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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement on the Taliban banning Afghan women from aid work [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement on the Taliban banning Afghan women from aid work [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 December 2022.

    Joint statement from Foreign Ministers on the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for NGOs.

    The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union are gravely concerned that the Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order barring female employees of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the workplace puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their survival.  We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse this decision.

    Women are absolutely central to humanitarian and basic needs operations.  Unless they participate in aid delivery in Afghanistan, NGOs will be unable to reach the country’s most vulnerable people to provide food, medicine, winterization, and other materials and services they need to live.  This would also affect the humanitarian assistance provided by international organizations, as international organizations utilize NGOs to deliver such materials and services.

    The Taliban continue to demonstrate their contempt for the rights, freedoms, and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, and their disinterest in normal relations with the international community.

    We support the Afghan people’s calls for girls and women to return to work, school, and university, and for women to continue to play essential roles in humanitarian and basic needs assistance delivery, and we urge the Taliban to respect the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

    To this end, we are in close contact with the United Nations, who are urging, also on behalf of all international donors, that the Taliban reverse this decision immediately.  This would avoid any disruption and allow the continuation of all humanitarian operations of international and national NGOs.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Number of defibrillators to be increased with new funding [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Number of defibrillators to be increased with new funding [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 29 December 2022.

    • £1 million fund will increase defibrillators in the community by an estimated 1,000
    • Organisations will be invited to bid to place defibrillators in areas most in need
    • Successful bidders will be asked to match funding, potentially doubling the number of new defibrillators

    The public will have faster access to life-saving defibrillators as the government announces a new £1 million fund to increase the number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in communities most in need – providing an estimated 1,000 new defibrillators in community spaces across England.

    The Department of Health and Social Care will invest the funding through an independent partner in the new year who will manage grant applications from bidding organisations. Those selected will be asked to match the funding they receive fully or partially, potentially doubling the number of new defibrillators created by the fund.

    Applicants will also be asked to demonstrate that defibrillators will be placed in areas where they are most needed, such as places with high footfall, vulnerable people, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site.

    Examples could include town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks, to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities and easily accessible if someone is experiencing an unexpected cardiac arrest.

    The independent partner managing the fund will be announced in due course and will work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that new defibrillators in the community are accessible on a 24/7 basis and are equally accessible across England to all social groups.

    Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, said:

    I’ve heard extraordinary stories of ordinary people being kept alive thanks to the swift use of a defibrillator on the football pitch, at the gym or in their local community.

    We must make sure these life-saving devices are more accessible, with our new £1 million fund expected to place around 1,000 new defibrillators in communities across England.

    Minister of State for Care, Helen Whately, said:

    We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and public access to defibrillators is critical to achieving this.

    This fund will help us make sure there are more of these incredible devices in our communities and we save more lives.

    Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation said:

    For every minute without CPR or defibrillation, a person’s chances of survival from an out of hospital cardiac arrest decreases by 10%, so we welcome this move to improve access to defibrillators in communities across England.

    We urge anyone who looks after a defibrillator in their community, workplace or sports club to ensure that it is registered on The Circuit so that the ambulance services will know where it is in an emergency.

    NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said:

    It is essential that people are equipped with the knowledge, skills and equipment they need to be able to save a life, and access to a defibrillator, along with initial recognition of symptoms, early CPR and post resuscitation care can mean the difference between life and death for a person who is going into cardiac arrest.

    The NHS is proud to be working with local community partners to champion the importance of learning how to recognise and respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – including working with St John Ambulance to recruit a national network of community advocates to encourage more people to learn CPR and lifesaving skills.

    The funding is part of the government’s commitment to support the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and improving access to emergency treatment across England.

    Organisations and individuals that acquire defibrillators, or already own them, are urged to register them on The Circuit, a national defibrillator database for ambulance services to quickly identify the nearest device.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Turtle population thriving around Armed Forces bases in Cyprus [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Turtle population thriving around Armed Forces bases in Cyprus [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 29 December 2022.

    Turtle nests are thriving at beaches around military sites in Cyprus following conservation efforts by the Ministry of Defence and civilian volunteers to protect the species.

    A total of 172 Green and Loggerhead turtle nests were identified in 2022 within the Western and Eastern Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) and at Akrotiri, Episkopi and Dhekelia – home to UK Armed Forces supporting ongoing operations in the region.

    Volunteers made up of military and civilian personnel play a vital role in keeping a close eye on all nesting beaches. In addition to reporting turtle tracks they also report illegal and damaging activities. Nests have come under threat in recent years for a variety of reasons, including invasive species and human activity, however volunteering efforts have transformed nesting sites for turtles.

    SBAA Environmental Officer, Alexia Perdiou said:

    We are delighted with the increasing numbers of turtle nests on beaches in the Bases in recent years, which is down to the vital work we do alongside our legion of military and civilian volunteers – patrolling beaches and searching for turtle tracks in the early hours of the morning every day throughout the summer months.

    Being careful to not directly interact with any turtles or hatchlings, we ensure that nesting sites are protected from both human activity and invasive predators, which alongside wider conservation efforts being done throughout Cyprus will ensure these incredible animals continue to thrive.

    The Sovereign Base Areas Administration (SBAA) Environment Department co-ordinates turtle conservation work which focuses on minimum intervention, follows international best practices and mirrors the work undertaken in the rest of Cyprus. The work of the Department would not have been so successful without the invaluable help from volunteers who walk nesting beaches daily to identify turtle tracks so that nests can be protected until they hatch.

    The valuable co-operation between volunteers, the SBAA Environment Department and the SBA Police has resulted in the addressing of almost all offences on nesting beaches and a strong message has gone to beach users on the safeguarding of turtle nesting habitat, nests and hatchlings.

    The SBAA is supported by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who provide Stewardship Funding to carry out conservation work to safeguard nesting beaches to meet common objectives and statutory obligations for protecting designated sites and habitats.

    DIO environmental staff based out in Cyprus also ensure that the conservation status of the turtles and their habitats is not compromised, by carefully managing and designing military activities and projects.

    DIO Technical Services Environmental Adviser in Cyprus, David Reynolds said:

    I am really delighted with this upturn in breeding success, it’s the result of a unique and strong partnership spanning many years of hard work and now we can really start to see the results of our work.

    Efforts to protect turtle nesting beaches include the blocking of access points to prevent people from driving on the seashore, and enforcement work to prevent and address damaging and illegal activities such as overnight camping and late-night beach parties lighting fires.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Adding it Up to better public services [June 2002]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Adding it Up to better public services [June 2002]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 June 2002.

    Further improvement in vital public services will be more readily achievable through a new website sharing evidence which underpins key Government policies, Chief Secretary Paul Boateng announced today.

    Launching the website www.addingitup.gov.uk, Mr Boateng said:

    “The Adding It Up website marks a significant further step forward in improving public services.

    “It will enable Government Departments to enhance their store of important evidence used to determine the right policies to meet Government objectives, and to share the most up to date information about their own evidence base.

    “It will further strengthen the policy making process and, perhaps most importantly, influence the research community and stimulate debate to generate positive approaches to make further progress in the vital area of public service improvement.”

    Under the Adding It Up initiative major spending Departments have been asked to set out evidence organised according to their Public Service Agreement (PSA) Objectives. They have provided references to :

    • the most important research that has informed policy choice
    • set out work in progress that may influence future policy choices
    • programmes already in place to strengthen the evidence base further.

    The website actively seeks to stimulate debate with outside experts. Its aim is to give the research community wider perspectives on policy research priorities while also opening up Departments’ evidence bases, enabling them to gain insights from research activity being carried out elsewhere.

    The initial information contained in the website will be regularly updated and expanded to reflect the debate generated and the improvement of the evidence base over time.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Responsibilities of Treasury Ministers [June 2001]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Responsibilities of Treasury Ministers [June 2001]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 26 June 2001.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has decided the following allocation of Ministerial responsibilities:

    The Chief Secretary, The Rt Hon Andrew Smith MP

    • Public expenditure planning and control (including local authorities and nationalised industries finance);
    • Value for money in the public services, including Public Service Agreements (PSAs);
    • Departmental Investment Strategies including Capital Modernisation Fund and Invest to Save budget;
    • Public/Private Partnerships including Private Finance Initiative;
    • Procurement policy;
    • Public sector pay;
    • Presentation of economic policy and economic briefing;
    • Welfare reform;
    • Devolution;
    • Strategic oversight of banking, financial services and insurance; and
    • Resource Accounting and Budgeting.

    The Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo MP

    • Strategic oversight of taxation as a whole, including overall responsibility for the Finance Bill, closer working between Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise (including with other departments), and European and international tax issues;
    • Departmental Minister for Inland Revenue and the Valuation Office;
    • Personal taxation (except company car tax, savings and pensions), national insurance contributions and tax credits;
    • Direct business taxation and tax aspects of the enterprise agenda, including: corporation tax, North Sea taxation, share schemes, small firms and venture capital;
    • Capital Gains Tax;
    • Inheritance Tax;
    • Treasury interest in childcare issues;
    • Regulatory Reform Minister for the Chancellor’s departments; and
    • Welfare Reform Group (welfare fraud).

    The Financial Secretary, The Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP

    • Departmental Minister for Customs and Excise;
    • Environmental issues, including tax and other economic instruments, urban regeneration and transport taxes, including climate change levy, aggregates levy, landfill tax, road fuel (and other mineral oil) duties, taxation of company cars, vehicle excise duty, air passenger duty;
    • VAT; alcohol and tobacco duties; betting and gaming taxation;
    • Support to the Paymaster General on the Finance Bill;
    • Productivity and enterprise (working with PMG on tax issues);
    • Competition and deregulation policy;
    • Science, research and development;
    • Export credit;
    • Welfare to Work and social exclusion issues;
    • Charities and charity taxation;
    • Support to the Chancellor on international issues; and
    • Support to the Chief Secretary on public spending issues (including Parliamentary financial business, Public Accounts Committee, National Audit Office and general accountancy issues).

    The Economic Secretary, Ms Ruth Kelly MP

    • Banking, financial services and insurance, and support to the Chief Secretary on the implementation of the Financial Services and Markets Act;
    • Financial services tax issues, including ISAs, taxation of savings, Stamp Duty, Insurance Premium Tax and pensions;
    • Foreign exchange reserves and debt management policy;
    • Support to the Chancellor on EU issues;
    • EMU business preparations;
    • Economic reform in Europe;
    • Responsibility for National Savings, the Debt Management Office, National Investment and Loans Office, Office for National Statistics, Royal Mint and the Government Actuary’s Department;
    • Personal savings policy;
    • Support to the Chief Secretary and Financial Secretary on public spending and productivity issues;
    • Support to the Paymaster General on the Finance Bill;
    • Womens’ issues; and
    • Departmental Minister for HM Treasury.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement from the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement from the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 December 2022.

    Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement on Iran’s shooting down of Flight PS752 in January 2020, killing 176 civilians.

    The International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 today issued the following joint statement:

    We, Ministers representing Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, have taken concrete action to ensure that our efforts to hold Iran to account for the unlawful downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (Flight PS752) can progress to the dispute settlement phase.

    In particular, we have requested that Iran submits to binding arbitration of the dispute related to the downing of Flight PS752 by 2 surface-to-air missiles launched unlawfully and intentionally by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defence unit pursuant to Article 14 of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971.

    The Coordination Group remains committed to pursuing efforts to hold Iran accountable for its multiple breaches of its international legal obligations pursuant to several treaties.  This action is part of our broader approach to ensuring there is transparency, justice and accountability the victims and their families.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Housing Secretary criticises three more failing social landlords [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Housing Secretary criticises three more failing social landlords [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 28 December 2022.

    Orbit Housing, Lambeth Council and Birmingham City Council latest of 14 providers to be criticised publicly by Michael Gove this year.

    Three more social housing landlords have been named and shamed by Housing Secretary Michael Gove today (28 December) for failing residents, as he urged lawyers to direct tenants to the Housing Ombudsman to save them time and money.

    Michael Gove has demanded answers and action from Orbit Housing, Lambeth Council and Birmingham City Council after the Ombudsman found severe maladministration in their handling of complaints.

    It brings the total number of landlords that have been publicly criticised by the Housing Secretary this year for poor performance to 14 and the total amount of compensation that sub-standard landlords have been ordered to pay to social housing tenants by the Ombudsman, in 2022-23 to date, to over £574,000.

    In a letter to the Law Society, Citizens Advice, and Housing Law Practitioners Association today, Michael Gove has urged solicitors to tell social housing tenants that the Ombudsman should be the first route for reporting complaints with their landlord – and that it is unacceptable for landlords to let legal proceedings get in the way of repairs.

    While lawyers will always have a crucial role representing tenants in legal proceedings, the Ombudsman services are free to use and residents are now able to bring complaints directly themselves, potentially avoiding lengthy and costly legal proceedings.

    Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:

    Each of these landlords have failed their tenants, letting people suffer in disgraceful conditions while refusing to listen to complaints or treat them with respect.

    Housing providers will have nowhere to hide once our Social Housing Bill becomes law early next year. A beefed-up Regulator will have the power to enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs with landlords footing the bill.

    I’m urging everyone offering advice, from solicitors to voluntary organisations, to always direct social housing tenants with complaints to the Housing Ombudsman. Every tenant deserves a decent home, and landlords must not use legal cases as an excuse to delay making repairs or act on complaints.

    Orbit Housing was ordered to pay a resident £5,000 after damp and mould issues went untreated, while Birmingham City Council (second letter this year) failed to respond to resident’s complaints of boiler faults and rotten floorboards in the living room.

    In Lambeth, the Council did not repair damaged windows in a fifth-floor flat that fell out of their frames onto the ground below, leaving a resident with boarded up windows during winter, causing mould which damaged their possessions.

    They follow 11 other providers to have faced severe maladministration findings from the Ombudsman. Including Clarion (four this year) who did not repair a tenant’s leaking room with rainwater leaking down walls and cracks in every room, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing who failed to resolve an infestation of silverfish and Johnnie Johnson Housing who had to pay £1,800 compensation after a resident suffered verbal abuse, threats and intimidation at the hands of his neighbours.

    London Borough of Hackney, Housing Plus Group (was Stafford Rural homes), Habinteg Housing, Shepherd’s Bush Housing, Southern Housing, Onward Homes, Catalyst, PA Housing, are the others to have been criticised.

    Ten per cent of homes in the social rented sector failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2021-22, with 177,000 social homes affected by damp, according to statistics from the English Housing Survey published earlier this month.

    The disgraceful conditions social housing tenants are living in was brought into sharp focus this year, when a coroner ruled Awaab Ishak’s death was caused by the damp and mould in his home. The Housing Secretary announced last month that he will block government funding to any housing provider that breaches the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards until they can prove they are a responsible landlord, with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing the first provider to be sanctioned.

    The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will drive up standards in social housing – tackling damp, cold, unsafe homes, making sure landlords don’t ignore tenants and bolstering the Regulator’s power to act.

    The government is also launching a £1 million public information campaign early next year to make sure tenants know their rights, including about the work of the Ombudsman, and can hold housing providers to account.

  • PRESS RELEASE : 3,275 file tax returns on Christmas Day [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : 3,275 file tax returns on Christmas Day [December 2022]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 28 December 2022.

    As millions of people enjoyed Christmas festivities this year, for 3,275, Christmas Day was the perfect time to file their Self Assessment tax return, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed.

    A total of 22,060 customers went online to submit their form for the 2021 to 2022 tax year between 24 and 26 December 2022, and 141 opted to file between 23:00 and 23:59 on Christmas Eve, meaning they could enjoy celebrations knowing their tax return was complete.

    The breakdown of figures for those who opted to file during the festive period are:

    • Christmas Eve: 8,474 tax returns were filed. The peak time for filing was between 11:00 and 11:59, when 888 returns were received.
    • Christmas Day: 3,275 tax returns were filed. The peak time for filing was between 12:00 and 12:59, when 319 returns were received.
    • Boxing Day: 10,311 tax returns were filed. The peak time for filing was between 12:00 and 12:59, when 953 returns were received.

    The deadline to file and pay any tax owed for the 2021 to 2022 tax year is 31 January 2023, and HMRC is urging customers to submit their tax return on time or they may face a penalty.

    Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

    We are grateful to those customers who have already filed their tax returns. For anyone who is yet to make a start, help is available on GOV.UK, just search ‘Self Assessment’ to find out more.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Andrew Smith sets out priorities for 2002 Spending Review [June 2001]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Andrew Smith sets out priorities for 2002 Spending Review [June 2001]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 25 June 2001.

    The Government’s commitments to delivering high quality public services, making further inroads into tackling child poverty, and boosting productivity, were highlighted today by the Chief Secretary Andrew Smith as he set out the framework and cross cutting reviews that will make up the 2002 Spending Review. In answer to a written Parliamentary Question from Jackie Lawrence MP he announced seven initial cross cutting reviews covering:

    • Children at risk
    • the public sector labour market
    • improving the public space
    • health inequalities
    • science and research
    • services for small business; and
    • the role of the voluntary sector

    He has also written to Cabinet colleagues setting out the priorities for the 2002 Spending Review:

    • Delivery of high quality, efficient and responsive public services;
    • Raising productivity, in the public sector and outside, through improved skills, research and infrastructure;
    • Spreading opportunity and prosperity more widely, and tackling child poverty and social exclusion;
    • Improving the quality of life in both urban and rural areas; and
    • Securing a modern international role for Britain through co-operation with our European and international partners.

    Mr Smith said:

    “Delivery of improved public services is the priority for this Government.  Gordon Brown’s spending committee PSX will be looking closely, in the coming months, at the evidence on the effectiveness of existing programmes and, in particular, at how Departments are delivering their current Public Service Agreement targets, alongside discussion of Department’s future strategic priorities. Where the evidence to date is of unsatisfactory performance, and a failure to stay on track to meet PSA targets, we will need a clear diagnosis of the problem and a clear path for reform and management change.

    Where new spending is proposed, we will expect to see stretching targets and clear plans for effective delivery of results.”

    PSX, supported by the Treasury and the new Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office, will start a series of meetings in July to look at specific delivery issues. This process will run through the autumn when PSX will be discussing forward strategy with Departments alongside performance to date against PSA targets.

    The Spending Review will take a thorough look at all programmes to ensure that the new plans fully reflect the Government’s priorities and the scope for greater efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Views Sought on the Supply of Scientists and Engineers – Sir Gareth Roberts’ Independent [June 2001]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Views Sought on the Supply of Scientists and Engineers – Sir Gareth Roberts’ Independent [June 2001]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 21 June 2001.

    Today saw the publication of a consultation paper seeking to encourage innovation and strengthen further the UK’s science base by enhancing the supply of highly skilled scientists and engineers. The consultation paper, which seeks views on the key issues affecting the supply of scientists and engineers, is the first stage of an independent review led by Sir Gareth Roberts.

    The aim of this review is to ensure that businesses, universities and the public sector can recruit and retain the highly skilled scientists and engineers necessary to underpin their research activities, and thereby enhance the UK’s already strong reputation for scientific and technical expertise.

    Publishing the consultation document, “Review of the supply of scientists and engineers”, Sir Gareth Roberts said today:

    “The science base and its continued development is key to UK economic growth and productivity in the 21st century. The consultation paper provides those in business and education with an opportunity to help shape the Government’s science and engineering education policy for the future. I hope that as many people as possible contribute their suggestions and ideas to the review.”

    The consultation paper reflects issues identified in preliminary discussions with representatives of the business and education sectors. Key areas it identifies include:

    • the range of skills acquired by top scientists and engineers at degree level and above;
    • how these skills correlate to the needs of business;
    • how effectively innovative businesses communicate their needs to higher education, and how well the education system is able to respond; and
    • student motivation and incentives at all levels, including secondary school, undergraduate, and postgraduate.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the independent review in Budget 2001 as part of the Government’s productivity strategy. The announcement reflected the Government’s belief that a strong connection between the scientific and business communities (and, in particular, a good supply of highly skilled scientists and engineers) is vital for research and development and innovation, and therefore important for the future productivity of the UK economy.

    The preferred deadline for responses to the consultation paper is 31 July, although responses received after this point will still be welcomed. The final report will be submitted to the Chancellor, Secretary of State for Trade & Industry and the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by February 2002 – in time for its recommendations to feed into the 2002 Spending Review.