disparity between what the agricultural community says about the Bill and what the Minister has said from the Dispatch Box.

The Australians are delighted with this deal, as well they should be. But our Government gloss over the projected growth in GDP by 2035, which is only 0.08%. We have to bear that in mind and see what we can do to advance it. That could be why the Australian Government’s website is much more helpful to those of us who want to analyse the deal, while the UK Government have been remarkably coy. If you want information about this trade deal, go on to the Australian Government’s site and then you will get it.

I want to make one very particular point, given my Scottish accent. I want to thank the Australians for the deal done on Scotch whisky. That has suffered from what I used to describe as a nuisance tax, which was introduced to protect Bundaberg rum. I know that the noble Lord, Lord Frost, will be speaking in a few minutes’ time. The one problem that I always found with it was that Bundaberg is owned by Diageo, which owns most of the whisky distilleries in Scotland, so I could not quite work that one out. I have to be absolutely honest: Diageo allowed me to have a Scotch whisky evening every month so that we could promote the case for reducing the tariffs on Scotch whisky. Maybe the noble Lord, Lord Frost, knows the answer to that given his background in the Scotch whisky industry, because I have not a clue what it is.

Labour has said in the other place that the Bill will not be opposed. However, there are very real concerns about, for example, animal welfare, agriculture in general, and the lack of any provision for decent work and social goals through procurement. Lots of us know of young people who have gone out on two-year visas; some of them find themselves in pretty appalling circumstances. We need to make sure, as the migration period into Australia is increased to up to three years, that those who go as migrants are protected by the trade union laws and by the social and political goals. The TUC and the Australian Council of Trade Unions have made the same point, but in this country there seems to have been no interchange with the TUC about the difficulties around migrant workers in Australia. I recommend to the Minister that something needs to be done about that. A lot of Members on the other side, particularly in the other place, depend on rural communities, yet the most vociferous criticism of the deal comes from those communities. There is a problem here and it really has to be addressed.

It is significant that there has been a change of Government and now a much more engaged agenda on climate change in Australia. That could create huge opportunities for UK companies which are forging ahead strongly on renewables, carbon capture, storage and use. I refer to my entry in the register of interests as the president of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association. Under the previous Australian Labour Government there was considerable interest in CCS and use, with an experimental operation in Latrobe Valley. What attempts have been made to open the door to environmental businesses in this country in renewables and CCS and use? Under Prime Minister Albanese, who has made it quite clear he takes a completely different view on climate change from Prime Minister Morrison, there are opportunities to extend our success with the industry in Australia. During the passage of the Bill, we will want to know what prospects there are for that kind of improvement and let it be known that the lack of scrutiny afforded to Parliament casts the Government in a poor light. What are the Government frightened of when it comes to scrutiny?

Doing a deal with Australia and New Zealand is very important. Lots of people in Australia—a very high proportion—carry British passports. That is not true of politicians, because they have to resign their British passport when they enter Parliament, but they all take it back up when they leave Parliament; it is quite a nice little side deal for the Home Office to reissue these passports. We have some of our oldest security arrangements with Australia and New Zealand. They are our friends. It is good that our first deal is with them.

I look forward to the processes around this Bill, but I am deeply concerned that we are going to do scrutiny by statutory instruments. It is not the way in which a sophisticated Parliament should scrutinise trade deals.

January 12, 2023
Dominic Johnson – 2023 Statement on the Australia/New Zealand Trade Bill (Baron Johnson of Lainston)

The speech made by Dominic Johnson, Baron Johnson of Lainston, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

My Lords, I draw noble Lords’ attention to my interests. They include an investment in a New Zealand-based asset management company, but what they do not include are the important personal references to my New Zealand and Australian heritage. Like so many in this House, and indeed in this nation, I have relations from both sides of my family in both countries. My ancestors on one side were part of the original Christchurch experiment in New Zealand, and on the other were founder architects and designers of Melbourne in Australia—an early example of the professional recognition chapters that we have included in this agreement.

I thank the International Agreements Committee, chaired by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter. These conversations have been in depth and, I hope, open, and I welcome further discussion with Members of this House over the coming weeks as we progress through the Bill’s stages. I am sure that some noble Lords were delighted to receive my calls over the weekend as I made further inquiries as to their input into this important debate.

There is no doubt that, although the Bill is of a technical and necessary nature, it underpins the very essence of our post-Brexit vision of Britain. We are often asked for a coherent trade strategy and here it is—a global interconnectedness of trade deals, with this nation at the very heart of these new routes. It means opportunity for our businesses and citizens. It will result in new markets for our goods and services, and new ways to travel and share our cultures. But it also means change. We are aware of this, and we welcome the debate around this vision of our nation, which is now at the very centre of global trade.

The Bill will enable delivery of the UK’s first “from scratch” free trade agreements since leaving the European Union. They are modern and cutting-edge deals, including an astonishing level of innovation and flexibility. They are aligned with our values and well reflect our strategic ambitions, as well as our economic ones. I stress the cutting-edge nature of these FTAs and use this opportunity to congratulate the Department for International Trade and Crawford Falconer on the way they have been designed and negotiated.

It is important to note that these agreements were not built from a standing start. That is very relevant, since much of the discussion has seemed to assume this. We already trade with these countries. However, the agreements build significantly further on our already strong relationships with both Australia and New Zealand. The UK was Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2020. That trade was worth £14 billion in 2021. In 2020, 15,300 businesses, employing 3.4 million people, exported goods and services to Australia. The UK was New Zealand’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2020, our trade being worth £2.4 billion, with 6,700 businesses, employing 1.8 million people, exporting goods to New Zealand. That is what we are already doing, so imagine what we can do if we cement these agreements. We expect annual trade to increase by £10.4 billion between the UK and Australia, and between the UK and New Zealand by £1.7 billion. These are not insignificant sums; they are life-changing. This is just the start, and does not include the other benefits of a closer relationship which these deals signify.

The Bill, considering what it entails, is uncontentious. It provides a power to give effect to our procurement commitments in these agreements, and improves three areas of our existing procurement legislation in the UK, to the benefit of our public services and our companies trading in these partner countries. By the way, this will unlock billions in government contracts in a more secure way than ever before.

The powers in the Bill will be used to amend the current set of procurement rules to provide guaranteed legal access to Australian and New Zealand suppliers to the procurement opportunities covered by the FTAs; to streamline the options for local government issuing notices for future procurement opportunities; and to clarify that contracts of undefined value are in scope of the trade agreements, which basically means that international commitments cannot be avoided by not adding values to contracts. Finally, it contains enhanced safeguards to ensure that contracting authorities cannot avoid international commitments by terminating the contract process where an international supplier is likely to win.

I assure the House that these changes to our current procurement rules all sit in line with the proposals in the Procurement Bill. The Bill, except the sections covering Scotland, will be repealed by the Procurement Bill, which has already undergone extensive scrutiny by this House and is currently before the other place. However, the rationale for the Bill is clear: we want to start taking advantage of these free trade agreements as soon as possible for the sake of our economy, and this Bill will allow that.

That is why the Australia and New Zealand free trade agreements deliver a number of important benefits, which are sometimes overlooked, and I think it is important to address them now. On mobility, we have agreed ambitious business mobility commitments. For the first time, UK service suppliers, including scientists, lawyers and accountants, will be able to apply for temporary work visas without being subject to Australia’s changing skilled occupation list. This is important: it is the furthest Australia has ever gone in an FTA. On trade in services, the deal goes further than Australia has ever gone before in giving UK services companies significant and non-discriminatory access to the Australian market, with unprecedented levels of regulatory transparency.

On trade in goods, the deal eliminates tariffs on 100% of UK exports, making it cheaper and easier to trade physical goods between the UK and Australia; and 98% of the estimated tariff reductions on UK exports will be eliminated as soon as the agreements, with noble Lords’ support and assistance, come into force. UK businesses will see duties of up to 5% immediately eliminated on the export of cars, whisky, motors, clothing and—I hope noble Lords have taken them down—even Christmas decorations.

The deal provides more opportunities for UK firms to trade digitally with Australia. For example, the digital chapter goes beyond existing precedent for both the UK and Australia. It contains the first dedicated innovation chapter and establishes a strategic innovation dialogue which will drive the commercialisation of new technology. This agreement also includes an ambitious environment chapter with Australia which goes beyond previous Australian FTAs. It includes a commitment not to derogate from environmental laws and affirms international environment and climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement. It also includes provisions to deepen co-operation in areas ranging from biodiversity, forests and fisheries to ozone-depleting substances. We have also secured the most substantive climate provisions that Australia has ever committed to in an FTA, with stand-alone climate change articles. What is more, this free trade agreement raises the bar globally by introducing the first ever animal welfare chapter of any trade deal. I consider this extremely important. My noble friend Lord Benyon was asked what world leadership we are providing on the environment and animal welfare, and I have just given probably the most sensational list ever released in this House.

With the New Zealand deal, the mobility chapter will make it easier for senior managers, executives and specialists to move on intra-company transfers. They will be eligible for visas to work for a period of three years, and family members will be able to join them. In relation to trade in services, we have agreed a professional services and recognition of professional qualifications annexe which will encourage regulators of all regulated professions towards recognition. Additionally, we have agreed a sectoral annexe on international maritime transport services—unprecedented for New Zealand—that will benefit UK shipping companies and ships flying the UK flag. On customs and rules of origin, we have committed to implementing single window systems, and the environment chapter breaks new ground for the UK and New Zealand in supporting our shared climate and environment goals, clean growth and the transition to a net-zero economy.

On agriculture, I reassure your Lordships that these deals deliver appropriate protections for the industry, including through tariff rate quotas, protecting UK farmers. These deals present enormous opportunities for our consumers and farmers. The Australian High Commissioner gave me a fascinating statistic the other day: UK firms own more than 10 million hectares of land in Australia. I am told that agricultural land in the UK totals about 20 million hectares, so, Britons are some of the biggest farmers in Australia. She also told me that her statistics show we export more agricultural produce in all its forms to Australia than we import. There are production differences between Australia and New Zealand which, frankly, we wish to take advantage of. We should welcome these expanded markets, as many farmers do. I read an interesting article in Farmers Weekly, which stated that these FTAs will

“help ensure UK products expand into new markets, taking advantage of our complimentary seasons, and increase consistency of supply to these markets, contributing towards targets, such as the NFU’s … ambition to grow food exports by 30% by 2030, to at least £30bn.”

I also welcome the Trade and Agriculture Commission’s work on these deals, which was, in my view, very clear about the protections still afforded us. It said that

“it can be concluded that the FTA does not require the UK to change its existing levels of statutory protection in relation to animal or plant life or health, animal welfare, and environmental protection.”

That is a direct quote from the TAC paper. Importantly, we take these issues very seriously and I will try to ensure that I provide further reassurance at the end of the debate in answer to the points raised by noble Lords.

To return to the Bill, I draw noble Lords’ attention to the fact that a number of statutory instruments will need to be laid, in addition to those that will flow from the Bill, to allow entry into force of the deals. These relate to rules of origin and tariffs, intellectual property and technical barriers to trade, specifically in New Zealand. Technical changes to the Immigration Rules have already been made.

As the procurement chapters of these agreements concern devolved matters, this Bill also confers powers on the devolved Administrations so that they can implement the agreements in areas of their competence. As concurrent powers, they also allow the Government to implement the agreements on a UK-wide basis where it makes practical sense to do so. They are entirely reasonable; they ensure that measures contained herein can be applied to all our procurement processes in a consistent manner. In my view, this is desirable. However, I reiterate the reassurance given at every stage of this Bill’s passage through the other place: the Government are committed to not normally using this Bill’s powers without the consent of the devolved Administrations, and we will never use them without consulting the devolved Administrations first.

We have two ground-breaking deals, both opening up new opportunities for Britain’s world-leading industries; an expected £900 million increase in UK household wages as a result of the deal with Australia; an expected £200 million increase in household wages as a result of the deal with New Zealand; ambitious mobility provisions for UK professionals and young people; two trade deals fit for the 21st century, including the first animal welfare chapter in a free trade agreement; modern digital and data provisions, ready for the economy of the future; as a key part of the vision set out in the integrated review, a tilt to the Indo-Pacific, thus building on existing strong ties, including the Five Eyes partnership and recent AUKUS agreement, to deepen our relationships with key allies in the region; and, finally, two values-based deals, which deepen our relationship with like-minded democracies sharing our beliefs in fairness, free enterprise, high standards and the rule of law.

Our Australia and New Zealand trade deals illustrate modern partnerships, and they reflect what the New Zealand Trade Minister said when the New Zealand Parliament was debating the deal—namely, that the partnership between our countries is

“grounded in common traditions, experiences, and values, strengthened and maintained by deep people-to-people links and made relevant by a close cooperation across the entire spectrum of engagement: economic, health, science, sport, defence and security.”

To further showcase this partnership, I believe the Australian High Commissioner has joined us in the Public Gallery today.

Crucially, these agreements are a central element of our work to build a network of trade alliances with the world’s most dynamic economies. These deals represent another step towards our accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

This is a modern, flexible agreement, representing not an end point or a stop sign but a template for growth and deeper partnerships with two of our closest allies and key strategic partners. Importantly, it contains a series of important mechanisms to ensure that these agreements remain flexible and contemporary, including a joint committee to implement and operate the agreement and further sub-committees on intellectual property, services and investment, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and trade in goods. It also includes side letters and dialogues on implementing protections around geographic origins, financial services regulations, professional qualifications, telecommunications, legal services and, of course, a detailed series of mechanisms to manage our tariff rate quotas. These are highly flexible agreements. They allow us to build on them and make alterations as deemed appropriate.

This Bill represents a historic step towards realising this Government’s vision for a forward-looking, sovereign trade policy that delivers prosperity to our citizens. I have every confidence that noble Lords will recognise these immense opportunities. I beg to move.

January 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : From pensioners to teenagers, HMRC reveals who files a tax return [January 2023]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 12 January 2023.

HMRC has today revealed that more pensioners filed a tax return for the 2020 to 2021 tax year compared to young people.

Overall, those aged 65 and over accounted for 16% of individuals who submitted a tax return, whereas 16 to 24 year olds made up 2.7% of total filers.

The new data is part of analysis by HMRC into the demographic data of the Self Assessment population. The findings also show:
- people aged 45 to 54 were the largest group of filers, accounting for 24% of all tax returns submitted
- more than 294,000 16 to 24 year olds filed a return, making up 2.7% of total filers
- 62% of those who submitted a return last year were men, compared to 38% who were women
The data also showed that almost 146,000 people submitted their tax return at the earliest opportunity between 6 and 11 April 2021.

More than 12 million people are expected to file a Self Assessment tax return for the 2021 to 2022 tax year. Anyone yet to submit theirs has until 31 January to complete it, pay any tax owed or set up a payment plan, or risk having to pay a penalty.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

Time is running out for anyone who has yet to start their tax return – there is a wide range of guidance and webinars available online for those who need a helping hand. Just search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to make a start.

Payments are also due on 31 January and customers still have time to decide which payment option is best for them. For customers who are due a refund, they should include their bank account details in their tax return so that if HMRC needs to repay them, it can be done quickly and securely.
January 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of the Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Londonderry [January 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 January 2023.

The King is pleased to appoint Mr Ian Crowe MBE DL as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry to succeed Dr Angela Garvey who retired in March 2022.

Background

Mr Crowe is a local business man, now retired. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honours List for his committed service to the community of Northern Ireland, having supported numerous organisations such as Air Ambulance NI(AANI), Past President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, City of Derry Rugby Club and others in a voluntary capacity over the last forty years.

Mr Crowe has lived and worked in Northern Ireland since the beginning of his career, with his first leadership role as Captain of City of Derry Rugby 1st XV in 1978 a position he held for four years. Ian also represented Ulster between 1978 to 1985. On retirement from playing he served the club he derived so much enjoyment from in multiple roles as a Coach, Chairman, President, All Ireland league Referee and current Trustee of one of the oldest Rugby Clubs in Ireland. He has been leading CPC Office Supplies as Managing Director since 1984 and his success in business led to several non-executive roles in business and charity organisations.

He has dedicated himself to supporting organisations across Northern Ireland in sectors ranging from Sport, Peace and Reconciliation, Business and the Charity sector and cites the most notable achievement is being part of a team, including Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), who successfully delivered a fully operational Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) providing a lifesaving service for Northern Ireland.

In 2009, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry and Vice Lord-Lieutenant in 2021.

January 12, 2023
Stuart Andrew – 2023 Speech at UK Sport Event Partners Day

The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Sports Minister, on 12 January 2023.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today in my role as Minister for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society.

It is a special privilege to be the Minister responsible for sport, particularly at such an exciting time for the sector.

2022 was filled with incredible sporting events that are still fresh in the minds of the British public.

Who could forget the record-breaking Women’s Euros and that magical summer day at Wembley when England were crowned champions, inspiring millions with their iconic victory.

Despite the challenges of organising international sporting events during the pandemic, we delivered on the global stage, through the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, alongside other major sporting tournaments

I was also lucky enough to attend a number of matches during the ground-breaking Rugby League World Cup which took place in towns and cities across England.

The first Rugby League tournament to integrate the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments with great success.

And I was fortunate to attend the exciting World Gymnastics Championships last autumn which was hosted in the great city of Liverpool.

I strongly believe in the power of major sporting events.

They enrich the lives of people all across the country.

They bring people together.

They drive economic growth.

Enhance global Britain, and help ensure a lasting social impact and legacy through the world-class grassroots facilities that they leave behind for people of all backgrounds to enjoy.

That is why the Government remains committed to bringing the biggest and best sporting events in the world to this country.

I am hugely excited about what is to come in the months and years ahead for hosting major events in the UK.

For example, an unprecedented combined UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland later this year, a women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, and, of course, the prospect of a combined UK & Ireland bid for the UEFA EURO 2028 Championships.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank every person in the room today for the hard work, grit and determination that you have shown since this event was last convened in person in 2019.

I know how difficult the intervening period has been for the sport events sector and your resilience has been remarkable.

Your hard work in 2022 was rewarded with a phenomenal collection of events that brought great joy to the British public, and I cannot wait to work with you on what comes next.

I am now pleased to introduce Simon Morton, Deputy CEO and Director of Major Events at UK Sport.

Thank you again, and I hope you all have a very fulfilling and productive day.

January 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New breast cancer screening units to speed up diagnosis [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Health and Social Care on 12 January 2023.
- Government pledges additional £10 million to deliver 29 new breast cancer screening units and nearly 70 life-saving service upgrades to speed up diagnosis and treatment.
- The units will be directed to where they are most needed, increasing capacity to make sure people can get the care they need when they need it
- Upgrades to include ultrasound and X-rays to better detect cancer using new and improved software
Cancer diagnosis will be sped up for tens of thousands of women after the government pledged an additional £10 million to provide 29 new NHS breast cancer screening units and nearly 70 life-saving upgrades to services in areas where they are most needed.

The life-saving investment includes 16 new mobile breast screening units, 13 additional static units, 58 live remote access upgrades for existing units and 10 software upgrades to carry out ultrasounds and X-rays.

These new units and service upgrades will allow more women to be screened earlier improving outcomes for patients. Screening will be focused at sites where it is most needed, tackling health disparities and improving diagnosis rates in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

This investment will also help deliver a more accessible NHS where patients receive care close to home.

Minister of State for Health, Helen Whately, said:

Catching cancer early saves lives. Last year 100,000 people were diagnosed with cancer at stages one and two. This is the highest proportion on record but we want to do better still.

These breast cancer screening units will mean more people can get checked for cancer, closer to home.

Most people will get the reassurance of an all-clear but for those who are diagnosed, catching their cancer early is the best thing we can do – and gets them on the path to early treatment too.

The mobile units will be used flexibly to target areas which will most benefit from increased opportunities for screening and the static units will be placed in areas to improve accessibility, uptake and coverage.

Those areas with existing units will also benefit from upgrades to improve screening by using the latest technology, ensuring the best possible care for patients.

The funding is now in place for NHS trusts to spend within the 2022/23 financial year and the timing for delivery of units will be individual to each trust.

Steve Russell, NHS national director for screening and vaccinations, said:

Screening is vital in detecting breast cancer early and getting better outcomes for patients, and this further investment is great news for improving access to breast screening services for women across England.

This funding will help increase screening rates amongst women from communities and regions where uptake is lowest by improving facilities in both fixed and mobile locations, making it easier for more women to get checked, and we encourage anyone invited for a screening to take up their appointment without delay and help us catch cancers earlier when they are easier to treat.

The commitment to provide additional breast screening units was made in the Women’s Health Strategy published in July 2022 which is designed to improve equality of healthcare.

The government has also committed to improving diagnosis, treatment and survival rates as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. By 2028, the government has committed to 75% of people with cancer being diagnosed at stages 1 and 2, up from 55% and for 55,000 more people each year to survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.

Continued investment in mobile breast screening units is one of the best ways to increase capacity – screening saves around 1,300 women every year with around 21,000 cancers detected. This is why each year more than two million women have breast cancer screening in the UK.

Ciarán Norris, Head of Campaigns & Public Affairs at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

We welcome any intervention that helps to speed up diagnosis and improve access to cancer screening services, particularly in areas where they are most needed, as we know the earlier someone is diagnosed the better their outcome is likely to be.

Alongside this, we also look forward to working with the government on steps to grow and sustain the cancer workforce, to ensure our cancer services can provide timely treatment and care for everyone living with cancer, both now and in the future.

This government will continue to work with the NHS across cancer alliances, primary care networks and regional teams to increase the uptake of breast screening.

Alongside this, Breast Screening Offices (BSO) are running extra screening sessions to clear any remaining mammogram backlog, although a large number of services have recovered. The ‘NHS National Demand and Capacity Tool’ and NHS national round length planning tool have been developed and implemented to deliver better support and intervention so the best possible care can be given to patients.

We encourage people to check themselves and look out for any changes and if they are concerned, speak to their GP.
January 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK voices full support to 2023 OSCE Chair North Macedonia – UK statement to the OSCE [January 2023]

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

Bush stresses that the OSCE is now needed more than ever and reaffirms UK’s strong support to North Macedonia as incoming 2023 OSCE Chair.

Thank you, Mr Chair. On behalf of the UK, I warmly welcome you, Minister Osmani to the Permanent Council. Thank you for outlining the priorities for North Macedonia’s time as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office during 2023. We welcome your focus on people, on dialogue and on rebuilding trust.

The UK remains a strong supporter of the OSCE, of its institutions and of the principles and commitments which underpin its work. The OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security must remain at the organisation’s heart and form the basis of everything we do. In 2022 we met on an almost weekly basis to discuss the situation in Ukraine brought about by Russia’s illegal, premediated and unjustified invasion. Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine not only continues to pose the most serious threat to the OSCE area but also continues to blight the lives of Ukrainians caught up in the war.. This must command our full attention and we will continue to support the OSCE structures which contribute towards a peaceful resolution and to bringing accountability for the abuses the people of Ukraine have endured. The UK will offer unwavering support to Ukraine until it prevails – as it inevitably will.

We need and will need the OSCE more than ever. We note that vulnerable regions and progress towards peace will be topping your agenda and share your view that the OSCE’s versatile toolbox supports its unique role in early warning, conflict prevention and resolution. We continue to support efforts to ensure peaceful resolutions to the protracted conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, including through the valuable work of the Mission to Moldova. Field missions strengthen stability and governance in the OSCE region, including the Western Balkans and Central Asia and are a living representation of our shared OSCE principles and commitments.

Conventional arms control and confidence and security building measures remain crucial for security in the OSCE area. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown that the measures were not the issue, but that political will was. The UK remains committed to all confidence and security building measures, provided that all participating States fully abide by their commitments under international law, including the Helsinki Final Act and UN Charter.

Mr Chair – transnational threats, including transnational organised crime and cyber security, will remain security challenges in the OSCE area to which we need comprehensive, holistic responses. We also remain committed to strengthening economic resilience, through improved governance and cracking down on corruption which undermines our societies. Russia’s invasion has shown the interconnectedness of energy, food, infrastructure and climate to our collective security, and how the deliberate actions by one country can cause devastating ripples across the world. The UK supports the OSCE’s efforts to improve the region’s energy security and tackle climate change.

With democracy and human rights under attack in the OSCE region, we must continue to focus on the most egregious violations of our OSCE commitments using all available OSCE tools and mechanisms. The Moscow Mechanism has served us well in exposing abuses and violations. Recent events have shown that when a country fails to meet its domestic commitments, it sets the scene for external aggression. Your commitment to providing political support to the autonomous institutions will be invaluable to ensure that all participating States implement, and uphold, our human dimension commitments.

We share your determination to fight any kind of discrimination and intolerance. We look forward to continuing this work with you, including at the conference on anti-Semitism next month.

Your Excellency, in conclusion, the OSCE remains a critical multilateral institution for European and Euro-Atlantic security. As you said in Lodz, the OSCE needs to do its work as mandated and, as such, it is our duty to keep it fully functional and adequately funded. Agreement of the unified budget is essential to the smooth operation of the OSCE. Minister – At this vital time for our shared security, you can rely on the strong support of the UK as we collectively develop flexible solutions. We wish you and your very capable team here in Vienna all the best for your time as Chair-in-Office.

Thank you.

January 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK announces additional support for flood affected communities in Bangladesh [January 2023]

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

The United Kingdom is contributing an additional £500,000 (BDT 60.6 million) in humanitarian support to respond to last year’s flooding in the Sylhet region, in which 7.2m people were affected. Delivered by BRAC, this funding will provide water, shelter, livelihoods opportunities, and improved nutrition for people affected in Sunamganj, Sylhet.

UK Development Director in Bangladesh, Matt Cannell, said

“Last year’s devastating floods in the Sylhet region underline that Bangladesh remains vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This new funding provides vital water, nutrition, shelter and livelihoods opportunities to some of the worst affected communities in Sunamganj, Sylhet. The UK is proud to partner with BRAC to deliver this support.”

This new UK support will ensure safe water and shelter for nearly 1,000 affected households and restore livelihoods and food security for more than 5,000 affected households.

BRAC Executive Director, Asif Saleh, said

“The floods in northeastern Bangladesh, which affected over 7.2 million people in June 2022, were the worst to hit Bangladesh in the last two decades. They left a trail of destruction in nine districts, with Sunamganj being the worst affected. Significant efforts were undertaken to provide emergency response to meet immediate needs, but sustained humanitarian support is direly needed to help people recover and rebuild their lives. This partnership between the British High Commission and BRAC will be crucial in standing beside the people in Sunamganj and being a partner in their journey to build back better.”

January 12, 2023
David Rutley – 2023 Statement at the UN Security Council Meeting on Colombia

The statement made by David Rutley, the Minister for Americas and the Caribbean, at the UN Security Council on 11 January 2023.

Thank you President, Special Representative Massieu.

The UK Government remains committed to supporting the consolidation of peace in Colombia through the full implementation of the peace agreement with the FARC.

We welcome the Colombian Government’s commitment to implement the 2016 agreement as a fundamental part of its work to secure a broad and lasting peace.

We have been pleased to see renewed momentum over the past three months, including the government purchase of 3 million hectares from the Cattle Ranchers Association; the reactivation of the National Reintegration Council, and the concluding resolutions passed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

We welcome today’s Council’s decision to expand the mandate of the UN Verification Mission, to cover progress on the rural reform and ethnic chapters of the peace agreement. It is clear that progress on these two chapters is vital.

As the Secretary-General set out in his recent report, violence remains the greatest threat to the consolidation of peace in Colombia.

We welcome the decisive action taken by the Government to strengthen public security forces in new reintegration areas, and the Vice-President’s announcement of increased funding to safeguard women leaders and human rights defenders.

We share the Government’s concern about attacks on human rights defenders, environmental advocates, and other civil society activists. We are committed to tackling these threats together in order to secure a better future for the Colombian people. We also welcome the continued close cooperation between Colombia and its international partners on tackling drugs and organised crime.

In this context, we welcome Government-led efforts to secure a ceasefire, in order to reduce insecurity and alleviate the suffering of conflict-affected populations.

We also welcome Special Representative Massieu’s support for the Government’s ongoing dialogue with the ELN.

President, Colombia remains an example to the world of the transformative potential of dialogue and leadership. I’ve seen that commitment first-hand on a recent visit.

As the Colombian people seek to overcome the remaining barriers to a broad and lasting peace, the UK is proud to stand with them.

January 12, 2023