Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Natalie Daniels appointed as a Board Member to Sport England [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 7 August 2023.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Natalie Daniels as a Board Member of Sport England for a term of three years.

Natalie Daniels

Appointed from 07 August 2023 until 06 August 2026.

Natalie has been committed to building sustainable and inclusive communities throughout her career. As an urbanist, Natalie has worked in the UK, the USA, Africa and Asia delivering a variety of major programmes, and has won multiple awards for this work. Currently a senior public servant in regional government, Natalie is proud to lead a team committed to improving the lives of Londoners through housing delivery, specialist and supported housing services, and housing policy. An experienced board member, she has had the privilege of serving charities working across housing, homelessness and international development.

The leadership, energy and collaborative spirit Natalie brings to all her work she believes was built through her sporting escapades. She had the pleasure of playing – and coaching – football, rugby league and rugby union to respectable levels. As well as having the scars to show for her sporting experience, it has also given her a deep understanding of the immense benefits of exercise to individuals and communities.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Remuneration for these roles is set at £218 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Natalie Daniels has not declared any significant political activity.

August 8, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Launch of Alderney Occupied website [August 2023]

The press release issued by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation on 7 August 2023.

Launch of website to accompany the review of evidence into the number of prisoners who died on the Channel Island of Alderney during the Nazi occupation.

Today (7 August 2023), the United Kingdom’s Post Holocaust Issues Envoy and Head of UK Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Lord Eric Pickles announced the launch of a website detailing the Nazi occupation of Alderney.

The website www.occupiedalderney.org is an accompanying part of the review, launched on 27 July, of evidence into the number of prisoners who died on the Channel Island of Alderney during the Nazi occupation.

The website will showcase the latest cutting-edge research and will in due course highlight key documents relating to the Nazi occupation of Alderney which are residing in archives.

The website will also be the place where the latest research and evidence can be found on the number of people, including Jews, Spanish, Ukrainians and Russian prisoners of war, who died through the Nazi policy ‘extermination through labour’ (Vernichtung durch Arbeit) in the construction of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

The launch of this website reiterates our commitment to transparency. It contains information on prisoner biographies and the latest research on the camps, their regimes, and their histories. We encourage those with additional archival material and estimates of the numbers of dead to contact us at ukhmfsecretariat@levellingup.gov.uk

The website is supported by the University of Cambridge, Staffordshire University, and the UK government.

Lord Pickles said:

The website is part of our commitment to transparency. It gives a good overview of the latest published evidence and provides a further opportunity for people who have evidence to contact us. It is a work in progress with new entries planned. The website also offers an opportunity to read the latest research and documents related to the occupation of Alderney.

I thank Professor Caroline Sturdy-Colls and Kevin Colls from Staffordshire University for sharing their latest research on the Nazi occupation of Alderney and getting the website off to such a strong start. I also thank Dr Gilly Carr from the University of Cambridge for seeing through the project from IHRA recommendation to the development of the website.

Professor Caroline Sturdy-Colls and Kevin Colls MSc, Staffordshire University said:

We hope that this website will provide an important resource for anyone interested in the history of the Nazi Occupation of Alderney and the places that were connected to the forced and slave labour programme. Most importantly, we hope that the website will help to increase awareness of the stories of some of the people who lived, worked, and died there between 1941 and 1945.

Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge said:

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to see one of IHRA’s recommendations for Alderney, made in 2019, come to fruition. It is enormously important that local people and visitors to Alderney, as well as researchers further afield, have reliable and peer-reviewed sources of information about the island’s German occupation heritage.

Nearly all information about these sites is either scattered in archives across Europe or is under the soil, accessible only through archaeology. This website brings all these things together and provides cutting edge research to all. It also provides lesson plans for schools. I am sure it will prove to be a valuable resource.

August 7, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New tech partnership to stop the boats [August 2023]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 August 2023.

Partnership with social media companies to clamp down on people smugglers’ operations online.
- Illegal crossings remain down on last year and returns are at their highest level since 2019
- Extra funding and resources for law enforcement to tackle harmful content
A voluntary partnership between social media companies and government will accelerate action to tackle people smuggling content online, such as criminals sharing information about illegal Channel crossings, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced today [Sunday 6th August].

It comes as new figures show the government continues to make progress on the Prime Minister’s plan to stop the boats: crossings remain down on last year, the legacy asylum backlog has been reduced by a third since December 2022, and enforced returns of people with no right to be in the UK are at their highest level since 2019.

While figures from the NCA show that over 90% of online content linked to people smuggling is taken down when social media companies are notified, the partnership between tech firms and government will drive forward efforts to clamp down on the tactics being used by criminal gangs who use the internet to lure people into paying for crossings.

This content can include discount offers for groups of people, free spaces for children, offers of false documents and false claims of safe passage – targeting vulnerable people for profit and putting people’s lives at risk through dangerous and illegal journeys.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

To stop the boats, we have to tackle the business model of vile people smugglers at source.

That means clamping down on their attempts to lure people into making these illegal crossings and profit from putting lives at risk.

This new commitment from tech firms will see us redouble our efforts to fight back against these criminals, working together to shut down their vile trade.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

Heartless people smugglers are using social media to promote their despicable services and charge people thousands of pounds to make the illegal journey into the UK in unsafe boats.

They must not succeed.

This strengthened collaboration between the National Crime Agency, government and social media companies will ensure content promoting dangerous and illegal Channel crossings doesn’t see the light of day.

The partnership will build on the close working already in place between government and social media companies, and includes a range of commitments to explore increased collaboration.

Under this initiative, social media companies will look to increase cooperation with the National Crime Agency to find and remove criminal content and step up the sharing of best practice both across the industry and with law enforcement.

The voluntary partnership also includes a commitment to explore ways to step up efforts to redirect people away from this content when they come across it online. This approach is already widely being used successfully by platforms, for example around harmful content promoting extremism or eating disorders, where people are presented with alternative messages to displace, rebut or undermine the damaging content they searched for – diverting them away from harmful messaging and misinformation.

Alongside the partnership, the government will also set up a new centre led by the National Crime Agency and Home Office to increase the capacity and capability of law enforcement to identify this content on social media platforms.

Known as the ‘Online Capability Centre’, backed by £11m funding, its work will focus on undermining and disrupting the business model of organised crime groups responsible for illegal crossings and using the internet to facilitate these journeys by intensifying efforts to combat their online activity.

The centre will be staffed by highly trained technical specialists alongside law enforcement officers and will work by building a clearer picture of the scale of illegal immigration material online. They will work with internet companies to identify more of this material, notifying platforms so they can take the appropriate action. The centre will also focus on developing and building a bank of intelligence around the criminal networks who are promoting people smuggling services online, which will help improve law enforcement’s ability to identify content and in turn help drive investigations.

To harness the potential of new technology such as AI to clamp down on criminals’ content, government will also hold a ‘hackathon’ event with industry experts in order to develop innovative new tools which will better detect people smugglers’ publicly available content online, to help social media companies take it down more quickly.

Government will also intensify the existing work taking place with social media companies ahead of the Online Safety Bill coming into effect.

Once in force, under the Bill social media companies will be required to make sure their systems and processes are designed to prevent people coming into contact with illegal content created by people smugglers, minimise how long this content is available online and remove it as soon as possible once they become aware of it.

Alongside this, the Bill also requires major platforms to publish annual transparency reports setting out what they’re doing to tackle online harms. This could include information around how content around illegal migration is spread across platforms, how frequently it is uploaded, and what systems and processes companies have in place to deal with this kind of content.

The partnership confirmed today also builds on the work of the “Social Media Action Plan”, a voluntary agreement between the Home Office, National Crime Agency and five major social media platforms in 2021 to increase understanding of how organised criminals used their platforms to promote illegal services.

To date, this cooperation has seen more than 4,700 posts, pages or accounts have been removed or suspended as a result, increasing disruption of organised crime groups’ activity, and today’s partnership will drive further progress.

Stopping the boats is one of the Prime Minister’s top five priorities and the government is fully focused on delivering his whole system plan to tackling illegal migration. This includes:
- stepping up law enforcement activity, with 50% more illegal working visits carried out in the first half of this year compared to the first half of last year
- tackling the legacy asylum backlog, which has reduced by nearly a third since the end of December
- passing the Illegal Migration Act which will ensure that people who come to the UK illegally will be detained and swiftly removed.
Working with international partners to tackle this global challenge is another key strand of efforts to stop the boats, and since taking office the PM has secured new agreements with allies, including strengthened partnerships with France and Albania which will see 40% more patrols on French beaches, and have resulted in a 90% drop in Albanian small boat arrivals in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Wrongly-convicted no longer face being ‘charged’ for saved living expenses [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 6 August 2023.

Wrongly convicted people will no longer face having “saved living costs” deducted from compensation payments following an update to guidance made today (Sunday 6 August).
- miscarriage of justice compensation guidance on “saved living expenses” scrapped
- guidance changed with immediate effect
- “common sense” change to make system fairer for victims of miscarriages of justice
Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk has taken decisive action to inject greater fairness into how payout decisions for miscarriages of justice are made, ending the possibility that people can be ‘charged’ for saved living costs.

This element of the guidance was added in 2006 and will be removed with immediate effect, applying to all future payments made under the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Fairness is a core pillar of our justice system and it is not right that victims of devastating miscarriages of justice can have deductions made for saved living expenses.

This common sense change will ensure victims do not face paying twice for crimes they did not commit.

The miscarriage of justice compensation scheme is designed to help individuals restart and rebuild their lives. It is just one route in which an individual can receive compensation for a wrongful conviction, with other options including suing public bodies.

In order to be eligible for a payment under the scheme individuals must:
- Apply within 2 years of being pardoned or having their conviction reversed as a result of a newly discovered fact
- Have had their conviction reversed on the basis of a new fact which demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt they did not commit the offence
- Not be responsible for the non-disclosure of the new fact
Once eligible, the level of compensation is decided by an independent assessor. An award of compensation will normally fall into 2 parts:
- Compensation for the impact of the wrongful conviction on an individual, including damage to their reputation or to their physical or mental health, loss of freedom and inconvenience
- Loss of past or future earnings, expenses or legal costs resulting from their time in custody
Under previous guidance, the independent assessor could make a deduction from loss of past earnings based on “saved living expenses” such as rent or mortgage payments which were not incurred during their time in prison.

The maximum amount of compensation payable under the miscarriage of justice system is £1 million for 10 or more years imprisonment or £500,000 for up to 10 years.
August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Statement Condemning Atrocities in Darfur [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 August 2023.

Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) statement condemning the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan.

The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Darfur, especially reports of killings based on ethnicity and widespread sexual violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias. We call on all parties to immediately cease attacks and prevent the further spread of fighting. Those responsible must be held to account. Full access to conflict-affected areas must be granted so that abuses can be properly investigated and so that life-saving humanitarian aid can reach survivors who urgently need it. We are gravely concerned about reports of a military build-up near El Fasher, North Darfur, and Nyala, South Darfur, where further violence will put more civilians at risk.

The expansion of the needless and ruinous conflict between RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to Darfur has caused incalculable human suffering. Those responsible for any atrocities against civilians, especially those including Conflict Related Sexual Violence and the targeting of humanitarian relief actors, medical personnel, and other service providers, must be held to account. We remind the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law related to the protection of civilians. We call on all parties to the conflict to enable humanitarian access in Darfur and throughout the country.

The SAF and the RSF must silence their guns and find a negotiated exit from the conflict they started. The security forces must relinquish their hold on power to a civilian transitional government that fulfils the Sudanese people’s aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice.

August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : £6 million to improve air quality in local communities [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 August 2023.

New round of Air Quality Grants for local authorities opens to benefit communities and reduce the impact of polluted air on people’s health.
- Councils across England invited to bid for funding to tackle local air pollution.
- Previously funded projects include awareness programmes for schoolchildren, e-cargo bike libraries and upskilling healthcare workers on air quality issues.
- Annual fund forms part of wider Government action to protect public health and the environment by cleaning up our air.
Local authorities across England can now apply for a share of £6 million of government funding to deliver projects to improve air quality.

The annual Air Quality Grant helps councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and communities and reduce the impact of air pollution on people’s health. Since 2010, more than £53 million has been awarded across more than 500 projects through the scheme.

Funding will be prioritised towards projects which: tackle particulate matter; improve public awareness of the impacts of air pollution; and help local authorities to bring down levels of nitrogen oxide (NO2) and other pollutants to below legal limits.

Air quality in the UK has significantly improved in recent decades, with levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – the most harmful pollutant to human health – falling by 10% and NO2 by 45% since 2010. The government is committed to driving this down further and, through the Environment Act, has set two legally-binding targets to reduce the level of PM2.5 in our air by 2040.

Environment Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Poor air quality is the biggest environmental risk to human health and local authorities play a vital role in tackling it.

This latest round of funding will support innovative projects across England that give communities the tools to limit their exposure and reduce pollution.

Together, this will build on the significant improvements in air quality delivered by the government at a national level and deliver cleaner air for all.

Previous initiatives funded through the Air Quality Grant scheme include delivering an air quality awareness programme to over 3,000 students in Cornwall. The grant has also funded an e-cargo bike library, helping local businesses in Norfolk to cut operating costs while lowering their emissions; and helped train healthcare professionals in Southampton so they can advise vulnerable patients about how to reduce their exposure to air pollution. These projects have benefited communities by delivering targeted solutions to local air quality problems.

Health Minister Neil O’Brien said:

Air pollution poses health risks, particularly for older people, children, and people with heart or lung conditions which is why we’re committed to making our air cleaner.

This year’s fund builds on the significant action we’re already taking to improve air quality, and I urge local authorities across England to bid for funding to help improve the health of people living in their areas.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

The £1 million our region received through the Air Quality Fund will make a significant contribution to the work already underway to improve the quality of the air local people breathe.

For the first time ever, we’ll be able to install a West Midlands-wide network of sensors that will provide real-time, publicly accessible information on air quality directly from individual neighbourhoods. Thanks to this government funding, we’ll also take this data back into those communities to improve residents’ understanding of the sources and impact of air pollution on health and wellbeing.

Together, we can empower local people to support our efforts to ensure the air we all breathe is cleaner than ever.

Through the Environmental Improvement Plan and our Air Quality Strategy, both published earlier this year, we have set out interim targets to reduce concentrations of, and reduce public exposure to, PM2.5 by the end of January 2028, alongside a range of policies to work towards these targets.

Together, the Plan and the Strategy committed to challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly including by making better use of existing powers, increasing transparency and improving the way they communicate with the public. Today’s announcement is another key step forward in the delivery of these commitments.

The scheme complements the range of support government is making available to local authorities, including £883 million allocated under the NO2 Programme – which works with local authorities to deliver air quality measures to improve the health of residents and to address their NO2 exceedances in the shortest possible time.

The application window is now open and closes on 29th September. Local authorities can apply for funding on Atamis here.
August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : British Armed Forces take part in largest military exercise between UK, Australia, and US [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 4 August 2023.

The deployment demonstrates the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific and working with partners in the region.

More than 150 UK personnel have joined troops from 13 other nations for Exercise Talisman Sabre, which took place across Australia and in adjacent waters, to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Talisman Sabre, which began on 22 July and ends today, is the largest military exercise between Australian, UK and US Armed Forces and is designed to strengthen partnerships and interoperability among key allies. It tests joint capabilities across land, sea, air, space and digital domains.

More than 34,000 troops took part in this 10th iteration of Talisman Sabre, which involved forces from Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, Tonga, the UK and United States.

This year marks the UK’s largest contribution to Talisman Sabre, with capabilities from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force (RAF).

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Security and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific is essential. Exercise Talisman Sabre demonstrates the UK’s commitment to the region and the strength of our ties with friends and allies.

As part of Talisman Sabre, the UK Royal Marines Commando Force embarked on HMAS Adelaide, Australia’s largest warship, and conducted ship to shore landings, a capability that is essential for high-readiness crisis response.

Major Aran Sandiford, Commanding Officer of the Commando Forces, said:

The opportunity for UK Commando Forces to integrate with like-minded, specialist reconnaissance and raiding forces, really is invaluable. As well as being a fantastic chance to develop shared tactics and practice operating alongside key partners, deploying Commandos into the Indo-Pacific is one of the best ways of demonstrating the Royal Navy’s continued commitment to the region.

During this training, the head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, visited the troops aboard HMAS Adelaide. The UK Commando Force previously deployed to the Indo-Pacific in March for exercise Ssang Yong 2023 in South Korea. More recently, the Force worked with many of the same partners in Talisman Sabre to support evacuation efforts in Sudan.

In Western Australia, a team from the RAF Support Force based at RAF Wittering provided logistical support for Talisman Sabre. They worked with their Australian counterparts to prepare more than 40,000 meals for more than 600 personnel exercising at RAAF Curtin, supporting F-35A and F22 fighter jet operations.

Service Personnel from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps also supported aviation efforts, conducting forward arming and refuelling, whilst 14 Signals Regiment provided Electronic Warfare capability, both increasing UK interoperability with Australian hosts. Observers from 4th Battalion Ranger Regiment and UK Space Command also took part in the exercise, signalling all areas of UK defence are to integrating with regional partners.

Exercise Talisman Sabre is a complex and ambitious exercise which involves risks, as the tragic loss of an Australian helicopter at sea on 28 July has reminded us. UK personnel assisted in search and rescue efforts for the crew and the Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin sent his condolences to his Australian counterpart for the tragic loss of four Australian Army soldiers.

The UK remains committed to the Indo-Pacific and working with partners in the region, as set out in the recently published Integrated Review Refresh and Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCPR). The DCPR confirmed the continued deployment of the Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels HMS Spey and HMS Tamar in the region. Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey recently met the crews of both vessels in Australia during a visit to engage top defence officials in the Indo-Pacific. The UK’s persistent maritime presence is set to be increased with visits from Commando Force Littoral Response Group later this year, and the Carrier Strike Group which will return in 2025, building on its maiden voyage in 2021.

The increased engagement with Australia comes a few months after the Prime Minister visited Washington DC where, alongside the President of the United States and Prime Minister of Australia, he confirmed that a British-led design has been selected for the AUKUS submarine project. The first generation of AUKUS nuclear submarines will be built in the UK and Australia, based on the UK’s world-leading submarine design and will support thousands of jobs in the UK, with many based in the North-West of England.

August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Residentiary Canonry of the Cathedral Church of Christ Oxford [August 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 August 2023.

The King has approved The Reverend Canon Peter Moger, Priest in Charge of St Peter, Stornoway and St Moluag, Eoropaidh, in the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles, be appointed to a Residentiary Canonry of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Oxford.

The King has approved The Reverend Canon Peter Moger, Priest in Charge of St Peter, Stornoway and St Moluag, Eoropaidh, in the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles, be appointed to a Residentiary Canonry of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Oxford, in succession to the Very Reverend Richard Peers, following his appointment as Dean of Llandaff Cathedral.

Background

Peter was educated at Merton College, Oxford, and St John’s College, Durham whilst training for ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham. He served his title at Whitby, in the Diocese of York, and was ordained Priest in 1994. Peter was appointed Precentor, Sacrist and Minor Canon at Ely Cathedral in 1995 and Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester, in the Diocese of Ely, in 2001.

In 2005 he joined the Archbishop’s Council as National Worship Development Officer, a position he held until 2010 when he was appointed Residentiary Canon and Precentor at York Minster.

In 2019 Peter took on his current role as Priest in Charge at St Peter, Stornoway, and St Moluag, Eoropaidh, in the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles.

August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government welcomes report on electricity networks as critical to Britain’s energy security [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 4 August 2023.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps welcomes report from Nick Winser, the UK’s Electricity Networks Commissioner, and will consider the recommendations before presenting an action plan.
- Electricity Networks Commissioner Nick Winser review will help UK take full advantage of its renewable energy success
- independent report outlines ‘vital and achievable’ plans to transform Britain’s electricity transmission system and get more wind and nuclear energy into people’s homes and businesses
- report comes as government proposes new powers to protect energy system from national security and cyber security risks
Today’s report by Electricity Networks Commissioner Nick Winser sets out plans to bolster the country’s energy security and ensure the UK is taking full advantage of its position as a world leader in renewables.

Since 2010, the UK has been hugely successful in increasing investment in renewable energy generation by 500%. To ensure the country is taking full advantage, remains equipped to harness the opportunities of renewable energy, and gets the additional supply of clean power to homes and businesses, the government asked Nick Winser to carry out his review.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps welcomes the report and will consider the recommendations before presenting an action plan later this year to strengthen the UK’s energy security, drive down household bills and grow the economy.

Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has had a devastating effect on global energy markets and accelerated the need for more home-grown energy sources, including renewables, nuclear and North Sea oil and gas.

Today’s report suggests that new power lines can be built in half the time and confirms that, while challenging, speeding up the delivery of strategic electricity transmission lines is “vital and achievable”. A set of recommendations has been put forward to reduce current timescales for delivering onshore transmission network infrastructure to 7 years to help deliver energy security and net zero more quickly. The government will respond to these proposals later this year.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Grant Shapps, said:

The UK is leading the world on renewable energy and decarbonising faster than any other country in the G7. We must ensure we are taking full advantage of our success and getting the increased supply of homegrown, clean energy that we have at our fingertips to people’s homes and businesses for years to come.

That is why we asked Nick Winser to carry out this review – I welcome his report and am grateful for his work.

This is another important step as we continue to reform our energy system to drive down bills, grow the economy and ensure tyrants like Putin can never again use energy as a weapon of war.

Minister for Networks and Nuclear Andrew Bowie, said:

With renewable energy already making up around 40% of our total electricity supply, the UK has a world-class renewables sector. We are determined to match this with a world-class system for delivering this growing supply to where it is needed.

We will be considering Nick Winser’s recommendations closely as we work towards achieving an energy system led by renewables, nuclear and other clean, home-grown technologies.

Carl Trowell, President, UK Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid, said:

This report from the Electricity Networks Commissioner is both timely and welcome, following our recent launch of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity transmission grid in generations, with significant new infrastructure planned across England and Wales.

There is no time to waste, implementing the proposals and progressing the energy transition at pace is the surest route to more affordable bills, greater energy resilience and a more energy independent UK.

Rebecca Barnett, Ofgem’s Director of Networks said:

We need bold reforms to accelerate the delivery of electricity transmission infrastructure needed to end the reliance on fossil fuels for power by 2035.

Nick Winser sets out an ambitious, highly detailed programme to remove barriers to planning and delivering transmission network and plugging renewable generation into the grid.

This builds on Ofgem’s work to establish strategic national and regional planning; unlock and accelerate infrastructure investment; and end delays in grid connections to homes, businesses and public services.

Today’s report comes as the government publishes new proposals to grant Secretary of State for Energy Security powers to direct the Future System Operator (FSO) – the new public body that will be tasked with planning a decarbonised energy system – to take action to address risks to national security.

The new powers could be deployed if a company, contracting with the FSO, is found to threaten the resilience, safety or security of the UK’s energy system, such as through cyber-attacks and supply chain vulnerabilities.

These actions could include removing or preventing certain suppliers’ involvement or equipment in our energy supply chain, such as by directing FSO to not contract with third party suppliers to ensure the security of the system.

The new powers would be used as a last resort option and are in addition to the 2021 National Security and Investment Act, which gives the government the power to address investment and ownership risks to national security.

They also come on top of a new role for the FSO to use its expertise to plan for certain events that could harm the country’s energy resilience – such as extreme weather or flooding. The FSO will act as an expert adviser to the government on making the UK’s energy system as resilient as possible against such shocks.

In the coming months, the energy regulator Ofgem will consult on new FSO licence conditions with the eventual aim of including this in the FSO’s new licence conditions under the Energy Bill powers.
August 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government boosts use of independent sector capacity to cut NHS waits [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 4 August 2023.

Thirteen new community diagnostic centres are opening across the country to deliver more than 742,000 additional scans, tests and checks a year.
- The Elective Recovery Taskforce – formed last year to identify ways to cut waiting times – publishes plan to maximise independent sector capacity to treat NHS patients more quickly
- Measures include better use of data to help the NHS identify potential opportunities for the independent sector to support patient care, and expanding training opportunities for staff
Thirteen new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) – including 8 independently run CDCs – are being launched across the country as part of government plans to use the independent sector to cut NHS waiting lists, Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay will announce today.

Five of these independent sector-led CDCs will operate in the South West of England, with permanent sites fully opening in 2024 in Redruth, Bristol, Torbay, Yeovil and Weston-super-Mare. Additional diagnostic testing capacity is already being rolled out in the region via the use of mobile diagnostic facilities, to provide additional diagnostic services while these sites are constructed.

Three others will open in Southend, Northampton and South Birmingham – with the former commencing activity from November and the latter 2 from December. These independently run CDCs will help to make it easier for patients to receive checks closer to home and will remain free at the point of use for patients. This adds to the 4 CDCs run by the independent sector that are already operational in Brighton, North Solihull, Oxford and Salford.

Five more NHS-run centres will also open across the country, delivering on our ambition to open up to 160 across the country by 2025, backed by £2.3 billion. These will be in Hornchurch, Skegness, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:

We must use every available resource to deliver life-saving checks to ease pressure on the NHS.

By making use of the available capacity in the independent sector, and enabling patients to access this diagnostic capacity free at the point of need, we can offer patients a wider choice of venues to receive treatment and in doing so diagnose major illnesses quicker and start treatments sooner.

The Elective Recovery Taskforce has identified additional diagnostic capacity that is available in the independent sector which we will now use more widely to enable patients to access the care they need quicker.

As well as being more convenient for patients, CDCs drive efficiency across the NHS by shielding elective diagnostic services from wider hospital pressures.

The government has also set out a range of new measures to unlock spare capacity within the independent healthcare sector. This comes following actions from the Elective Recovery Taskforce which was established last December. Chaired by Health Minister Will Quince and made up of academics and experts from the NHS and independent sector, the taskforce looked for ways to go further to bust the COVID-19 backlogs and reduce waiting times for patients.

The measures include a commitment to using data on independent sector providers to identify where they have capacity to take on more NHS patients to help clear the backlog and increasing the use of the independent sector in training junior NHS staff.

These 13 new CDCs will provide capacity for more than 742,000 extra tests a year once all are fully operational, bolstering access to care.

Independent sector led centres will function like NHS-run CDCs, but staff will be employed by the independent sector, which also owns the buildings. The South West network will be run by InHealth, a specialist provider of diagnostic tests which has worked with hospitals and commissioners across the health service for more than 30 years. By utilising independent sector staff, the NHS will be able to keep pace with rising demand in the region and deliver a high number of tests for patients.

There are currently 114 CDCs open across the country, which have delivered an additional 4.6 million tests, checks and scans since July 2021. Alongside this, significant progress has already been made to cut waiting lists, with 18-month and 2-year waits virtually eliminated.

Health Minister and Elective Recovery Taskforce Chair, Will Quince, said:

We have already made significant progress in bringing down waiting lists, with 18 month waits virtually eliminated.

I chaired the Elective Recovery Taskforce to turbocharge these efforts and help patients get the treatment they need.

These actions will bolster capacity across the country and give patients more choice over where and when they are treated.

The taskforce aims to form strong local relationships between NHS organisations and the independent sector. This will help to support improved training opportunities for junior doctors through first-hand experience of procedures. This follows the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan which will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years.

The department has also published its response to a consultation on a new procurement system known as the Provider Selection Regime, which will give commissioners of healthcare services more flexibility when selecting NHS and independent sector healthcare providers. This is intended to remove unnecessary levels of competitive tendering and barriers to integrating care, which will help to promote collaboration across the NHS and wider healthcare system.

NHS England will evaluate the independent sector’s impact on healthcare capacity and has already begun publishing regular monthly data on independent sector use, showing its contribution to tackling the backlog.

NHS England National Clinical Director for Elective Care, Stella Vig, said:

Hardworking staff across the NHS have made significant progress towards recovering elective care, and it is testament to their efforts that widespread innovative measures are already being rolled out to transform our services and bring down the longest waits for patients.

Alongside this, we have increased our use of the independent sector by more than a third since April 2021 – carrying out 90,000 appointments and procedures every week, including more than 10,000 diagnostic tests – and independent providers will continue to play a key role as we work towards the next milestone in our recovery plan, as well as the additional one stop shops announced today as part of NHS England’s rollout of community diagnostic centres.

As this report details, we have already made significant progress in this area, including operating mutual aid systems across both the NHS and independent sector, and by expanding My Planned Care to make it easier for patients to choose where they receive care.

David Hare, Chief Executive of Independent Healthcare Providers Network, who sat on the taskforce, said:

The publication of this report is good news for patients. This is a real, significant step forward to unlocking more of the capital, capacity and capability of the independent sector.

Today’s report builds on the Prime Minister’s recent welcome announcements about how the government is committed to providing patients with better choice over who provides their NHS care, as well as positive changes in how services are procured, which can help add overall capacity and speed up waiting times for NHS patients.

The report’s commitment to open further independent sector-led community diagnostic centres is also good news for patients, deploying some of the private capital that is available to build new facilities and to help ensure that more NHS patients can get the tests and scans that they need.

Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said:

We are advocates of patients having choice and welcome today’s announcement. In particular, the news that GPs will tell patients, at the point of referral, of options for treatment other than the local hospital or clinic.

Patients in England already have a right to choose where they are treated but not all patients are aware of this right or exercise it. Our expectation is that once GPs offer patients a choice of where to receive treatment, more and more patients will choose to travel further to receive treatment if that means shorter waits.

Justin Ash, CEO of Spire Healthcare, said:

The best way to cut waiting times for patients is for the independent sector to be fully integrated as part of the solution, and to offer patient choice. We welcome the Elective Recovery Taskforce’s recognition of this and are pleased that it has recommended some bold and far-reaching steps to encourage collaboration, promote patient choice and engage the independent sector to help deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The taskforce’s work will genuinely benefit patients, who’ll be able to choose where they can receive treatment most quickly, regardless of whether that’s at an NHS or an independent sector hospital.

This builds on previous work to give patients greater choice. At the point of referral (for example, at a GP appointment), patients will be actively offered a list of providers which are clinically appropriate for their condition. This will be a minimum of 5 providers where possible. And by October 2023, all patients waiting over 40 weeks who have not had a first outpatient appointment booked or where a decision to treat has been made but the patient does not have a date for their treatment will be able to initiate a request to transfer to another provider and receive treatment more quickly.

Last month, the Health and Social Care Secretary also convened ministers, clinical leaders and health experts for the NHS Recovery Summit to collaborate and drive forward ideas to help cut waiting lists and improve care for patients.
August 6, 2023