Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 9 October 2023.

100 regeneration projects will support thousands of new jobs and boost communities.

• 100 regeneration projects will support thousands of new jobs and boost communities.
• Second phase of £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund will unlock sites as part of the long-term plan for housing.
• Government on track to meet manifesto commitment of one million new homes this Parliament.

More than 6,000 new homes will be built on brownfield sites, through money given to councils to transform unused land into beautiful and thriving neighbourhoods.

Across the country, from Hull to Somerset, nearly 100 regeneration projects will receive £60 million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The investment is part of the second phase of the £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund, with cash going directly to councils so they can release the land and get building as soon as possible.

Derelict car parks, industrial sites and town centre buildings that have fallen into disrepair will all benefit from the new funding, with the Government supporting communities to bring land back into use.

The Government has been clear it has a brownfield-first approach to building the homes this country needs through its long-term plan for housing and today’s announcement will help deliver that.

Minister for Housing and Planning, Rachel Maclean MP said:

We know we need to build more homes, but this cannot come at the expense of concreting over our precious countryside.

That is why we are doing all we can to make sure we’re making use of wasteland and unused brownfield land, so we can turn these eyesores into beautiful and thriving communities.

This is all part of our long-term plan for housing – making sure we deliver the homes we need across the country.

Cabinet Office Minister, Alex Burghart MP:

This funding will unleash the much-needed redevelopment of brownfield sites: stimulating growth and helping local areas reach their full potential.

It’s fantastic news for business, and even better news for local people who will now see new investment, job opportunities, and family homes in their communities.”

Projects that will benefit from the scheme include:

• Newcastle: £1.82 million to boost wider regeneration by releasing a complex site to deliver 146 build-to-rent homes for communities in Benwell and Scotswood.
• Hull: delivering 99 new homes for affordable rent on the site of a derelict school, backed by £980,000 Government funding to purchase the land as part of the city centre regeneration.
• Sunderland: turning a former riverside industrial site that has been unused for over 20 years into 140 low-carbon build to rent homes at Farringdon Row, with £1.8 million for Sunderland Council to kick-start the project.

Councillor Shaun Davies, Chair of the Local Government Association, said:

We are delighted to continue our work with DLUHC, supporting councils to access the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

Councils have continued to embrace opportunities to bring brownfield sites in their ownership forward for housing, and this fund plays a key role in helping councils to provide the types of homes their communities really need.

This builds on the success of the first round of Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, where funding is enabling the release of land for almost 2,400 homes.

To date, the fund is supporting at least 89 local authorities, over 160 projects, and providing almost £100 million to support councils to release land for almost 8,600 homes. At the same time, the £1 billion Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund will unlock up to 65,000 new homes across England.

The next round of funding through Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 will be announced later this year.

The fund is part of the Government’s long-term plan for housing, setting out how it will deliver its manifesto commitment of 1 million homes over this Parliament. This is backed by £10 billion in housing supply interventions announced over this Parliament.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 October 2023.

There are hundreds of public institutions in the UK, from museums and galleries to the NHS, national parks and regulators. They need exceptional people to steer them and make decisions that benefit society.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 29 September 2023.

A new £2.52 million Veterans’ Mobility Fund (VMF) is set to provide veterans across the UK with mobility equipment to improve their quality of life.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.

• Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer has visited a MOD printing facility at HMS Sultan in Gosport
• Government has invested £3m to scale up production of HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards to 50,000 cards a month
• Thousands of veterans will be able to apply for an ID card this year, with new option to apply online

Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.

The ID card will allow veterans to quickly and easily prove their veteran status where required, granting them simpler access to key support from the NHS, charities and local authorities. They can also be used to apply for Defence Discount Service Cards and the Veterans Railcard.

Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer visited a facility in Gosport today to see progress made on the ID card rollout, and met with veterans who are already benefiting from the scheme.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Rt Hon. Johnny Mercer MP said:

Veteran cards provide ex-service men and women with a tangible connection to the important contributions they have made to the defence of our nation.

We are honouring our commitment to getting ID cards into the hands of veterans by the end of the year so that they can more easily access support.

The veterans I met today are excited about the benefits on offer – benefits which will only continue to grow for them over the coming years as civilians.

Since December 2018, the MOD has been automatically issuing all service leavers with a physical veterans’ card as part of their service leavers pack. When the service opens up later this year, veterans – including all those who left service before 2018 – will be able to apply for a new ID card.

As of July 2023, 71,000 veterans’ cards have already been issued for those who left after 2018. Production will soon start to ramp up to 50,000 cards a month for those who left before that.

Lt Gen Sir Nicholas Pope, Chair of Cobseo, the Confederation of Service Charities said:

Veterans who need timely help, either from the state or from the charity sector, are often frustrated by delays in confirming their status. Veterans’ ID cards provide a significant step forward in speeding up this process and we look forward to supporting their delivery to the entire veteran community.

In the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan (2022-2024) the government committed to exploring the secure, digital verification of veterans’ status, allowing veterans to access a wider range of government services, as well as speeding up Phase 2 of the rollout of ID cards.

With around 2.2 million veterans in the UK, the government has made a £3 million investment to build the technology and processes to deal with large volumes of card applications accurately and securely. This includes testing the online application process with 4,000 veterans to refine the system.

The launch date for this service will be announced by the end of the year. A paper-based application process will also be made available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has been leading government efforts to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. This includes launching Op FORTITUDE, a new housing pathway earlier this year, and providing medallic recognition to nuclear test veterans.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

2,500 ambitious tech talents will be recruited into digital roles in government by June 2025 through new apprenticeship and early talent programmes, the Cabinet Office has announced today.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

Professionals in the North of England have been urged to apply for senior public sector roles in a bid to increase the regional diversity of the UK’s top public sector appointments and level up the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, came to Darlington on Thursday 28 September to speak to local professionals about applying for public sector appointments which govern over 300 public institutions in the UK.

There is a wide variety of public appointments, from those at local levels, monitoring the operation of national parks or flood defences, to others that help steer the direction of well-known national institutions like the NHS and some of the country’s largest museums.

Over 50 local professionals signed up to attend the event at the Darlington Economic Campus, in one of the Government’s Places for Growth locations, hosted by the Cabinet Office.

As of September 2023, the Government has nearly 50 public sector appointments available across a range of sectors. The vast majority of these roles can be carried out from anywhere in the UK.

Current roles on offer include: Board Members of Natural England; Non-Executive Directors of Homes England; Members of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales; Non-Executive Director of the Insolvency Service; and Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body.

These appointments are typically part-time, requiring varying time commitments of a few days a year, several days a month or just 2 to 3 days per week.

Speaking at the event, Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

“Public appointees get the chance to improve vital public services, get more involved with their communities, work with a wide range of talented people and make a difference to society. They are extremely rewarding roles and can help accelerate people’s careers.

“People from all backgrounds and areas are essential to govern our public institutions in a way that works for the whole of the UK.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone who attended the event today and would strongly encourage them to consider applying for a public appointment.”

The Minister was joined at the event by Elizabeth Passey, Chair of The Rural Payments Agency, and past Board Member of The National Lottery Community Fund. Elizabeth was appointed as Chair of the Rural Payments Agency by the Government in 2018, and to the Board of the National Lottery Community Fund in 2014. She has a number of years’ experience in the financial services, public, university, conservation, rural charities and leisure sectors.

Also speaking at the event, Elizabeth said:

“I would offer enormous encouragement to anyone considering a role on a Public Board. The wide diversity of the UK is reflected across these entities, and the roles require local, national and, occasionally, international insight coupled with a large dose of common sense.

“These are skills which so many people acquire during their lives and have the potential to share via a public board, but perhaps don’t think to do so. They are hugely inspiring roles with the potential to help the many many lives which these entities serve. I would encourage anyone to consider what they can offer.”

This event is the first in a series of events to encourage local professionals to apply for public appointments. Subsequent events are planned in Exeter and Edinburgh.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 25 September 2023.

The government’s levelling up programme is moving further ahead today, with land for the permanent site of the new Darlington Economic Campus being purchased.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 September 2023.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority saved taxpayers £311 million in its first year of operation, according to figures revealed by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister for the Cabinet Office, at a meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum this week.

• The Public Sector Fraud Authority has far exceeded its £180m target, saving taxpayers £311 million in its first year
• The savings come from counter fraud schemes designed to prevent, identify, and recover fraud in the public sector
• Baroness Neville-Rolfe revealed the “big win for taxpayers” at a meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum, held this week in London

The Public Sector Fraud Authority saved taxpayers £311 million in its first year of operation, according to figures revealed by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister for the Cabinet Office, at a meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum this week. The figure far exceeds the original savings target of £180 million set when the authority launched last year.

The £311 million figure is made up of a variety of projects led by the Public Sector Fraud Authority that help public sector organisations prevent, identify, and recover public money lost to fraud, including:

• the use of advanced artificial intelligence and data analytics through partnerships with leading private sector businesses, such as the tech unicorn Quantexa;
• the National Fraud Initiative, which is an exercise that works with more than 1000 public bodies to compare sets of data against other records to identify discrepancies that may be evidence of fraud;
• and counter fraud flags, which refers to instances when we share intelligence with lenders to help them recover stolen money.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the creation of the Public Sector Fraud Authority while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March 2022. Following intensive joint working between the Cabinet Office and the Treasury, the authority launched just five months later in August 2022.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe revealed how much the new authority had saved during its first year at a meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum, which was hosted by the UK Government this week at venues across London. The figure will be officially published shortly in the Public Sector Fraud Authority’s first annual report.

The International Public Sector Fraud Forum was first convened by the UK Government in 2018. It aims to share best practice to help combat public sector fraud in the Five Eyes – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The UK Government has hosted an in person meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum four times. This week marked the first meeting since the pandemic and was attended by delegates from government agencies and law enforcement across the Five Eyes.

Approximately 70 delegates, made up of international experts and domestic counter fraud professionals from across the public sector, attended a keynote address by Baroness Neville-Rolfe at the Imperial War Museum on Thursday.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said:

The £311 million saving is a big win for taxpayers. It shows the Public Sector Fraud Authority is delivering its mission to transform the way we fight fraud. Every pound stolen by fraudsters is one pound less spent on schools, hospitals, and other vital public services.

It was fitting to reveal the achievement at a meeting of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum. The Five Eyes has a proud history of working together to tackle big challenges and fraud is no exception. Led by the UK Government and the Public Sector Fraud Authority, our allies are setting the gold standard in the field of counter fraud.

Mark Cheeseman OBE, Chief Executive of the Public Sector Fraud Authority, said:

The Public Sector Fraud Authority was created to take action on fraud, and our results in our first year show our commitment to that. The close relationship we have with our international partners has been integral to this. Together we can have a bigger impact on those who attack our public services for their own gain.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 18 September 2023.

The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration’s final report on how the Covid pandemic should be remembered across the UK has been published.

The Commission has made 10 recommendations to the Government on how to make sure the events of the pandemic and the experiences we all went through are not forgotten.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will now work with other government departments and the Devolved Administrations to consider carefully the Commission’s wide-ranging recommendations and respond in due course.

The Commission’s recommendations include preserving existing memorials, including the National Covid Memorial Wall in central London, holding a national day of reflection every year and identifying green spaces across the UK to serve as Covid memorial spaces.

The Chair of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, Nicky Morgan, said:

The Covid pandemic changed the lives of everyone across the UK and its impact is still felt very deeply by those who lost loved ones and those who are still suffering from the effect of the virus.

That’s why it is so important that we don’t let this vitally important period in our history be forgotten and we hope our recommendations will mean that the loved ones we have lost and the sacrifices made by so many during the pandemic will be remembered for years to come.

The Commission made their recommendations following a period of public consultation which saw thousands of people from across the UK give their views on how the pandemic should be remembered.

Groups consulted included bereaved families, young people, the scientific community and the social care, transport and retail sectors.

The Commission has also recommended that a national symbol be created to represent the pandemic, and a Covid commemoration website be set up to promote the proposed day of reflection and provide details of local memorials.

Cabinet Office Minister, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, said:

It is right that we mark the extraordinary sacrifices made during the pandemic and continue to recognise the contributions of all those who helped shape the UK’s response. I want to thank the Commissioners and the Chair for their important work.

Communities across the UK have already started to find ways of commemorating those unprecedented times, and the Government looks forward to considering the Commission’s wide-ranging recommendations and how we may support these efforts going forward.

Education also sits at the heart of the Commission’s recommendations, with the suggestion that schools and colleges teach future generations about the pandemic, highlighting people’s experiences, the role of science and the importance of a resilient society. Oral histories would also continue to be collected from groups including bereaved families, frontline workers, volunteers, the scientific community and young people.

Further recommendations include creating a funding scheme for local authorities to establish commemorative spaces in existing parks or green spaces, the creation of a specific body to coordinate a day of reflection and other Covid commemoration activities, and the development of a postdoctoral fellowship to enable researchers to support preparedness for risks posed by natural hazards.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

The impact of Covid will never be forgotten and we must find a fitting way to remember and reflect on the pandemic for generations to come.

The Commission has made a number of valuable recommendations and my department will now consider the best ways to commemorate this unprecedented period in our history.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 14 September 2023.

The UK’s leadership in the responsible use of engineering biology will be driven forward by the first-ever meeting of the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council.

The UK’s global leadership in the safe and responsible use of engineering biology will be driven forward by the first-ever meeting of the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council, bringing together some of the UK’s brightest minds from the worlds of science, research and business today (Thursday 14 September).

Engineering biology is one of the most exciting new frontiers in science. It describes the application of rigorous engineering principles to biology, enabling the construction of new or redesigned biological systems, such as cells or proteins. It has the potential to change the way we grow food, create medical treatments and produce the sustainable fuel we need to run our cars, homes and offices.

The UK Biosecurity Leadership Council, which meets for the first time today, will help shape the way advances in engineering biology are governed, to guard against potential risks whilst ensuring the UK’s world-leading biology, health and life science innovators are supported to explore, invent, and continue to thrive. Engineering biology is one of the 5 critical technologies, which are all being nurtured by a single government department for the first time because of their strategic importance to the future prosperity and security of the UK. The UK’s engineering biology sector has the potential to grow at tremendous speed, driving forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy.

The council will include representatives from top Universities like Kings College London and Cambridge, leaders from companies such as GSK, Deepmind, AstraZeneca and Oxford Nanopore, and stakeholder groups including the UK Bioindustry Association, and the Centre for Long-Term Resilience.

Ahead of chairing the council’s inaugural meeting, George Freeman, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said:

As we end reliance on fossil fuels for our energy, we also open up huge markets for new bioscience alternatives to hydrocarbon based bio-manufacturing: from harnessing bugs to convert waste into new biofuels to seaweed replacement of plastic. From industrial chemicals, to agrifood, to medicines manufacturing, the UK is pioneering a new bioeconomy. That is why we have made engineering biology one of our five key strategic technologies over the next decade.

We are on the cusp of an engineering biology revolution, from therapies for previously untreatable illnesses to entirely new ways of recycling. This is an opportunity the UK is primed to capitalise on, whether by our world-leading expertise in life sciences or through the more than £170 million the government is investing in the field.

We are already seeing how this new sector can benefit our economy, with the UK founding more biotech companies than anywhere else in Europe. To make sure this position of strength delivers jobs, growth, and a better quality of life for all, now is the time for us to set the pace globally on how this new sector will be governed, empowering responsible innovation in the UK and worldwide.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, said:

The Biosecurity Leadership Council brings together experts from our world-leading life sciences and biotechnology sectors here in the UK – vital in making sure we continue to drive scientific breakthroughs and manage biosecurity risks effectively.

The inaugural meeting today shows we are already delivering on the Biological Security Strategy I announced just a few months ago, and that we are committed to keeping the public safe from bio-threats and maximising the benefits from our thriving life sciences industry.

To begin with, the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council will support work on how the responsible development of DNA-based technology should be governed. Members of the council will help ministers and officials build their understanding of how industry-changing tools like AI and new techniques for engineering DNA are being used, the potential risks they pose, and how those can be mitigated in a practical and proportional way.

Establishing the council was one of the objectives on the UK Biological Security Strategy, published in June, which sets out the government’s overall plan to build our national resilience to future biological threats, whilst establishing the UK as a world leader in responsible innovation.

Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA), said:

Engineering biology has great potential and the diverse applications, making it a decisive force in tackling our world’s biggest challenges, from climate change to environmental degradation and feeding the growing global population.

UK biotech companies have long understood the power that lies in combining biology with modern technology, driving our world-class life sciences sector and leading advances in developing novel therapeutics and cell and gene therapies, and creating vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Our long-standing expertise and experience means the UK is well placed to safely and responsibly unlock the engineering biology revolution.

Sophie Rose, Senior Biosecurity Policy Advisor at the Centre for Long-Term Resilience, said:

We praise the government’s commitment to ensuring the UK set the example for empowering responsible innovation across emerging technology sectors, which is particularly crucial as life sciences and artificial intelligence advance at rapid paces.

The Biosecurity Leadership Council is a great starting point to ensure that a wide range of relevant external expertise is readily available to address both acute and chronic biological risks.

The government is continuing to develop wider policy to support the huge potential of the UK’s engineering biology sector, and a call for evidence is still open until the end of September. Further to this, the latest in a series of roundtables is being hosted by Ministers today, bringing science leaders and businesses from across the country together with policymakers to look at how engineering biology can boost the UK’s chemicals and materials industries.

Notes to editors

The UK is Europe’s leading biotech hub for breakthrough life-sciences start-ups and ranks fourth on the Global Innovation Index, presenting opportunities for future trade and prosperity across the UK. Our academic institutions are world leading and our strengths in biotechnology and engineering biology are ideally placed to support the UK’s ambitions as a science superpower.

The UK is a leader in engineering biology thanks in part to early, forward-thinking investment by the government over the last decade. This includes more than £100 million being invested through UK Research & Innovation’s Synthetic Biology for Growth programme.

A further £73 million is being invested into Engineering Biology Missions Hubs and Mission Awards that will build on our country’s reputation as a hub of innovation in the field.

The UK has clusters of strength in engineering biology across the country, stretching from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Bristol and Norwich.