Tag: Cabinet Office

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.”

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 30 September 2022.

• The Great Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign (GREAT) is the UK’s flagship international marketing programme.
• GREAT’s ‘Study UK’ campaign is set to generate £407m of investment right across the UK, from international students registered in 2021/22.
• Students from 121 countries around the world have been attracted to UK universities by the campaign; driving impressive growth for local economies.

International students attracted to UK universities by the GREAT ‘Study UK’ campaign and enrolled in 2021/22 will generate £407m for the economy during the course of their degrees.

The campaign, delivered in partnership with the British Council, uses a combination of marketing channels and scholarship opportunities to promote the quality and opportunities of UK higher education to students worldwide; highlighting reasons why the UK is a first-choice study destination.

Across the four nations, the estimated economic benefit of international students attracted to the UK by the GREAT campaign is:

• England £339.1m
• Scotland £44.4m
• Wales £18.4m
• Northern Ireland £5.1m

The campaign supports the government’s levelling up ambition, with many parts of the UK benefiting economically and culturally from international students.

Projected economic benefit across cities in the UK include:

• Greater Manchester £13.3m
• Liverpool £4.7m
• Newcastle £6.0 m
• Leeds £7.7m
• Sheffield £7.1m
• Birmingham £11.6m
• Bristol £4.0m
• Edinburgh £8.5m
• Glasgow £9.1m
• Cardiff £5.0m
• Belfast £1.6m

The success of the GREAT ‘Study UK’ campaign is well evidenced, for example Teesside University experienced a 40% increase on 2020/21 international student enrolments from markets where GREAT scholarships were offered.

Cabinet Office Minister Jake Berry said:

“The GREAT ‘Study UK’ campaign attracts and supports international students to study in the UK. International students drive growth in local economies across the country, they also enrich the university experience, bringing greater diversity and an international viewpoint for all students.”

Higher education is a significant export for the UK. The 2018/2019 cohort of international students generated £28.8 billion for the UK economy according to a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute .

Maddalaine Ansell, Director Education, British Council said:

“International students not only make our universities vibrant and cosmopolitan but also, through getting to know and understand us, can become life long ambassadors for not only UK Education but our values and way of life.

“Many international graduates go on to play important roles in the political, economic, scientific and cultural life of their own countries and their knowledge of, and affection for, the UK means we have friends in many places.”

Minister for Skills Andrea Jenkyns said:

“Attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for our universities and delivers growth at home, as well as supporting the creation of more places for UK students.

“We’ve already smashed the target set in our International Education Strategy to attract 600,000 international students per year to study here – hitting it for the first time almost ten years early – and we are now focusing on bringing in £35bn from our education exports by 2030.”

Doug W Pearce, International Recruitment, University of Leeds

“The wider UK HE sector sees great value in the British Council’s efforts including the GREAT campaign to continue to build a strong brand profile of the UK as one of the top study destinations worldwide.”

Shonagh Maak, International Recruitment Manager, University of Glasgow

“Our international students enhance the learning environment of our campus, contribute to research output and add immense value to the cultural vibrancy of our campus and the wider community in Glasgow.”

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 27 September 2022.

The press release issued by the Scottish Office on 23 September 2022.

The summit, chaired by Nadhim Zahawi, will give island communities across the UK a chance to discuss solutions to common challenges.

First Islands Forum in Orkney will help to level up island communities and work together on shared opportunities and challenges

Representatives from island communities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the devolved governments will attend
Opportunities around net zero a key focus for the first meeting

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Nadhim Zahawi, will chair the first Islands Forum in Orkney on 28 September 2022. It will be attended by UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord.

The Forum, which will take place at Orkney Research & Innovation Campus, will ensure island communities are able to discuss solutions to common challenges, with a significant focus for the first meeting on opportunities around net zero.

Council leaders and chief executives representing all eligible island communities across the UK will take part, as well as ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments and representatives from Northern Ireland.

The programme will also include a session with the regulator, Ofgem. This will allow island representatives to share their views on regulatory barriers to net zero ambitions and explore next steps to address them.

Participants will also undertake a tour in Orkney focussing on renewable energy, hosted by Orkney Islands Council and European Marine Energy Centre.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, said:

As the new Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, I am delighted to be chairing the first Islands Forum in Orkney next week with the purpose of giving our islands a stronger voice.

It is often said that people make a place, and this is certainly true of the UK’s island communities, who contribute a huge amount to our country but often face common challenges.

I look forward to hearing directly from island communities and working closely with the devolved governments on the issues that matter most to local people, making good on our promise to deliver for the whole United Kingdom.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said:

We want to talk with our crucial island communities to understand how best they can flourish and make the most of the opportunities presented by, for instance, their renewable energy resources.

The new Forum is a tremendous opportunity to draw on the collective expertise of people from islands right around the UK coastline, from Scilly to Shetland, to share both solutions to challenges and best practice. I look forward to what I am sure will be a highly productive event.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 23 September 2022.

Following Baroness Taylor of Bolton’s nomination by the Labour Party, her appointment was confirmed formally as the Labour Party Member of the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). Baroness Taylor commenced her role on 11th September 2022, when Lord Clark of Windermere’s term came to an end.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton

Baroness Taylor of Bolton was the first woman to serve as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council in 1997. She went on to become the first woman to serve as Government Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury). Baroness Taylor is the former MP for Bolton West (1974 – 1983) and Dewsbury (1987 – 2005) and was made a Life Peer in 2005. She currently sits on the Industry Regulators Committee, Procedure and Privileges Committee, and the Lord Speaker’s Committee on the Size of the House.

Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Ed Argar, welcomed Baroness Taylor’s appointment, saying:

I would like to congratulate Baroness Taylor on her appointment to the Commission and I am grateful to Lord Clark for his service over the last five years. Baroness Taylor brings to the role a depth of experience and public service that will be of huge value to the Commission in its work.