Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Asbestos conman ordered to pay back thousands [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 24 May 2023.

Man’s 40 destinations of deception read like an A-Z, including several locations in the South East.

A builder who hid asbestos near a school after lying to customers about his qualifications to remove it is to hand over money he earned from dozens of jobs.

Kent, south-east London, Surrey and Oxfordshire were among the places Lee Charles targeted with false paperwork to win high-value contracts.

The Lincolnshire man was last year given 12 months in prison, suspended for 2 years. Now, a court has decided 40-year-old Charles must pay up £82,100 in a proceeds of crime order.

He used the company name Lincs Demolition Ltd for 2 years, claiming he was registered to remove asbestos in places including Abingdon, Caterham, Dorking, Gravesend, Luton and Sidcup. But Charles had no legal permit from the Environment Agency to do the work.

He zig-zagged England to act out his crimes:

Abingdon, Barton-upon-Humber, Boston, Burntwood, Cambridge, Caterham, Doncaster, Dorking, Erdington, Birmingham; Grantham, Gravesend, Great Yarmouth, Huntingdon, Ipswich, Kettering, Kings Lynn, Leicester, Lincoln, Loughborough, Luton, Mansfield, Market Rasen, Melton Mowbray…

… Newark, Norwich, Nottingham, Oakham, Peterborough, Scunthorpe, Sidcup, London; Sleaford, Spalding, St Ives, Cambridgeshire; Stockport, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Stourbridge, Walsall, Warsop, Wellingborough and Worksop.

Charles told customers he was legitimate. He wasn’t and got a suspended prison sentence and an order to pay back tens of thousands of pounds gained from his illegal work.

Having duped customers, Charles stashed the waste asbestos in hired storage containers at Welbourn, in Lincolnshire, 200m from a school and close to a Girl Guide centre.

Charles told the owners of the storage space he wanted to keep tools there. When he failed to pay the rent on the containers, the owners forced the locks and were confronted with the dangerous contents.

Asbestos is a hazardous substance when disturbed and carcinogenic. The UK banned its use in 1999.

Once exposed, Charles abandoned the storage containers, moving to an unpermitted waste site 16 miles away near Sleaford, where he continued to store asbestos unsafely, posing a risk to public health.

Paul Salter, an environmental waste crime officer for the Environment Agency, said:

“Lee Charles’ crimes were not just illegal, but dangerous. He has been ordered to pay back money, and this sends out a clear message to others who flout the law that waste crime doesn’t pay.

“Not only do we use environmental law to prosecute offenders, but use proceeds of crime orders to ensure that criminals are deprived of the benefits of their illegal activity.

“The Environment Agency supports legitimate business by disrupting and stopping the criminal element, backed up by the threat of tough enforcement, as in this case.

“We continue to use intelligence-led approaches to target the most serious crimes and evaluate which interventions are most effective.

“If you see or suspect waste crime is being committed, we urge you to report it immediately to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

In 2015, illegal waste activity was estimated to cost more than £600 million in England alone, with the figure for the UK likely to be much higher.

The Environment Agency’s permitting system enables businesses to carry out their operations, while robust regulation is in place to prevent them being undercut by irresponsible or illegal operators.

In March last year, Charles, of Caldicot Gardens, in Grantham, was convicted by Lincoln crown court after pleading guilty to 2 counts of operating a waste operation without a permit between 2017 and 2019, contrary to regulations 12, 38(1)(a) and 41(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

He also admitted 2 counts of keeping or disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm, contrary to sections 33(1)(c), 33(6) and 157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

On 22 May, Lincoln crown court ordered Charles to pay £82,100 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 following an Environment Agency investigation into the costs he avoided while working illegally.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New legislation to protect against Oak Processionary Moth impacts [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 24 May 2023.

New legislation to allow the movement of large oak trees and trade within the operational zones and boundaries in place to help manage Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) is being introduced today (24 May).

OPM is a tree pest first identified in London in 2006 which has spread to some surrounding counties in the South-East of England. Its caterpillars feed on the leaves of several species of oak trees, causing them to lose their leaves, negatively impacting their growth, and making them more vulnerable to other stresses, such as drought. When touched by members of the public, they can cause itchy rashes, eye, and throat irritations. The period between June and August provides the greatest risk to health as this is when the caterpillars emerge.

The Forestry Commission has in place operational zones and boundaries aimed at managing OPM. In March, in response to government surveillance, the Established Area in which OPM is established and the Buffer Zone in which an annual programme of OPM management takes place, was expanded.

From today, a new demarcated area will be established around the Buffer Zone and Established Area, enabling large oak trees (girth at 1.2m above the root collar of 8cm or more) to be moved within this boundary, provided that the trees are moved by professional operators and that biosecurity requirements are met along with movement restrictions.

Professor Nicola Spence, UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said:

Healthy oak trees are a vital component of a biodiverse and thriving environmental landscape. They are Great Britain’s most important tree for species biodiversity, supporting over 2000 species of bird, mammal, fungi, invertebrate, bryophyte and lichen.

This is why it is essential that to protect the health of our oak trees, we have regulations in place for the movement of large oak trees within the zones and boundaries designed to manage Oak Processionary Moth.

Andrew Hoppit, Oak Processionary Moth Project Manager, said:

Oak Processionary Moth is a tree pest which can have a negative impact on tree health, and which can cause itchy rashes, eye, and throat irritations, when in physical contact with humans and pets.

While we understand the importance of professional operators being able to move large oak trees, it is vital that we have in place stringent biosecurity requirements to ensure a risk-based approach for moving these trees.

Large oak trees will be able to be moved within the established area, or into the established area from the buffer zone, providing the following biosecurity requirements are met:

Biosecurity competence – Professional operators must demonstrate that they meet the Plant Health Management Standard evidenced through membership of the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme or provision of a Ready to Plant approval from Fera Science Ltd for each consignment to be moved. They must also demonstrate evidence of ongoing on-site monitoring for OPM and inspection of OPM prior to movement.

Official inspections – Professional operators must keep accurate records of the of the contact details of those receiving large oak trees, including the delivery address and contact details. They must store this information for a minimum of three years to ensure traceability of movements. This information can be recorded using the Post planting Inspections form .

Large oak trees will be able to be moved within the buffer zone if they meet two additional biosecurity requirements:

Phytosanitary treatments – Professional operators must have a robust control regime in place with appropriate phytosanitary treatments. These treatments must be applied in line with Defra Guidance on application of phytosanitary treatments for the control of Oak Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea processionea) 2023 and records of all treatment applications must be kept for a minimum of three years.

Post-planting inspections – Professional operators must disclose the potential for post-planting inspection as part of the new legislation to buyers at the time of purchase. A proportion of high-risk large oak movements within the buffer zone will be subject to post-planting inspections by the plant health inspectors.

To protect the area free from the pest it will not be permitted to:

Move large oak trees with OPM
Move large oak trees from the Established Area or Buffer Zone into the Area Free from the Pest
Move large oak trees from the established area into the buffer zone
Move large oak trees from the established area or buffer zone into the 10km exclusion zone at the outer edge of the buffer zone boundary
A Government programme to manage OPM has been in place since 2012. Over the last five years, £10 million has been invested into oak health, including the management of oak processionary moth, as well as research to develop novel control techniques and new policy responses.

Professional operators who are growing or moving large oak trees, and who are impacted by the new movement restrictions, should consult with their local Plant Health inspector or the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate for further advice. For further information on the new movement restrictions, please view our digital guide and video explaining these changes. Please also view our interactive map showing the locations of recent confirmed reports of OPM and the national management zones to see how the changes affect you.

This announcement follows Plant Health Week 2023 which raises awareness of the impacts of invasive non-native species and the simple things that everyone can do to help protect the environment. By identifying threats such as pests and diseases, we protect the benefits plants provide to the public, to wildlife, the environment and our economy. More information can be found on the Plant Health Action.org website.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government sets out further support for tenant farmers [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 24 May 2023.

Plans are announced in response to independent Rock Review to support tenant farmers at the heart of the rural economy.

Tenant farmers will be at the heart of the government’s work to grow and support the rural economy thanks to new measures announced today (24 May) to support the long-term sustainability of the tenant farming sector.

The measures, announced in response to the independent Rock Review, agree with the review’s key recommendations and include a new Farm Tenancy Forum which will work to consider the unique challenges facing the sector, facilitate more collaborative relationships between landlords and tenants, and help to shape farming policy. This will be co-chaired by Julian Sayers and will provide regular feedback to government, strengthening Defra’s relationship with the sector.

The government will also launch a Call for Evidence this summer on the proposal for a Tenant Farming Commissioner in England, considering the benefits this could bring and how it might work in practice.

This builds on the actions we have already taken to help tenant farmers benefit from our Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) and a consultation launched at Budget on potential inheritance tax reforms, in line with the Review recommendations.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

I’d like to thank Baroness Rock and her team for their work on the review which underlined the vital importance of the tenant farming sector and the action needed to help it thrive.

At the centre of her review was a call for tenant voices to be heard by government and that we remove barriers to accessing our farming scheme.

That’s what we’re delivering – both through the measures announced today and in the progress that we have made over recent months, and I look forward to working with the tenanted sector to help make sure we’re delivering on their priorities into the future.

Baroness Kate Rock said:

I welcome the government’s commitment to the agricultural tenanted sector and its willingness to focus on how the objectives of the Rock Review can be delivered.

I would, however, have liked the response to fully recognise all the findings of the Review, in particular regarding the increase in new clauses being inserted into Farm Business Tenancies, and on tenants engaging in diversified activities. Whilst I welcome the new Farm Tenancy Forum, this must be focused on implementing the findings of the Review to be successful.

I would like to thank the Secretary of State, the Farming Minister and Defra for their proactive engagement throughout the Rock Review and their commitment to work together for a thriving agricultural tenanted sector.

The Rock Review was published in October 2022, led by Baroness Rock and the Tenancy Working Group, with input from all parts of the tenanted sector including tenants, landlords and agents.

Outside the EU and free from the bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy, the government is determined to design a fairer system which works in the best interests of British farmers, including the tenant farming sector. The measures announced today build on significant progress in delivering the Environmental Land Management schemes since the review’s publication, with tenants benefitting from more flexible options and schemes.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, for instance, has been designed to be as accessible as possible for tenants, who can apply without landlord consent and sign up to shorter, three-year agreements which can be ended without penalty.

Meanwhile, around half of the 22 successful projects in the first round of the Landscape Recovery Scheme involve tenants working with other farmers and land managers, and work is continuing on how Countryside Stewardship can be simplified and made more flexible to make it work better for tenants.

A consultation and Call for Evidence are also running to explore potential tax changes, including changes to inheritance tax relief that could help encourage tenants to enter environmental land management schemes.

Today’s announcement comes alongside the government’s ongoing support for tenant farmers and the agricultural sector. This includes more than £168 million in grants being made available to farmers this year to drive innovation, support food production, improve animal health and welfare and protect the environment, as well as accelerating the roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

More recently, the second round of Landscape Recovery was launched last week to support up to 25 more projects to protect and restore thousands of acres of the English landscape.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Attorney confirms progress to implement Calvert-Smith review recommendations [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 24 May 2023.

The Attorney General has updated Parliament that significant action has been taken across all 11 of Sir David’s recommendations.

The Attorney General Victoria Prentis KC MP said:

Last November I updated Parliament confirming that the SFO had made significant progress in delivering nine of Sir David Calvert-Smith’s recommendations following his independent enquiry into the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Unaoil case.

Today I am pleased to announce that significant action has been taken across all 11 of Sir David’s recommendations, with further activity planned.

HMCPSI have verified that positive progress has been made and the Chief Inspector has kindly agreed to consider my invitation to carry out a further inspection to assess whether the SFO’s actions have been effective.

The Director of the SFO and her team are now focused on embedding the changes that have been made and monitoring their effectiveness.

Delivering what has been promised remains one of my key priorities, ensuring the SFO can continue to carry out their important mission of tackling the scourge of serious financial crime.

The Attorney General laid a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament today and the AGO has also published a detailed progress update.

The SFO has also published an update on its progress to date against the recommendations set out in Brian Altman KC’s independent review of R. v Woods & Marshall.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine will win. Russia is denying the reality of its horrific war of choice – UK statement to the OSCE [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 May 2023.

UK military advisor, Ian Stubbs, says Russia repeatedly underestimates the strength of the Ukrainian people and our unwavering resolve to support them in defending their homeland.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Despite our Russian colleagues’ futile attempts to portray it otherwise, the simple truth is that Russia is responsible for this horrific war, which is in breach of the UN Charter, and for the needless deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children. To characterise such a situation as anything other than a human tragedy for both sides denies the reality.

However, that is what the Kremlin does – it denies the reality to itself and to the Russian people. Here in Vienna, we have watched our Russian colleagues use this Forum as a mouthpiece to try to justify the unjustifiable. They have perpetuated a campaign of lies, threats and propaganda which has no solid foundation whatsoever. They have complained of confrontation and professed to seek dialogue. Yet, it is our Russian colleagues who have become increasingly contemptuous of this Forum, belligerent towards the Chair, and threatening towards fellow delegates.

Let us step back and remind ourselves of Russia’s approach to dialogue and diplomacy:

Russia repeatedly lied in this and other multilateral fora over the true purpose of its extraordinary military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and in illegally annexed Crimea.

Russia not only ignored its commitments under the Vienna Document, but weaponised this Confidence and Security Building measure to support its disinformation campaign.

Russia rejected calls for dialogue and de-escalation and instead pursued a path of confrontation.

Russia said there would be no war.

Russia said it had no intentions of invading Ukraine.

Russia conducted an unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic State to conquer it by force and failed.

Madam Chair, whilst Russia persists in launching large-scale missile and drone strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine, we are thankful that most continue to be successfully intercepted by Ukraine’s air defences, including with those systems gifted by Ukraine’s international partners.

Russia also continues to struggle to achieve air superiority. Last week, we reported that four Russian military aircraft lost over Russia’s Bryansk region indicated that Russia’s ability to operate safely in its own airspace was now compromised. This increased air threat over Russia’s border region will be of exceptional concern to the Russian Air Force because it uses the area to launch air power in support of its illegal war. Ukraine’s repeated success in shooting down the Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile, once lauded by Putin as “undefeatable”, will add to Russia’s concern.

Madam Chair, Russia has repeatedly underestimated the strength and determination of the courageous Ukrainian people to defend their homeland. In addition, Russia has severely underestimated our unwavering resolve to support Ukraine, alongside our friends and partners, for however long it takes.

Russia has also clearly underestimated NATO’s resolve. Russia’s own aggressive actions have directly resulted in NATO growing stronger: welcoming new members; strengthening its forward presence; transforming the NATO Response Force; and boosting its ability to defend every inch of Allied territory.

Madam Chair, Russia could end this all now. It could end the pain and suffering of so many. It could end the terrible impact on the Russian people – needless deaths; grieving families; discontent; and isolation. It could end all this if it stopped its brutal and barbaric invasion of its sovereign neighbour and withdrew its forces from Ukraine.

Ukraine has regained territory and liberated thousands of Ukrainian people thanks to the awe-inspiring bravery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the overwhelming international support. Together, the UK and partners are ensuring that Ukraine will win. Our united approach of providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory is the swiftest, and only, path to a just and lasting peace. Thank you.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Bishop of Lincoln [May 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 May 2023.

The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Stephen Conway, Bishop of Ely and previously Acting Bishop of Lincoln, for election as Bishop of Lincoln, in succession to The Right Reverend Christopher Lowson following his retirement.

Background

Stephen was educated at Keble College, Oxford, and trained for ordained ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served his title at St Mary, Heworth, in the Diocese of Durham, and was ordained priest in 1987. Stephen served as Director of Ordinands from 1990 and, in 1994, he was appointed Priest in Charge, later Vicar, of St Mary, Cockerton.

From 1998, Stephen served as Bishop’s Senior Chaplain, Press Officer and Diocesan Communications Officer and, in 2002, he was appointed Archdeacon of Durham and Residentiary Canon of Durham Cathedral.

In 2006, Stephen was appointed Area Bishop of Ramsbury, in the Diocese of Salisbury and, in 2010, he took up his current role as Bishop of Ely. Additionally, Stephen was Acting Bishop of Lincoln from the beginning of 2022 until Easter 2023.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Thousands more ex-prisoners in work following major drive to boost employment [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2023.

More than double the number of ex-offenders found work following a major government drive to reduce reoffending and plug labour shortages to help grow the economy.
- 116% rise in ex-offenders finding jobs within 6 months
- boost follows raft of measures to reduce reoffending
- Justice Secretary opens new DHL workshop staffed by prisoners
New statistics show rapid progress has been made to boost employment for prison leavers, with the number of ex-offenders who have been successfully steered into jobs within 6 months more than doubling from 14% to 30% since April 2021.

It is helping to cut crime and tackle the £18 billion annual cost of reoffending as ex-prisoners in steady jobs are known to be up to 9 percentage points less likely to commit further crimes.

Business chiefs from household firms such as Co-op and Greggs have helped spearhead initiatives such as Employment Advisory Boards, which have been rolled out in 92 prisons to help improve the education and training on offer.

Education programmes and workshops geared to local workforce needs are also helping offenders learn new skills and access a vibrant business network as they prepare for release.

The Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, officially opened one such workshop run by international logistics firm, DHL at HMP High Down in Surrey yesterday (23 May). It will function as a DHL warehouse for sorting and picking goods to be shipped to other prisons across the country giving prisoners experience of managing the movement of stock within the warehouse and the processing of goods.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk MP KC, said:

Our drive to improve prison education and business links is helping cut crime, with more prisoners going straight into work on release than ever before.

Helping reformed offenders kickstart a new, law-abiding career is a win-win – it makes our streets safer while providing businesses with the reliable staff they need to help drive the British economy.

Eight prisoners also worked on the construction of the workshop, with 2 now in full-time employment with major construction firm Galliford Try following their release.

Simon, who assisted with the construction of the workshop during his sentence at HMP High Down said:

Helping to build the workshop has taught me new skills and given me the confidence I need to pursue a career when I walk out the prison gates.

I now have a job waiting for me on the outside and that makes me hopeful I can make positive choices and stay on the straight and narrow.

The Lord Chancellor’s visit followed him meeting representatives from some of the UK’s leading businesses, at the annual Employment Advisory Board conference on 11 May.

Since April 2022, the proportion of prison leavers finding work within six weeks of release has increased from 15% to 19%, with a further 30% in work after 6 months, up from 23%.

These significant increases come after the government rolled out one-stop hubs in prison where prisoners can access career advice and help with CV writing – akin to job centres in the community. The Prison Service has also been running nationwide, month-long recruitment drives focused on getting offenders into particular sectors that are facing recruitment challenges, including hospitality, construction and manufacturing.

Building on this momentum, next month marks the launch of a campaign to get more ex-prisoners into the UK’s retail and logistics sectors, in jobs such as warehouse workers, shop assistants and online sales advisers.

Over the course of the campaign, business experts from the sector will deliver tailored workshops and jobs fairs to give them the skills and the insight they need to provide a positive contribution to the community as soon as they step out of the prison gates.

Prisoners are also supported by the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Work Coaches, who help them to get job-ready through mock interviews and sharing tips on how to secure further training opportunities on release.

Mims Davies, Minister for Social Mobility, Youth & Progression, said:

The best route towards prosperity is through work, which is especially true for those re-entering society after time spent in prison. That’s why DWP employs prison Work Coaches across the country who work directly with offenders to boost their skills and get them job-ready for their release.

It’s great to see so many people following that route, and we will continue to highlight to employers, through our Jobcentre network, the contribution prison leavers can make to their business.

The new data follows a recent report by the Centre for Social Justice which sets out the benefits to the economy and society by getting more ex-offenders into work.

Joe Shalam, Policy Director at the Centre for Social Justice, said:

We welcome the work of the Ministry of Justice to unlock both aspiration and opportunities for people leaving prison. As well as a punishment and deterrent, prison time must be used to ensure that the cycle of reoffending is broken, protecting more would-be victims of crime.

Employment is proven to cut reoffending, while also providing prison leavers with the keys to a better and more stable life. It’s a rare win-win that we should be doing everything to achieve.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New specialist fraud squad to help departments prevent fraud in public services [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 24 May 2023.

A new team of experts will surge into departments to help prevent fraud in public services.
- New team part of the government’s £1billion crackdown on fraud, lead by the Public Sector Fraud Authority.
- Central team of experts will help to prevent fraud by identifying areas of services which are most at risk.
- Specialists will also help Civil Servants to ‘design out’ fraud when new schemes and services are being launched.
A new team of experts will surge into departments to help prevent fraud in public services.

The team, which starts work today, is the latest tool in the government’s £1bn crackdown on fraud against the public sector, led by the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).

The new service will provide expert advice and support to help departments and public bodies to better understand how fraudsters attack government schemes and services and take action to make those attacks less likely to succeed.

It will deploy teams of experts into critical points, such as when the government announces new spending programmes or policies, to scrutinise and improve oversight of spending before funds are issued, to ensure that fraudsters cannot profit from the public purse.

The team is made up of counter-fraud experts, who have had specialist training and are experienced in preventing and detecting fraud. They will help services to harness the latest tools and techniques, such adopting a fraudsters mindset to stress test fraud controls, in a similar way to how ethical hacking operates, to strengthen the government’s fraud defences.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

We know that fraudsters, both in the UK and overseas, are targeting public funds and so we must do everything we can to stop them.

The public expects us to protect taxpayers money, so this new service steps up the government’s fraud defences through more rigorous identification of the threats we face and specialist support for public services.

The Risk, Threat and Prevention Service is a global first, with no other government in the world currently providing such a cross-government resource and capability to identify and counter fraud.

It will develop new tools for government to use, including the Global Fraud Risk Assessment, which will track and analyse common fraud patterns so that teams can ensure that services are designed in a way which does not leave them exposed to fraud.

The team will also develop a High Fraud Risk Portfolio which will identify the areas of the public sector most at risk of fraud. This will enable departments to better prioritise the allocation of counter fraud resources and expert advice, so that fraud risks are mitigated more efficiently.

These new tools will allow the government to better target counter-fraud resource. The Risk, Threat and Prevention Service will lead fraud squads, which will surge into departments, to analyse and design services which are far less open to the risk of fraud.

This early intervention will help ‘design out’ fraud at the early stages of a new government service or policy starting, preventing the need for investigators to have to try and recoup money in the future. The savings delivered by the new team will help deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to growing the economy, by reducing public money lost to fraud and ensuring funding reaches the services it is intended for.

The service has been built over the past eight months. The government appointed Mark Cheeseman OBE, an internationally recognised expert, as the Authority’s first Chief Executive last week.

He said:

Across the world fraud is getting more complex and pervasive, but we know that the investment in understanding and preventing fraud pays off.

The creation of the new Risk, Threat and Prevention Service, a first for the government, will help us to continue innovating, and improving, across the system at finding, fighting and stopping fraud.

Government has invested £1bn in taking action against public sector fraud in this spend review period, and has recovered more than £3.1bn of fraud losses in the last two years, including within Covid-19 schemes. Significant progress has been made by establishing the PSFA which is stepping up the government’s efforts to protect taxpayers’ money. Government continues to expand its Counter Fraud Profession, develop new technologies and boost skills and training to further protect the public purse.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK and Albania agree groundbreaking new arrangement on prisoner transfers [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2023.

Hundreds of Albanian prisoners to be returned to their home country in exchange for UK support to help modernise the Albanian prison system.
200 Albanian prisoners will be sent home to serve remainder of jail sentences

arrangement saves taxpayers’ money while improving Albanian prison system

part of long-term partnership agreed between UK and Albanian Prime Ministers

The UK and Albanian governments have agreed a ground-breaking arrangement that will see hundreds of Albanian prisoners returned to their home country in exchange for UK support to help modernise the Albanian prison system.

Under the new arrangement 200 Albanian nationals in prisons in England and Wales serving sentences of 4 years or more will be sent back to see out the remainder of their terms in Albanian prisons while helping to modernise prisons in Albania.

Today’s (24 May 2023) deal builds on the Joint Communiqué signed by the British and Albanian Prime Ministers in December 2022 and the discussions they held in London in March 2023.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk MP KC, said:

I am grateful to my Albanian counterpart, HE Mr Ulsi Manja, for his efforts to shape our growing partnership on justice issues. The public expects that foreign criminals should serve their sentences overseas – not in our prisons at the expense of the taxpayer.

This deal will speed up the removal of these offenders and give victims confidence that serious criminals will continue to face justice and spend the remainder of their sentence behind bars. Collaboration with our international partners is an essential part of making this possible.

Ulsi Manja, Albanian Minister of Justice, said:

This new arrangement demonstrates the strong partnership between the UK and Albanian governments. Two years after the agreement for the transfer of prisoners from the United Kingdom to Albania was ratified, we have concluded a technical arrangement that will benefit both countries.

At its core, every Albanian convict in the United Kingdom shall be given the opportunity to serve the remaining sentence in Albania, near their families, while we also increase our efforts to ensure the modernisation of the Albanian penitentiary system.

Through the agreement, the UK government will provide support modernising and expanding the Albanian prison system, to make sure they have the capacity to hold these prisoners. These improvements will also speed up future transfers.

The deal builds on an earlier agreement and means that offenders must spend at least the same amount of time in custody as they were sentenced to by a judge in the UK. They are also barred from returning to the UK.

It will also free up prison capacity in England and Wales by speeding up the removal of foreign offenders. Between 27 April 2021 and 27 April 2023, the government repatriated 112 sentenced foreign offenders under Prisoner Transfer Agreements. Today’s deal will double the number removed annually.

Notes to editors

It currently costs nearly £40,000 a year to house each prisoner in England and Wales.

The total cost of the deal for the MOJ is expected to be in the region of £8 million over 2 years, equating to £32 per prisoner per day, compared to £109 per day to house them in prisons in England and Wales. Home Office funding of around £4.4 million will also support the arrangement.

MoJ funding will be paid per prisoner transferred – not up front.

At 31 March 2023, there were 1,393 Albanian Foreign National Offenders in prisons in England and Wales. Source: Offender Management Statistics Quarterly, 27 April 2023, table 1.7

The deal builds on the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the UK and Albania in 2021, which came into force in May 2022. This implementation package will ensure Albania has the right processes and prison capacity in place, meaning transfers can now proceed at pace.

In the past 3 years 10,000 foreign offenders from around the world have been deported from the United Kingdom to their home country. The majority have been deported via other schemes, such as the Early Removal Scheme, which allows offenders to be deported before the conclusion of their prison sentences. This Prisoner Transfer Agreement means prisoners still serving long sentences can be removed and serve the remainder abroad.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : First dedicated government fund to build space infrastructure launched with £50 million [May 2023]

The press release issued by the UK Space Agency on 24 May 2023.

The UK Space Agency is launching a £50 million fund to support the development of cutting-edge research and development facilities, the government announced today.

The Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) – the first dedicated fund for UK space infrastructure – will award match funding to UK organisations to develop the R&D infrastructure needed to make space products mission-ready and sell them into commercial markets.

Investment in space R&D infrastructure is essential for building and testing new UK space and satellite capabilities, supporting innovative missions that can benefit people, businesses and communities across the country.

Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology George Freeman MP said:

The UK space industry – worth £17.5 billion to the UK economy and creating new companies and careers all around the country from Glasgow Space City to Spaceport Cornwall – is a key part of the UK Innovation Economy.

This £50 million Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund is the UK’s first fund dedicated to support the space industry develop the R&D facilities key to growing the space clusters across the UK, helping to generate investment, create jobs and enable UK space companies’ cutting-edge technology to be made mission-ready for new commercial satellite markets.

The funding is available to industry and academia who can deliver projects to procure, build or upgrade R&D facilities and equipment that will bring high potential, high value space technologies to market. SCIF is a pilot project that will support approximately 5-10 projects of up to £10 million each.

These projects will provide critical anchor points at the local level for new businesses, investment and research and aim to create hundreds of jobs in areas of the UK that need it most.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

The UK has a thriving space sector, which is well-established and globally respected. We are growing this exciting sector further, by catalysing investment, delivering missions and capabilities, and championing the power of space to improve lives.

The Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund demonstrates the government’s commitment to space and will help deliver the ambition set out in the National Space Strategy to build one of the most innovative and attractive space economies in the world, developing new skills and creating jobs.

Levelling Up is a priority of the UK Space Agency and SCIF will allocate the majority of its budget outside of the Greater South-east, although proposals are welcome from anywhere in the UK.

Lizzie Kerr, Director of UKspace, the industry trade association, said:

R&D underpins so much of the UK space industry’s activities and continued innovation. UKspace therefore welcomes this funding commitment from the Government which has the potential to impact many of our members, by developing and renewing facilities, and bringing growth and employment across the UK.

The government has previously invested in space infrastructure such as the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF) and National Space Propulsion Test Facility on a case-by-case basis. The NSTF, due to open later this year in Harwell, features the UK’s largest vacuum test chamber, where satellites the size of a double decker bus will be exposed to extremes of hot and cold for months at a time, and a vibration facility that replicates the conditions of a rocket launch. The National Space Propulsion Test Facility in Westcott allows UK organisations to test state-of-the-art engines which move small satellites in space, at a more affordable rate than having to go abroad.

The UK Space Agency’s funding for national projects, including SCIF, is in addition to £1.84 billion invested through the European Space Agency in November, ensuring the UK’s space and commercial satellite sector will play a leading role in future international missions and innovative commercial programmes.

June 2, 2023