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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Two Commissioners of the Judicial Appointments Commission reappointed [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Two Commissioners of the Judicial Appointments Commission reappointed [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 14 June 2023.

    The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointment of The Most Rev Barry Morgan and Judge Greg Sinfield as Commissioners of the Judicial Appointments Commission.

    His Majesty the King, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, has reappointed 2 Commissioners to the Judicial Appointments Commission.

    Judge Sinfield has been reappointed for a second term of 3 years from 9 June 2023 to 8 June 2026.

    The Most Rev Barry Morgan has been reappointed for a second term of 2 years from 6 July 2023 to 5 July 2025.

    The Judicial Appointments Commission is an independent body that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide jurisdiction. Candidates are selected on merit, through fair and open competition

    Judicial Appointment Commissioners are appointed, under Schedule 12(1) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.

    Commissioner appointments and re-appointments comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

    The selection of Senior Judicial Commissioners is governed by the Judicial Appointments Regulations 2013.

    Judge Sinfield

    Judge Greg Sinfield was appointed as a Senior Judicial Commissioner on 9 June 2020. He is President of the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber). Called to the Bar in 1981, Judge Sinfield worked in the Solicitor’s Office of HM Customs and Excise from 1983-87. He returned to private practice, in 1988, with what is now Hogan Lovells International. He was admitted as a solicitor, in 1989, and became a partner in the tax group of the firm in 1993.

    The Most Rev Barry Morgan

    The Most Rev Dr Barry Morgan is Archbishop Emeritus of Wales and is an academic. He was appointed as a Commissioner on 6 July 2020. As well as being Pro Chancellor of the University of Wales, Dr Morgan is: a Fellow of five Welsh Universities; a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and; a Knight of the Order of St. John. He has published a number of articles, in books and journals, as well as a book on the poetry of R S Thomas.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK and Switzerland ink new agreement recognising professional qualifications [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK and Switzerland ink new agreement recognising professional qualifications [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 14 June 2023.

    A new agreement recognising UK professional qualifications in Switzerland is being signed today.

    • UK and Switzerland sign deal recognising professional qualifications in both countries
    • UK-qualified professionals in sectors such as architecture and audit will not have to fully requalify to work in Switzerland
    • Agreement follows launch of talks on a new UK-Swiss trade deal to boost trade between the two services superpowers.

    A new agreement recognising UK professional qualifications in Switzerland will be signed by Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin today [14 June], boosting trade between the two countries.

    Proving you have the right qualifications is key to winning contracts in regulated sectors such as law, architecture and audit. Under the agreement, UK-qualified professionals in regulated sectors who wish to have their qualifications recognised in Switzerland will have a certain and transparent system to do so; and vice versa.

    This could allow British companies to compete for more contracts in Switzerland in the long run, boosting UK services exports, growing the UK economy and encouraging Swiss investment into the UK.

    The agreement has been welcomed by industry bodies and stakeholders. It will enter into force at the start of 2025 and replace interim arrangements on RPQ with Switzerland, agreed ahead of the UK’s EU Exit.

    Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

    Supporting our flourishing services sector to sell its world-class expertise abroad is key to helping grow exports and grow the economy.

    Following the start of free trade deal talks last month, this agreement will hopefully ensure UK companies compete for more contracts in Switzerland in the future, boosting UK services exports, and encouraging new Swiss investment into the UK.

    The UK and Switzerland are among the world’s leading service economies, with their services sectors each representing over 70% of GDP for both economies. We traded £24 billion of services between us in 2022, making Switzerland the UK’s 7th largest partner for services trade.

    President of the Law Society of England and Wales Lubna Shuja said:

    Switzerland is the third largest UK legal services export market in Europe, so this deal will benefit not only our members but also the wider economy.

    Legal services facilitate all international business transactions and provide crucial support to UK and multinational firms wanting to export. The sector consistently generates a trade surplus with net exports of UK legal services standing at £5.4bn in 2021.

    Founder and Principal of Studio Seilern Architects Christina Seilern said:

    My upbringing in the Swiss Alps has been instrumental to my career as an architect, which has been rooted in London for nearly two decades and encompasses important public projects and civic interventions in both countries, including recently the major Andermatt Concert Hall at the historical centre of Switzerland.

    As architects, our thinking and our industry are global. This agreement lowers the barriers for us to do our work, and ensures that we can continue to make meaningful contributions to our cities, economies, and communities in Switzerland and the UK.

    This agreement follows the launch of negotiations last month in Bern on a new UK-Switzerland free trade agreement to boost trade between the two services superpowers.

    A new, modernised free trade agreement with Switzerland will add to the UK’s growing armoury of powerful service-focused deals by removing market access barriers, improving regulatory cooperation and enabling UK firms to compete on an equal footing in Switzerland.

    The RPQ agreement also sets out a bespoke route to recognition for certain legal professionals, allowing lawyers to qualify in the other country after registration and a 3-year practise period, subject to conditions set out in the agreement.

    It also safeguards the autonomy of UK regulators to independently set and maintain standards and decide who is fit to practise the profession.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New Second Permanent Under-Secretary in the FCDO [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New Second Permanent Under-Secretary in the FCDO [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 June 2023.

    Nick Dyer has been appointed the new Second Permanent Under-Secretary in the FCDO.

    The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Permanent Under-Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has today announced that Nick Dyer has been appointed as the new Second Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO.

    Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO said:

    I am delighted Nick has been appointed as the Second Permanent Under-Secretary in the FCDO. He has an outstanding track record, and I look forward to working closely with him to deliver for the UK internationally through our continued diplomatic and development efforts.

    Commenting on his appointment, Nick said:

    Helping to deliver the UK’s international and development ambitions, as Second Permanent Under-Secretary in the FCDO alongside Philip Barton is a real honour. The FCDO is full of the most passionate, committed and brilliant people across the world, and I look forward to working with all our teams.

    Nick is expected to take up post on 3 July.

    Notes

    Nick Dyer is currently Director General, Humanitarian and Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

    Nick previously served as the UK’s first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, and before that as the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID), where he worked for 23 years, since its creation in 1997.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Ambitious plans to grow the economy and boost creative industries [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Ambitious plans to grow the economy and boost creative industries [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 13 June 2023.

    Ambitious plans to grow the economy and boost UK creative industries by £50 billion.

    • Government’s plan to grow the creative industries by £50bn and support a million more jobs by 2030, with £77m of new funding for the sector announced
    • Advanced screen and performance technology research labs to be based in Yorkshire, Dundee, Belfast and Buckinghamshire
    • £50m to support more regional creative clusters, plus extra cash for music venues, video games studios, London Fashion Week and the next generation of British music talent
    • Plans to build a pipeline of skills and talent through new creative careers promise

    New plans to maximise the potential of the UK creative industries and grow the economy have been set out by the government today.

    One of the Prime Minister’s priority sectors for economic growth, the creative industries are a global British success story growing at more than 1.5 times the rate of the wider economy over the past decade and contributing £108 billion in gross value added (GVA) annually.

    Employment in these industries has grown at five times the rate of the rest of the economy since 2011. Speaking at the London Tech Week conference on Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Britain’s creative industries were “going like gangbusters” and represent a “unique strength” for the country.

    Developed with industry via the Creative Industries Council, the Creative Industries Sector Vision published today sets out shared ambitions to build on that success and maximise the growth of the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030, creating one million extra jobs and delivering a creative careers promise that builds a pipeline of future talent.

    Framed around the key principles for driving growth – facilitating innovation and investment, alongside building a skilled workforce – the Sector Vision is backed by £77 million in new government investment for the sector.

    The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

    The creative industries are a true British success story, from global music stars like Adele and Ed Sheeran to world-class cultural institutions like the National Theatre.

    These industries have a special place in our national life and make a unique contribution to how we feel about ourselves as a country.

    We want to build on this incredible success to drive growth in our economy – one of my key priorities – and to ensure that UK creative industries continue to lead the world long into the future.

    Backed up with significant new funding, this ambitious plan will help grow the sector by an extra £50 billion while creating one million extra jobs by 2030.

    Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

    The imagination and ingenuity of British designers, producers, content creators, writers and artists are spearheading growth right across our economy.

    The government is backing our creatives to maximise the potential of the creative industries. This Sector Vision is about driving innovation, attracting investment and building on the clusters of creativity across the country. And from first days at school to last days of work, we will nurture the skills needed to build a larger creative workforce to harness the talent needed for continued success.

    Working with the industry this vision is helping the UK creative sectors go from strength to strength – providing jobs and opportunities, creating world leading content and supporting economic growth across the country.

    Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

    Our Creative Industry isn’t just about the glitz and glam of the red carpet in Leicester Square. It brings in £108 billion a year to help fund our public services, supports over 2 million jobs, and is world renowned.

    That’s why we’re backing it as an industry to drive our economic growth, keeping the UK at the top of the world’s cultural charts with a multi-million pound boost.

    This includes £50 million to grow clusters of creative businesses in locations all over the country, and more funding to help start-ups scale-up and to turn creative entrepreneurs into CEOs.

    New investment will help the next Adele, Ed Sheeran or Sam Smith break into overseas markets, alongside financial support for new video games studios and hundreds of grassroots music venues. The government will continue to offer competitive creative industries tax reliefs to incentivise production of film, TV and video games in the UK.
    This sector vision builds on more than £230 million in government spending on the creative industries since 2021, which includes £75.6 million to build the largest virtual production research and development network in Europe to put the UK at the forefront of advancements in visual effects, motion-capture technology, and AI for the screen industries and live performance. Today the government has announced regional research labs will be based in Yorkshire, Dundee and Belfast with a national lab in Buckinghamshire. The programme will be supported with an additional £63 million investment from industry.

    Alongside investment, the Sector Vision commits the government to a new creative careers promise – a pledge backed by a comprehensive package of actions to open up more opportunities, particularly for young people, to pursue careers in the creative industries.

    Sir Peter Bazalgette, industry co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council said:

    The Creative Industries are coming of age with this ambitious policy framework for economic growth and cultural value. Our Sector Vision, developed jointly with government, champions R&D-led innovation and future skills, drawing on the talent of all our communities. It also promotes positive impact on health & wellbeing, the environment & Britain’s global reach. Helped by the government’s new spending commitments, the work starts now to deliver on this growth agenda.

    Innovation, investment and exports

    • Four new state-of-the-art research and development facilities will be set up to drive the next generation of screen technology and on-set virtual production, with £63 million of new industry investment announced today on top of the government’s £75.6 million investment. UKRI’s Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime (CoSTAR) programme is expected to create more than 820 new jobs across the UK.
    • The government will invest at least £50 million in the next wave of UKRI’s Creative Industries Clusters programme. This funding will be used to identify and support at least six new clusters specialising in creative subsectors, helping entrepreneurs and businesses in these areas innovate with new technologies, secure investment, and access global markets. It comes as more than 300 creative companies across the UK receive a share of £13 million in government grants today to help them innovate and reach their high growth potential.
    • DCMS will increase the budget of the Create Growth Programme by £10.9 million, bringing it to a total of £28.4 million until 2025. The increased funding will enable it to double the number of regions it covers to twelve and support 2,000 businesses to commercialise their ideas and access resources, knowledge and private investment to scale up – turning today’s creative entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s CEOs.
    • Funding for the Music Exports Growth Scheme, which provides grants to support touring and help emerging musicians break into new global markets, will be expanded to £3.2 million over the next two years. Past recipients include BRIT award winners Wolf Alice, Dave and Catfish and the Bottlemen, as well as Mercury Prize Winners Young Fathers and BRIT Rising Star nominee beabadoobee.
    • DCMS will expand Arts Council England’s highly successful Supporting Grassroots Music Venues Fund, providing an additional £5 million over two years to support around 400 grassroots music venues projects, as the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector and cornerstones of communities.
    • The UK Games Fund will receive a £5 million uplift bringing its total funding to £13.4 million over the next two years. Since 2015 the fund has been developing talent and awarding grants to young video game developers and early-stage studios to turn their drawing board ideas into working prototype games and showcase them to investors. The additional funding will mean it can help maturer start-ups grow their businesses and attract even more private investment into our booming video games industry.
    • Acknowledging UK excellence in holding international showcase events which enhance our soft power and boost creative exports, ministers have agreed new funding of £2 million will go to London Fashion Week for 2023-25 and £1.7 million for the BFI to deliver the London Film Festival 2024.

    Skills and education

    The Sector Vision’s creative careers promise commits the government to working closely with the industry to give young people from all backgrounds more opportunities to participate in creative activities from an early age, in order to build a highly-skilled, productive and inclusive creative workforce. To support these aims, DCMS and the Department for Education will:

    • Publish the Cultural Education Plan later this year, deliver last year’s National Plan for Music Education which includes £25 million for musical instruments, and explore opportunities for enrichment activities as part of the government’s wraparound childcare provision.
    • Work with industry to ensure post-16 technical skills routes work effectively for the creative industries. This will include supporting the rollout of T-Levels in creative subjects and increasing provision and take-up of high quality creative apprenticeships.
    • Support lifelong learning in the creative industries and enable the sector to retain and retrain the existing workforce by working with local and regional partners to maximise the opportunities of Skills Bootcamps and to develop Local Skills Improvement Plans across England.

    Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

    The UK has a global reputation for creating, writing and producing amazing music and the Creative Industries generate over £50 billion in exports for the UK economy and are a key driver for UK growth. The Department for Business and Trade is committed to championing our world class artists and businesses around the world by doubling creative trade missions and expanding support for exporters in the creative industries.

    UK Research and Innovation Creative Industries Sector Champion, Professor Christopher Smith, said:

    The creative industries are a UK success story, key to the UK’s prosperity, wellbeing and resilience. From design to screen, fashion and textiles to heritage, they are generating high-quality employment and innovation.

    UKRI’s creative industries investments, including CoSTAR, Creative Catalyst and the Creative Industry Clusters Programme, will catalyse the research and innovation that are crucial for this fast-growing and important sector.

    The creative industries are now firmly embedded in the research and development ecosystem, ensuring that the UK remains a genuine world leader in the industries of the future.

    Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK & Creative Industries Council member

    The UK Government’s Sector Vision recognises and cements the Creative Industries’ immense capacity for growth, and rightly prioritises much-needed investment in the sector. Creative UK, our members, and colleagues across the Creative Industries, stand ready to further unleash the power of creativity, so that together we can drive inclusive growth across all parts of the UK.

    BRIT Awards Rising Star nominee beabadoobee said:

    The funding from the Music Export Growth Scheme came at a great point in my career and gave me a helping hand. I’m happy to know the scheme is being extended and more money will be coming into music to help even more new artists breakthrough. This will all help in building artists fanbases in the UK and around the world.

  • PRESS RELEASE : The UK will continue to promote the full, active and meaningful participation of disabled people in our work – Minister Pursglove statement at the General Assembly [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : The UK will continue to promote the full, active and meaningful participation of disabled people in our work – Minister Pursglove statement at the General Assembly [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 June 2023.

    Statement by Minister Pursglove at the UN General Assembly Debate on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP16).

    The UK is fully committed to implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

    We are developing a UK Disability Action Plan outlining speedy actions the Government will take in 2023/2024 to transform disabled people’s lives.

    Ensuring the voices of disabled people are properly heard is a priority for the UK Government. That is why we will run a full public consultation and engagement on the draft Plan this summer.

    This will build on our recently published “Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper” – an ambitious reform package that will transform the health and disability benefits system.

    Last year, we enacted two landmark pieces of disability legislation – the British Sign Language Act and the Down Syndrome Act.

    We have also expanded our Disability and Access Ambassadors programme to drive accessibility improvements across different sectors in the business world.

    The global context of numerous humanitarian and economic crises, plus the continuing impact of the pandemic, means disability inclusion risks falling further down the agenda.

    The UK remains committed to championing disability rights and inclusion globally.

    Following the launch of our international Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy last year, the UK is focussed on embedding its principles across our huge diplomatic and development network.

    Promoting the full, active, and meaningful participation of disabled people in our work is a key element of this.

    Our Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has published guidance for all its staff on engaging disabled people in the development of our international policies, programmes, and responses. Ensuring the UK’s global output reaches all of those in need and leaves no one behind.

    Furthermore, earlier this year we published our international Women and Girls Strategy, in which we committed to use the full weight of our diplomatic and development offer to put women and girls, in all their diversity, at the heart of everything we do.

  • PRESS RELEASE : We must integrate climate reduction efforts into our early warning responses – UK statement at the Security Council [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : We must integrate climate reduction efforts into our early warning responses – UK statement at the Security Council [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 June 2023.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on climate change.

    Thank you, President. We are grateful to the United Arab Emirates for focusing the Council on this subject today. I also thank USG Lacroix, Former President Santos and Ms Kadry for their important briefings.

    There has been some progress since the UK first brought climate security to the Council in 2007. The implications of climate change are increasingly integrated into our work on conflict, peace and security.

    Still, the physical impacts and cascading risks of climate change are being felt across the world, and are exacerbating pre-existing fragilities. The link to international peace and security is clear, and has been set out by ministers from Africa and the Middle East today – regions that form the majority of our work in this Council

    Urgent, coordinated global action is needed now to address threats. We see the following as priorities:

    First, is the need to increase and improve access to finance for countries most affected by climate change, as highlighted so powerfully by Secretary Kerry just now. We are working to reform the international financial system and to scale up public and private finance for climate resilience and sustainable peace, including for countries on this Council’s agenda. Regional risk pools founded by the UK have transferred $1 billion of risk from Africa, with Somalia receiving a first payout from drought insurance this year. In July, we will convene events on climate finance in the UK and New York including for countries with humanitarian needs to contribute to this theme at COP28.

    Second, we need to ensure drivers of conflict are considered within climate interventions. Conflict-sensitive climate adaptation needs to be part of the solution for destabilised countries. And women, girls and local actors need to be meaningfully included in formal systems and negotiations.

    Finally, climate and conflict risk reduction and early responses should be integrated into humanitarian, peacebuilding and development programmes, in line with the Sendai Framework and the UN Secretary General’s Early Warning for All initiative. Reducing risk and impact of disasters is critical to ensuring continued progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals – especially SDG13 for climate and SDG16 for conflict.

    The UN system is well-positioned to coordinate climate, development, peacebuilding and security efforts, including through existing CPS Advisers in UN Missions. This Council should support this by helping to drive a more coherent and integrated response to stabilisation, peacebuilding and climate-resilient development across UN activities.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Government and unions collaborate to implement NHS pay deal [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government and unions collaborate to implement NHS pay deal [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 13 June 2023.

    Over one million NHS staff are already receiving pay rises, backdated to April, and one-off payments agreed between the government and the NHS staff council.

    • The government and the NHS staff council launch a joint programme to implement non-pay measures in the deal to better support the NHS workforce, including improving opportunities for nursing career progression, reviewing safe staffing guidance and reducing agency spend
    • Stakeholders asked to share their views on the NHS Pay Review Body process – including timing of the pay round, and appointments process for members

    NHS staff are now benefitting from the Agenda for Change pay deal agreed between government and unions, ultimately helping to cut waiting lists and improve patient care.

    Writing in an open letter to NHS staff today, the Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay will thank them for their hard work and update them on the measures being taken to improve their working lives.

    The letter also outlines how the government will work with the NHS staff council to oversee the implementation of the non-pay elements of the recent NHS pay agreement. NHS staff council and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) will jointly chair a programme board, working collaboratively with leads from NHS England and NHS Employers to begin implementing the commitments. This includes ways to boost the welfare and retention of the NHS workforce and to improve opportunities for nursing career progression, reviewing safe staffing guidance and reducing agency spend.

    As well as this, stakeholders who participate in the NHS Pay Review Body process – including health unions, NHS Employers, NHS Providers, NHS England and the devolved administrations – are being invited to share their views on how the NHS Pay Review Body can work as effectively as possible. This includes timing of the pay round, appointments process for members, input of the NHS staff council and the data and evidence that is fed in.

    It follows over one million NHS staff receiving their pay rise, backdated to April, in their pay checks this month alongside one-off bonuses.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

    I hugely value the work of NHS staff and the vital role they’re playing to cut waiting lists, which is one of the government’s 5 priorities.

    That’s exactly why we are pushing ahead with the deal we agreed with unions, which is about much more than just pay – it’s also about protecting people’s wellbeing and supporting their development.

    We are working hand in hand with the NHS staff council to ensure we’re delivering the changes that staff want to see and will benefit them, and patients, the most.

    The pay rise will see an Agenda for Change employee at the Band 6 entry point – such as an experienced physiotherapist, paramedic or a midwife – receive over £5,100 in extra pay across last year and this year, with over £2,000 in bonus payments arriving as a lump sum in pay cheques this month while a newly qualified nurse in Band 5 will receive £1,890 in one-off payments and see their basic pay increase to over £28,400.

    It also means staff working on the lower bands in Bands 1 and 2 will be earning £11.45 per hour in 2023 to 2024, significantly above (9.9%), the National Living Wage.

    To build a stronger, healthier NHS for the long-term with patients at its centre, it is vital to have the workforce to support it. There are already record numbers of staff working in the NHS to care for patients and cut waiting lists, with over 53,600 more people compared to a year ago – including over 5,400 more doctors and 12,900 more nurses. The government and NHS will build on this progress and will soon publish a workforce plan focused on recruiting and retaining more staff to make the NHS the best place to work.

    Background

    Stakeholders will be contacted shortly by the department to set out the next steps on how to submit their views on the Pay Review Body process.

    See a copy of the letter from the Health Secretary to Agenda for Change staff.

    A programme board, chaired by DHSC and staff council chairs, will provide oversight of the programme and ensure outcomes are in line with the original intention behind the deal.

    The programme board would be responsible for commissioning workstreams, supporting policy development and ensuring work is delivered as intended with the Agenda for Change deal. Individual work strands will be owned and driven by either DHSC, NHS England or the NHS staff council.

    Through the jointly owned programme board, DHSC and the NHS staff council will oversee all non-pay elements of the deal which include:

    • looking for ways to improve nursing career progression
    • a review of safe staffing guidance in order to develop a national evidence-based policy framework
    • improving support for newly qualified healthcare registrants
    • exploring the factors driving increasing rates of agency spend in the NHS
    • looking for ways for the pay setting process and the NHS Pay Review Body to operate effectively
    • agree amendments to terms and conditions to ensure that existing NHS staff will not suffer a detriment to their basic pay when they undertake apprenticeships as part of agreed career development
    • considering how the job evaluation system can be consistently applied
    • working with the Social Partnership Forum to identify ways to tackle and reduce violence against NHS staff
    • consider the application of a cap to redundancy payments of £100,000 and over

    For more information on the Agenda for Change pay deal see DHSC’s media fact sheet.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Major air defence package for Ukraine announced at meeting of Joint Expeditionary Force ministers [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Major air defence package for Ukraine announced at meeting of Joint Expeditionary Force ministers [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 13 June 2023.

    The £92m air defence package is being provided through the International Fund for Ukraine, in which the UK is investing a further £250m.

    A new package of vital air defence capabilities for Ukraine was announced today at a meeting of defence ministers from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

    The equipment, worth £92 million, will be procured in the coming months through the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) to bolster Ukraine’s ability to protect its critical national infrastructure, civilian population, and front-line personnel. The package will provide radars to help protect from indiscriminate Russian strikes as well as guns and a significant amount of ammunition.

    The announcement came as the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, attended a meeting of defence ministers from the ten JEF nations in Amsterdam today to discuss continued support for Ukraine and shared security interests and concerns.

    A particular focus was on aspects of protecting underwater and offshore infrastructure, with the ministers and representatives agreeing in a joint statement to deepen cooperation in this area, including through sharing of intelligence.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

    The Joint Expeditionary Force brings together like-minded nations committed to preserving security and stability in Northern Europe, and providing ongoing support for Ukraine.

    The UK has contributed a further £250 million to the International Fund for Ukraine and, with allies and partners, through the fund we are providing a package of air defence to help Ukraine protect their critical national infrastructure and defend against indiscriminate Russian air strikes.

    The IFU uses financial contributions from international partners to procure priority military assistance for Ukraine. This will ensure the continued supply of military support – lethal and non-lethal – to Ukraine through 2023 and beyond.

    More than £520m has been raised through the IFU following contributions from the UK, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Lithuania.

    The latest UK contribution of £250m comes after the Prime Minister met President Zelenskyy in Moldova earlier this month to discuss how best to protect Ukrainian cities and critical national infrastructure from Russian strikes. It takes the total pledged so far by all contributing nations to £770m.

    The funding for air defence is the first of five expected support packages as part of the second round of IFU procurement.

    The first round of procurement resulted in hundreds of proposals from suppliers, ten of which were selected. These included a consignment of reconnaissance and strike drones, which will arrive in Ukraine this summer.

    During his visit to Amsterdam, the defence secretary also held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers from Estonia, Sweden, and the Netherlands, to discuss ongoing shared security commitments.

    The JEF is a group of like-minded nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom. The nations share the same purpose, values and a common focus on security and stability in the JEF core regions of the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region.

    The JEF provides a responsive, capable, and ready military force that undertakes integrated activities at sea, on land and in the air, across northern Europe. These activities are preventative and proportionate and demonstrate solidarity, capability, and resolve to stand together for security and stability in the JEF core regions.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement by Joint Expeditionary Force ministers [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement by Joint Expeditionary Force ministers [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 13 June 2023.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met with ministers from Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partner nations in Amsterdam.

    We, the Defence Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom – members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – met today in Amsterdam. We discussed the current situation in Ukraine and explored how the JEF can respond to, and further mitigate, the security threats to our nations, including Hybrid challenges.

    We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to support the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s appalling, illegal, unprovoked attack; and stand with Ukraine to support its right to be a sovereign, independent and democratic nation. The JEF Participant Nations, along with our Allies and partners, are responding decisively to provide military and humanitarian assistance, at pace, to ensure Ukraine is best able to defend itself, and will continue to do so as long as it takes.

    We reiterate our standing commitment to preserving security and stability in Northern Europe and reaffirm our strong cooperation on tackling conventional and Hybrid threats from a military perspective, primarily in the JEF Core Regions. Today we face common challenges including Russian vessels mapping critical undersea and offshore infrastructure, indicating preparations for possible disruption and, at worst, sabotage.

    Recalling the JEF Leaders’ Summit in Riga in December 2022 and the JEF Defence Ministers’ meeting at Edinburgh Castle in November 2022, we have today decided to accelerate cooperation in the JEF in order to detect, deter and respond to threats against our critical undersea and offshore infrastructure, reassure Allies and demonstrate collective commitment to the security and stability of Northern Europe; all in full alignment with NATO.

    The JEF will specifically strengthen efforts with regard to actively sharing tactical intelligence and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) information on possible maritime threats to ensure a common situational awareness. JEF Participant Nations will continue to cooperate closely, in conjunction with NATO, to coordinate presence and will pool and share capabilities to deter and respond to threats in the JEF Core Regions. The JEF will include aspects of protecting critical undersea and offshore infrastructure and assessed vulnerabilities in future activities. Finally, JEF countries will share best practices and seek ways to cooperate in their respective approaches to the protection of critical undersea and offshore infrastructure.

    The JEF will ensure coordination, complementarity and alignment with NATO on its ongoing work on the protection of critical undersea infrastructure. Activities within the JEF will be periodically reviewed, taking into account security developments and efforts from international partners.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New board to oversee government’s plan to improve music education [June 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New board to oversee government’s plan to improve music education [June 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 13 June 2023.

    The government is today launching a new music education monitoring board with a wide range of expertise.

    A team of experts has been brought together by the government to make sure that all children and young people have access to high-quality music education. The new music education monitoring board consists of over 10 panel members with a wealth of experience ranging from teachers to music industry representatives.

    Last year, the government set out its national plan for music education to 2030, which ensures that  all young people and children have the opportunity to progress in the world of music by learning to sing, play an instrument and create music together.

    Under these plans, all children and young people will experience a broad musical culture in schools and education settings and will access a high-quality music curriculum, as exemplified by the model music curriculum, published in 2021. Starting this September, schools are also being asked to teach music for at least an hour a week as part of their music development plan, supported by our national network of music hubs.

    From September 2024, music hubs will also receive £25 million to fund a wide variety of instruments for children and young people, to be played in and out of school, including adapted instruments for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

    The board will keep track of the progress in delivering the commitments in the plan and will be chaired by Veronica Wadley CBE, Baroness Fleet. The panel of experts will have its first meeting later this month and plan to meet termly.

    Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

    Every pupil should have the opportunity to be taught a high-quality music curriculum, introducing them to the world’s best music and ensuring they are taught to read and write musical notation.

    Music offers an enriching experience which is why we want all schools to teach a fulfilling music curriculum. The new board, chaired by Baroness Fleet, will help our schools deliver this by guiding the implementation of the National Plan for Music Education.

    Veronica Wadley CBE, Baroness Fleet, said:

    I am delighted to be chairing the monitoring board, continuing the work we started in 2021. It is so important to do all we can to ensure that high quality music is embedded in schools and accessible to young people from all backgrounds.

    This is vital for the pipeline of talent and for the future of our great orchestras, the music industry and the wider creative industries.