Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 4 November 2022.

• UK government launches COP26 Presidency outcomes document, celebrating the successes of the Glasgow summit and the UK’s COP Presidency year
• The report details the progress made to tackle emissions, mobilise finance and help those impacted by climate change and calls for further action ahead of COP27 in Egypt next week
• The launch will take place at Lancaster House with COP26 President Alok Sharma and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

COP26 President Alok Sharma will today [Friday 4 November] launch the UK’s COP26 Presidency Outcomes Document, as he joins the Prime Minister to host around 80 global business CEOs for an event at Lancaster House.

The new report, which comes as the UK prepares to hand over to Egypt next week, highlights progress made over the three years since the UK took on the Presidency of the COP. It also acknowledges that more needs to be done at COP27 and beyond to implement the commitments made at COP26.

Under the UK’s stewardship and during a global pandemic, COP26 brought together nearly 200 countries to forge the historic Glasgow Climate Pact. The Glasgow Climate Pact remains the blueprint for accelerating climate action this critical decade to keep 1.5°C in reach.

The report details key achievements across the UK Presidency’s four overarching goals of mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and finance and collaboration. Highlights include:
– Keeping 1.5 degrees alive: Over 90% of the world’s GDP, up from 30% when the UK took on the COP Presidency, is now covered by net zero commitments. More than 153 countries have now put forward new 2030 climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions.

• Increasing funding and launching UN work for dealing with climate impacts: record levels of finance to help countries adapt to the effects of climate change have been pledged to the Adaptation Fund and the Least Developed Country Fund under the UK Presidency. In addition at COP26, countries agreed to double 2019 levels of adaptation finance by 2025, the first quantified adaptation finance target.
• Accelerating unprecedented low-carbon transitions of industries such as transport and energy, with commitments covering power, coal, methane, fossil fuel financing, forests and land, transport and sectors, including the first ever agreement to coal phase down in a UN climate decision.
• Finalising the Paris Rulebook after 6 years of negotiations, which sets out the instructions and products needed to fully implement the Paris Agreement on climate change. These guidelines build confidence and transparency as countries deliver on their commitments to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

This progress has been achieved against the backdrop of an incredibly challenging geopolitical context, driven by Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine which has demonstrated the integral link between climate change, energy security and the vulnerability caused by our dependence on fossil fuels.

The UK’s Presidency has continued to drive action throughout this, working with countries, civil society organisations, and local communities to ensure that the commitments made in Glasgow are delivered to keep 1.5 alive.

Alok Sharma, COP26 President, said:

“The last three years have been a unique privilege and I have been inspired by the urgency and the ambition I have heard around the world.

“The decade ahead can be one where we pull back from the precipice of climate catastrophe and unlock a just and sustainable path to prosperity for billions of people around the world.

“To do this we must fully deliver on the promises made at COP26 and in the Glasgow Climate Pact.”

Mr Sharma will host members of the UN-backed international campaign Race to Zero at Lancaster House to consider how global business take forward the legacy of the COP26 UK Presidency and deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact, in his final engagement as COP President before COP27.

Before the reception at Lancaster House, the COP President will join His Majesty The King and the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace to mark the end of the UK’s COP26 Presidency and the beginning of Egypt’s Presidency of COP27.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 November 2022.

The Geospatial Commission has launched a Call for Evidence that urges stakeholders to contribute to the government’s evolving strategy to accelerate the UK’s use of location data.

In 2020, the Geospatial Commission published an ambitious five year strategy aimed at unlocking the value of location data and technology in the UK. The strategy committed to a mid-point refresh in order to remain relevant and focused in its priorities.

Location data already unlocks significant economic value and can address a multitude of challenges across sectors. We have seen the core geospatial ecosystem in the UK grow from £2 billion in 2009 to £6 billion in 2018, an average annual growth rate of 10% for that period.

Cabinet Office Minister, Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

Location data is driving economic growth and unlocking innovation – from the mapping of underground pipes and cables to drone-enabled deliveries. This Call for Evidence asks for your help to inform the UK’s priorities for location data in sectors across the economy

The Call for Evidence is the next step in the UK’s strategy development to allow the government to hear more about the latest geospatial market context: the challenges, proven successes and potential opportunities such as the role of location data in hybrid reality – the geoverse. Responses will help to define and update the strategy’s priorities, in alignment with the wider geospatial ecosystem as it matures.

The opportunities that come from geospatial tools and applications reach across the UK economy. The government therefore urges stakeholders from all industries to respond, to comment on opportunities and barriers for the use of location data.

Geospatial Commission Director, Thalia Baldwin, said:

Location data and technologies are fundamental to how our economy and society functions today. They provide live information for individuals on travel, exercise and deliveries, and support long term decisions for organisations on where to invest and build, such as electric vehicle charge-points. Demand is increasing and innovative applications of location data are vast. We welcome your ideas.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 October 2022.

Compensation will not be taxed or be subject to NI deductions and will be made UK-wide, delivering on the government’s commitment to meet interim recommendations of the inquiry.

Thousands of victims of the historic infected blood scandal, which occurred in the 70’s and 80’s, are being contacted this week to confirm that interim compensation payments will be made by the end of October.

The payments deliver the government’s commitment to meet, in full, the recommendations set out by infected blood inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff in his interim report.

Infected individuals and bereaved partners who are registered with any of the four UK infected blood support schemes will receive letters this week confirming the £100,000 alongside details of how the money will be paid.

This follows confirmation that payments will not be subject to any tax or national insurance deductions. Neither will they affect any financial benefits support an individual is receiving.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadhim Zahawi, said:

I know from my own discussions with constituents who are victims of the infected blood scandal just how traumatic their heart-breaking experiences have been and I was proud to campaign as an MP on their behalf and continue that work as a government minister.

No level of compensation will ever make up for the appalling treatment and circumstances that those affected by this scandal and their families have had to endure, but I hope that these interim payments go some way to demonstrate that we are, and always will be, on their side.

Minister of State for Health, Will Quince, said:

“The infected blood tragedy should never have happened. That’s why we’ve accepted Sir Brian Langstaff’s interim recommendations in full to help right this historic wrong for the thousands of people infected and bereaved partners left behind.

It’s right these interim compensation payments are being made as quickly as possible and I want to thank NHSBSA and the other UK scheme administrators for their relentless work on this. We’re continuing to listen and will be looking closely at any further recommendations as the Inquiry concludes.”

The interim compensation payments will build on the support to those affected by the scandal already provided by the four UK infected blood support schemes.

The Government will respond to any further recommendations made by the Infected Blood Inquiry and its Chair Sir Brian Langstaff when the Inquiry concludes next year.

These interim compensation payments are expected to reach c.£400 million for the whole UK, with agreement also reached for payments to be made through schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as those in England.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 October 2022.

• Alok Sharma to address audience at Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. on Friday 14 October, with last keynote speech before COP27
• Mr Sharma will urge global institutions to urgently adapt and ensure tackling the climate crisis is a fundamental part of their overall purpose
• Address follows Mr Sharma’s engagements at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings this week

COP26 President Alok Sharma will today (Friday 14 October, 2022) deliver a major keynote address at the Wilson Center think-tank in Washington, D.C., outlining key climate finance priorities ahead of COP27 next month.

Mr Sharma is expected to address how the international system – including multilateral development banks, businesses, central banks, finance ministries and regulators – must reform to support faster climate action in line with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, which was agreed by nearly 200 countries at COP26 last year.

Mr Sharma is expected to say: “The world is recognising that we cannot tackle the defining challenge of this century, with institutions defined by the last.

“We have to incentivise every aspect of the international system to recognise the systemic risk of climate change, and to make managing it effectively its central task,” he will add.

The COP26 President is also expected to echo a “compelling call for an overhaul of our global financial architecture” as set out in the Bridgetown Agenda by the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

Mr. Sharma will say that multilateral institutions of today were not set up with the purpose of tackling an existential climate crisis and that “climate must be at the very heart of what they do, and they must do more to lead on this agenda.

“The world cannot afford for such institutions to be cautious in how their considerable climate resources are deployed. That, I think, is a matter of social justice as well as environmental security.”

Speaking to an audience of policy, finance and business representatives, with just three weeks remaining until the start of COP27, Mr Sharma will also reflect on the legacy of COP26 and the UK’s Presidency.

“It will soon be time for Egypt to pick up the baton. I want COP27 to build on the success of COP26, just as COP26 built on COP25, and COP24 before that,” he will say.

Mr. Sharma will say that this momentum has been challenged by competing priorities governments have faced this year, but will also emphasise these priorities cannot be tackled in isolation or distract from the net zero transition. The COP President will also recognise that despite progress during the UK Presidency year, including 24 new Nationally Determined Contributions, countries are not on track to deliver the full promise of the Glasgow Climate Pact.

He will conclude by urging all Parties to arrive in Egypt with the same spirit of urgency, collaboration and compromise that underpinned the success of COP26 in Glasgow. As the impacts of climate change become more extreme and spiral, this will include addressing core issues like loss and damage.

Mr. Sharma will call on countries to tackle loss and damage by building “on our collective progress at COP26” but “go further still.” He will also confirm that the UK believes it is right that there is a new agenda item on this issue.

The event is hosted by the Wilson Center, in partnership with the British Embassy, Washington D.C.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 12 October 2022.

A new National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has been established with responsibility for driving an ambitious UK science and technology strategy.

The NSTC will double down its efforts to create a UK science and technology system that will be a sustained engine for future economic growth, prosperity and security.

The NSTC will be chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as deputy chair. It will deliver a plan to harness science and technology to support economic growth and the UK’s position on the geopolitical stage, sending a clear signal to the sector about the government’s priorities in this area.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 11 October 2022.

The COP26 President will travel to Washington, D.C. this week to push for greater action on climate finance progress ahead of COP27

Mr. Sharma will urge multilateral institutions to extend their support for developing countries as they accelerate the move towards clean energy and away from coal

After the Annual Meetings the COP President will travel to Seattle to attend the Breakthrough Energy Summit and meet with US business leaders

COP26 President Alok Sharma will travel to Washington, D.C. from 12 to 15 October, to attend the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings.

With just weeks to go until COP27, Mr. Sharma will meet with senior representatives from multilateral development banks, finance ministers, private finance and civil society to urge them to turn climate finance promises made in the historic Glasgow Climate Pact into action. This will include pushing for further support from these institutions on Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), the country-led initiative that aims to support developing countries’ transition away from coal or other fossil fuels to renewable energy.

While there, the COP26 President will also deliver a major keynote address at the Wilson Center think-tank, outlining key climate finance priorities ahead of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, next month.

In the speech, which will be his last in the role as COP President, Mr. Sharma will also address how the international system can support faster action in line with the Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact – as agreed by nearly 200 countries at COP26 last year. The speech will be available to watch online via the Wilson Center website at 3pm BST / 10am EDT on Friday, 14 October.

Alok Sharma, COP26 President, said:

“With less than a month to go until COP27, this week’s Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. are a critical moment for multilateral institutions to refocus their support for the many developing countries that are facing the devastating impacts of climate change.

“Against the backdrop of ongoing global energy security challenges, organisations like the IMF and World Bank must do all they can to help developing countries move further and faster in tackling climate change, to support resilient economies powered by clean, renewable energy systems.

“This includes extending support for Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), country-led partnerships supported by G7 nations that will help decarbonise economies and accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.”

During the Annual Meetings, the COP President will attend a roundtable on financing the energy transition with ministers from developing countries, address the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action on how climate finance can become more accessible, host a JETP roundtable with civil society and also attend a Sustainable Markets Initiative discussion, which will focus on how multilateral institutions are contributing to global mitigation efforts and key challenges on the road to COP27.

The COP26 President will then travel on to Seattle from 16 to 18 October, where he will attend the Breakthrough Energy Summit, a coalition of private investors established by Bill Gates in 2015, to highlight the importance of energy innovation opportunities in emerging markets and best practices for unlocking and accelerating deployment of clean technologies.

During his time in Seattle, Mr. Sharma will meet with business leaders from the tech and transport sectors to discuss the latest progress on their climate goals in line with the Glasgow Climate Pact. Mr. Sharma will also meet with officials, academic institutions, businesses and tribal leaders involved in tackling Washington State’s recent wildfires to hear how the State is managing adaptation and resilience in the wake of the worsening effects of climate change.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 October 2022.

COP26 President Alok Sharma will travel to Kenya from 5-7 October, following his attendance at Pre-COP in the DRC.

Mr Sharma will meet newly-elected President Ruto and cabinet ministers to discuss Kenya’s continued climate leadership ahead of COP27

The COP President will visit wind and geothermal sites contributing to Kenya’s clean energy transition

Mr Sharma will also meet with youth, civil society and private finance representatives to discuss local implementation of policies that honour the Glasgow Climate Pact

COP26 President Alok Sharma will travel to Kenya from 5-7 October, following his attendance at Pre-COP in the DRC. The visit is an opportunity to engage with the new Kenyan administration on its commitment to maintain global climate leadership, and make a final call ahead of COP27 for countries to honour the Glasgow Climate Pact by accelerating their own clean energy transitions.

On his third visit to the country, Mr Sharma will spotlight key progress being made in this sector towards limiting global temperature rises to below 1.5 degrees. He will encourage President Ruto and his senior ministers to help build momentum for further change ahead of COP27 in the face of challenging global circumstances.

The COP President will travel to several renewable energy generation sites around Nairobi including Ngong Hills Wind Farm and Olkaria Geothermal Power Station, which has grown to the largest geothermal facility in Africa since being seed funded

by the UK Government in 1981. He will highlight this infrastructure as a model of how other countries can deploy renewables.

While in Nairobi, Mr Sharma will attend a roundtable with youth climate leaders and members of civil society to hear about how climate policy can be transformed into impactful local action.

The COP President will also engage with key figures in Kenyan finance at a climate finance event to understand how private capital is being mobilised in the country to combat climate change through green bonds, carbon credits, and climate-related financial disclosures.

Alok Sharma, COP26 President, said:

“Kenya continues to set an example to the rest of the African continent and the world, demonstrating an appetite to pursue green economic growth and achieve a just, renewable energy transition.

“I am pleased to see President Ruto reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to transition to 100% clean energy by 2030, and look forward to the positive impact this will have on growth, jobs and access to energy.

“But the drought currently afflicting this country is a stark reminder that, in order to save and safeguard lives from the devastating impacts of climate change, we must all redouble our efforts to go further and faster in delivering on the promises of the Glasgow Climate Pact.”

After his visit to Kenya, the COP26 President will travel to Washington DC to attend the 2022 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) from 14-16 October.

 

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 3 October 2022.

Elizabeth Walmsley, Stephen Cohen, Christopher Pilgrim and Atul Devani have been appointed as Commissioners as part of the Civil Service Commission.

Together they bring valuable skills and experience from both public and private sector backgrounds.

The Civil Service Commission is an independent statutory body that oversees appointments to the Civil Service, ensuring that they are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Commissioners also promote and hear appeals brought under the Civil Service Code.

The new Civil Service Commissioners have been appointed after an open competition which took place in 2022.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadim Zahawi said:

I would like to congratulate the four new commissioners on their appointments. They bring a variety of expertise that will help ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition, helping safeguard an impartial Civil Service.

Baroness Gisela Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, said:

I am delighted that Atul, Christopher, Elizabeth and Stephen will be joining our board of Civil Service Commissioners. Their extensive experience and expertise from leadership roles and boards in other sectors will enrich the Commission’s work both as an independent regulator of recruitment into the Civil Service and in hearing complaints under the Civil Service Code. I look forward to working with them as Commissioners, helping to ensure we have an effective Civil Service, appointed on merit, to develop and deliver government services across the country.

The new Commissioners announced today join the Commission from 3 October 2022 for a 5 year non-renewable term. Commissioners work part-time, typically between 4 and 8 days a month.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 3 October 2022.

Veterans of Britain’s nuclear testing programme have “played a crucial role in keeping Britain and our NATO Allies safe and secure”, Minister of Veterans Affairs James Heappey has said.

His comments come 70 years to the day since Britain first tested an atomic weapon. The veterans who participated in the United Kingdom’s nuclear test programme, known as Op Hurricane, made the UK the third nuclear power and contributed to achieving the ultimate guarantee of UK sovereignty, and continues to keep us safe today.

To further recognise the contribution of veterans of Britain’s nuclear tests, the government is investing £450,000 into projects which will commemorate and build further understanding of the experiences of veterans who were deployed to Australasia. The Government will host an event to recognise the contribution of nuclear test veterans later this year.

Minister for Armed Forces and Veterans James Heappey said:

Veterans who supported the creation of our nuclear deterrent have played a crucial role in keeping Britain and our NATO Allies safe and secure.

Their sacrifice contributed to achieving the ultimate guarantee of UK sovereignty and they forever have this nation’s gratitude.

In the year of the seventieth anniversary of Op Hurricane, I look forward to commemorating the incredible service and efforts of our veterans.

As part of this year’s commemoration, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs will launch a £250,000 oral history project to chronicle the voices and experiences of those who supported the UK’s effort to develop a nuclear deterrent.

The aim of this will be to create a digitised oral record of the experiences of nuclear test veterans which can be preserved for posterity. The project will expand the existing historical records to focus on the lived experience of nuclear test veterans, and can be used for exhibitions and educational resources in the future. Academic and cultural institutions will be able to apply for funding through an open competition to support the oral history project, with funding available from April 2023.

Charities will also be able to bid for a portion of a seperate £200,000 fund, to support activities for nuclear test veterans, and educate the public on the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrence efforts.

The government sponsored event to mark the 70th anniversary will provide an opportunity to bring together veterans, their families, representative groups and parliamentarians to celebrate the unique and significant contributions of those involved in testing and developing our nuclear deterrent.

The Prime Minister has previously spoken about the importance of recognising the sacrifice made by veterans, including by considering the case for medallic recognition. This case is being actively considered and any decisions will be made public in due course.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 October 2022.

• The pre-COP meeting in Kinshasa, hosted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt, is the final formal multilateral opportunity for ministers to shape climate negotiations ahead of COP27 in November
• The COP President will represent the UK at the meeting to lay the foundations for a successful COP27 in Egypt that strengthens global climate commitments and builds on COP26
• He will also highlight the importance of the Congo Basin rainforest as the Earth’s most efficient carbon sink, as he calls on countries to honour their COP 26 promises to halt and reverse forest loss, whilst supporting sustainable development

COP President Alok Sharma will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for pre-COP, which runs from 3-5 October. Pre-COP is the annual preparatory meeting ahead of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP).  Ahead of COP27 in Egypt, the COP President will continue to work alongside Ministers to build the foundations for successful negotiations at COP27 and progress on adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage and finance.

This year’s pre-COP is being held in Kinshasa, the first time in six years that the event has been held in Africa. The DRC is home to the largest proportion of the Congo Basin forest, which is the world’s second largest tropical rainforest region and part of the solution to climate change.

At COP26 in Glasgow, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon announced a donor pledge from 12 donors of $1.5 billion for the Congo Basin forests over 2021-25. Whilst in Kinshasa, the COP President will give an update on the progress of the pledge, ahead of its formal reporting on the Pledge at COP27.

This pledge will protect and maintain the Congo Basin forests, peatlands and other critical global carbon stores whilst meeting local sustainable economic development needs.

The COP26 Presidency recently invited world leaders to come together at COP27 to establish the Forests & Climate Leaders Partnership. This new Partnership will accelerate implementation of the unprecedented commitment made at COP26 by more than 140 countries to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation, while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.

Pre-COP will be the last time that ministers collectively gather ahead of COP27.

COP President Alok Sharma said:

“With just over a month to go until COP27, discussions here in the DRC take on an ever greater urgency.

“As the impacts of climate change become more extreme, the focus must remain on implementation and action – driving progress on what was collectively agreed in Glasgow. And we should be clear: the Glasgow Climate Pact and Paris Agreement must be the baseline of our ambition.

“Our hosts the DRC are the primary stewards of the second largest forest in the world. Forests are the lungs of our planet, absorbing one third of the CO2 which fossil fuel burning releases every year.

“COP26 laid the groundwork for more ambitious action, with more than 140 leaders committing to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. COP27 must be a moment for delivering on these commitments made to protect and restore forests.”