Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Hundreds of extra community beds to help people leave hospitals in Wales quicker this winter [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 16 December 2022.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan and WLGA leader Andrew Morgan have announced more than 500 extra step-down beds and community care packages for Wales this winter, to help people get care closer to home and free up hospital beds.

The ‘Step Down’ service will support people to return to their communities when they no longer need treatment in hospital but may require more time, support, and specialist care. Care at home services are also being boosted to enable more people to return to their own home.

An extra 508 beds and community care packages have been confirmed by local health boards and local authorities so far, with many more currently being negotiated.

They are being provided by funding from the Welsh Government’s Regional Integration Fund and local authorities and health boards’ own resources.

The Welsh Government this week also announced an extra £70m to ensure social care workers in Wales will receive the Real Living Wage. That is part of wider efforts to recruit and retain social care workers and strengthen the sector to help support eh NHS as it faces one of its toughest winters.

Health Minster Eluned Morgan said:

Our health service is facing unprecedented demand this winter. But we know some people are staying in hospital longer than they need to. This in turn, has a severe knock-on effect for people waiting for operations and creates delays for the ambulance service. We have been working hard with health boards and local authorities for months to make sure we have enough community beds this winter and there is still work going on to secure more beds. I hope to be able to announce more beds soon. Through this new initiative we can not only care for people closer to home but also free up more beds in our hospitals.

Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan said:

We know everyone wants to return to their community as soon as possible, following a hospital stay. But the current social care workforce shortages mean that’s not always possible at the moment. A short-term stay in a Step Down facility, is the next best thing, with review and transfer to home as soon as possible.

This week we also announced a £70m investment for social workers to receive the Real Living Wage. This is part of our longer-term strategy to boost the recruitment and retention of social care staff in Wales and to make sure the care system can meet future demand.

Councillor Andrew Morgan (Rhondda Cynon Taf), WLGA Leader said:

We know the health sector and social care services are both under severe strain. These innovative packages will help to build move-on capacity and improve flow across the health and social care system and to free some of the areas under pressures, such as discharges from hospitals and the impact this can have on ambulance waiting lists and admittance to hospitals.

This increased capacity in the community, that councils have created working in partnership with health and supported by our social care providers, is an example of the practical solutions that happen as a product of co-operation across the health sector, Welsh Government and local government, which we hope will have tangible benefits and positive impacts for individuals, particularly over the Winter period when services remain under significant pressure.

People who are referred to ‘step down’ facilities include those who are medically fit to leave hospital, no longer meet the criteria for an acute hospital bed but require care and support services which cannot be provided in their own homes or require a short-term stay as they are deemed unsafe to return to their home pending a start date for community packages of care.

Individuals, their families and carers will be provided with information on their care plans.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Greens urge UK to step up action on biodiversity loss after COP15 deal announced [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Green Party on 19 December 2022.

The Green Party has welcomed the deal to halt biodiversity loss announced at the UN’s COP15 summit in Canada today, but warned the UK government and others must now step up to the plate to make the promises a reality.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“Now that we have reached this point, it is vital that governments step up with the money and the plans to not only halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems but actually restore the natural world we all depend upon.

“Here in the UK, we have one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, yet the government has made no progress on its own commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030. Instead, it has gone in the wrong direction with its foolish and short-sighted attacks on the natural world that have rightly been condemned by charities.

“With this international deal now in place, it is incumbent on the UK government to start taking the necessary action on the ecological emergency which currently poses real threats to human society – to food and water supplies, to clean air, to our ability to adapt to a warming world.

“This starts with richer nations contributing money and resources to start taking action to deliver on this deal – as many of the world’s most important countries for biodiversity are also some of the poorest. But it also requires serious attention to the biodiversity loss here in the UK.

“If the government wants to demonstrate a genuine commitment to halting and reversing species decline, it will show leadership by introducing a Rights of Nature Act. This would provide legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales and be enforced by an independent Commission for Nature. It would also ensure that the regeneration of nature is at the heart of all policy considerations.

“The government must also immediately stop dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payments scheme, publish a clear pathway to meet its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030 and scrap plans to weaken protections for nature in the Retained EU Law (revocation and reform) Bill.”

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : New report shines the spotlight on councils innovative work in adult social care [December 2022]
The press release issued by the County Councils Network on 20 December 2022.

Today the County Councils Network (CCN) has released its latest County Spotlight publication, which shines a light on best practice across the CCN membership on adult social care.

The publication, CCN’s fifth and final Spotlight of the year, aims to showcase how the network’s member councils have stepped up in what has been a challenging year in adult social care with demand continuing to soar and inflation rising to a 40-year high – impacting on councils’ and care providers’ budgets.

Download the publication here.

The network’s County Spotlight publication sets out the challenges faced by county local authorities in delivering social care, but also shines a light on their innovative and transformative work carried out by its member councils, including successful campaigns to recruit and retain staff, using cutting-edge technology, and working with health partners to reduce demand.

The report contains 16 case studies across four themes:
- Helping to ensure that those in care live independent and fulfilling lives
- Helping to attract and retain staff to create a vibrant social care workforce
- Working in close collaboration with health partners to reduce pressure on the NHS
- Using new technology to innovate services and improve care for those who need it
The report comes as councils brace themselves for one of their toughest winters yet in social care – with the latest data contained in the report showing the number of requests for care reaching almost two million as demand continues to rise.

Local authorities in England saw 1.97m requests from people for social care services in 2021-22 – which is an average of 5,402 requests a day for each council. This is a rise of 65,000 individuals compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2020. As we head into the winter period, councils say demand shows no sign of abating.

The analysis by the County Councils Network (CCN) shows 55,000 (85%) of the rise in new requests came from people living in England’s county and rural areas. Councils in these areas say care provision is under significant pressure heading into the winter period where services are at their most stretched.

The CCN says health and social care services face a perfect storm of post-pandemic demand for care services, including requests for short-term care packages and community care, care providers closing down, and wider pressure on the NHS.

It comes as these councils await to find details of how they can spend £2.3bn of additional funding next year announced by Chancellor for care services in the Autumn Budget, with the government expected to place conditions on how councils spend some of the money to speed up hospital discharge and free up bed capacity to reduce the NHS backlog.

Latest data shows that the number of beds occupied by people fit to be discharged from hospital is a quarter higher than last December – and many of these individuals will be waiting a social care package or bed in their community.

With demand showing no sign of abating and with inflation still running high, council leaders say they are bracing themselves for a challenging winter. This is despite the government providing extra funding for local authorities to address social care pressures and improve hospital discharges.

CCN say the government should ‘minimise’ the conditions placed on how councils spend this additional funding next year to allow councils to work most effectively with local NHS partners.

The figures are released in a new report, published today by the CCN. The network’s County Spotlight publication sets out the challenges faced by county local authorities in delivering social care, but also shines a light on their innovative and transformative work carried out by its member councils, including successful campaigns to recruit and retain staff, using cutting-edge technology, and working with health partners to reduce demand.

This good work has been done despite services remaining under strain and yearly rises in demand for care services, which has forced councils to tighten their eligibility for services. Of the 1.97m requests for care nationally last year, 1.087m requests did not result in a service being provided – some 55% of all cases. The proportion not receiving a service is higher in county and rural areas – 58% of all requests.

However, nationally 662,615 people received short-term services – 25,910 more than in 2019-20. These include short-term care packages or reablement services. Those going into residential or nursing care has declined – dropping from 33,790 in 2019-20 to 31,440 in 2021-22.

Cllr Martin Tett, Adult Social Care Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said:

“The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement provided vital funding for local authorities, but the scale of the challenge facing the health and social care system means that were still facing one of our toughest winters yet.

“Figures show that demand for social care services continues to rise – with the number of requests almost totalling two million. Add in a further decline of social care beds this year, inflationary cost pressures, and longer hospital discharge times and you have a perfect storm of pressures on the system.

“We will be doing all we can, working in close collaboration with our health partners, to ensure that pressure on local health systems are kept to a minimum and that people are not waiting too long for a care package. The delay to social care reforms, and the additional funding provided by the Chancellor, gives us a fighting chance, but there is no doubt significant challenges remain.

“With new reporting requirements and grant conditions in relation to the new adult social care grant and the Better Care Fund expected, we would urge the government to minimise conditions to ensure this funding can be used flexibility to meet the most acute pressures across both social care and the health service.

“Despite all these challenges however, county local authorities have a track record in delivery and innovation when it comes to adult social care. As today’s report shows, there are numerous examples of best practice across the country where county authorities are working hard to improve the lives of those in care and ease workforce and wider health pressures.”
December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Rail Dispute – Open Letter from Welsh Government and the Wales TUC [December 2022]

The press release issued by the TUC on 16 December 2022.

The Welsh Government and the Wales TUC have today published a joint letter calling on the UK Government to learn from the approach taken in Wales and to allow the rail companies to negotiate a deal that is fair and acceptable to workers.

In the open letter, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters, has said:

“Due to the confrontational attitude towards industrial relations displayed by this UK Government, the UK-wide rail dispute is having a knock-on impact on rail services operated by Transport for Wales, and passengers continue to face severe disruption as a result.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “We welcome this intervention from the Welsh Government.

“The fact that we have been able to reach agreements with rail companies where the Welsh and Scottish Government governments have responsibility clearly shows that it is the actions of the UK government that is blocking a resolution to the UK wide rail disputes.”

Shavanah Taj, Wales TUC General Secretary, said: “The UK Government’s decision to block a resolution to the rail disputes is harming Wales’s economy. Welsh Government and the national rail operator (Transport for Wales) have successfully negotiated a settlement – the UK Government must now follow their lead.

The full text of the letter is below.

Rail dispute between RMT and Network Rail and UK train operating companies

The Welsh Government wants to see an end to the long-running dispute between the RMT and Network Rail and the UK Government-controlled train operating companies.

On Transport for Wales services, rail workers have voted to accept a negotiated fair pay offer, which has not been conditional on cuts to staffing and services.

However, due to the confrontational attitude towards industrial relations displayed by this UK Government, the UK-wide rail dispute is having a knock-on impact on rail services operated by Transport for Wales, and passengers continue to face severe disruption as a result.

To protect business, passengers, and rail workers, it is imperative that the UK Government acts quickly to bring this dispute to an end.

It can do this by learning lessons from the collaborative, social partnership approach adopted in Wales and allow the rail companies and RMT to negotiate a deal that is fair and acceptable to Network Rail employees and employees of the UK train operating companies.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Teachers and School Leaders Demand Better [December 2022]

The press release issued by the TUC on 15 December 2022.

Each of our unions (NASUWT, NEU, NAHT, and UCAC) is balloting members for industrial action on pay and the Wales TUC is fully supporting these ballots. We are united on the need to protect your pay against current inflation and to restore its real terms value, and for those pay rises to be fully funded by Local Authorities and the Welsh Government.

Since 2010, a series of below inflation pay awards, ‘caps’ and ‘affordability’ criteria have cut your pay by more than 20 per cent. At every salary point across the main, upper and leadership pay ranges the cumulative losses over this twelve-year period run into many tens of thousands of pounds.

These losses also affect the future value of your pension. Lower salaries mean lower contributions, which produce lower pensions at retirement.

CPI inflation currently stands at a staggering 11 per cent, and RPI at 14 per cent. Food prices are soaring and energy costs rocketing. Teachers and school leaders are facing yet another real terms cut to their pay.

Our unions are continuing to press governments and employers for an improved pay award, highlighting the damage that falling real pay risks to children’s and young people’s education. Wales TUC is working with the Welsh Government and other public sector employers to find solutions that work for everyone.

Responsibility also lies with the UK Government. Westminster has the capacity to ensure that all public sector workers get the settlements that they deserve, and the TUC will be pressing the UK Chancellor to increase funding to the Welsh Government.

We need fair funding for Wales – funding that properly reflects the serious pressures that our public services are confronting. Wales TUC is also seeking a meeting with the new Secretary State for Wales, to ensure he is fully behind in supporting the Welsh Government and WTUC ‘asks’ in seeking fairer funding for Wales that delivers for the people and communities of Wales.

At this critical moment, now is the time to stand together and send a clear and unequivocal message that the teaching profession demands and deserves better.

Please complete your union’s ballot paper and get it in the post box today to strengthen our demand for a better deal for teachers and school leaders.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Boxing Day sales set to soar as PwC predicts big discounts for savvy consumers [December 2022]
The press release issued by PWC on 16 December 2022.
- Only 76% retailers took part in Black Friday – a vast drop from 90% peak in 2020
- Blanket promotions reduced from a 36% high in 2020 to 21% this year
- Forecast 8% lower spend for consumers on festivities and gifting at Christmas means retailers need to think strategically for clearing seasonal stock
While retail has been marred by unsteady trading conditions over the last three years – the pandemic, stock shortages, supply chain issues, and the cost-of-living crisis – promotions around Black Friday and Christmas have allowed the sector to partly return to some normality. Prior to the pandemic, the traditional Boxing Day sale had been replaced by a ‘twin peaks’ promotional trading pattern, with more retailers discounting in both late November around Black Friday as well as post-Christmas, as retailers look to capitalise on changing consumer habits from newer promotions.

Our PwC Promotions tracker confirms that the ‘twin peaks’ pattern may return this year – but with a stronger focus on Boxing Day sales. The unique tool, developed by the firm, has been tracking the online discounts and sales on a daily basis since 2020. The tool aims to monitor the promotions of over 200 of the most loved brands in the UK to determine how their level of promotions might indicate the performance of retail both during Black Friday, the wider Christmas shopping period, and throughout the year.

Black Friday promotions looked like a mixed bag for shoppers in 2022 with 76% of tracked retailers taking part , an increase of 4% from 2021 when many retailers were impacted by stock shortages. However, this was significantly lower than the 90% that took part amidst lockdown uncertainty around Black Friday in 2020.

2022’s promotions proved to be less generous with most retailers only offering a quarter to a third off selected categories and ranges, such as winter clothing that had yet to be sold after the mild Autumn. Fewer retailers offered ‘blanket’ promotions across all stock (e.g. 20% off everything). This approach continued to fall, from a peak of 36% in 2020 to 26% in 2021 to 21% this year.

Kien Tan, PwC retail director comments on the promotional trends of Black Friday:

“In 2020, we saw significantly higher Black Friday discounting than in previous years, as retailers looked to clear the excess stock built up over covid lockdowns. 2021 saw yet another trend change with lower Black Friday promotions than previously, as retailers battled supply chain shortages and pent-up demand post-lockdown. This year, retailers have, on the whole, tried to avoid excess discounting in order to take advantage of the increased consumer interest in the Black Friday sales as predicted in our survey last month, when we forecast an additional £500 million would be spent during the event.”

As usual, the PwC Promotional tracker found that the proportion of retailers on sale fell in early December as they took advantage of the fact that the majority of consumers do most of their Christmas shopping this month. But, given that PwC’s Festive Predictions forecast that UK consumers will be spending around 8% or £33 per head less this year on festivities and gifting, combined with the impact on both high street footfall from transport strikes and online shopping deliveries from postal strikes, many retailers are likely to be left with excess stock at the end of the year.

As a result, retailers are expected to reward patient shoppers with larger than normal discounts as they clear seasonal stock in the Boxing Day sales ahead of what may prove to be a challenging 2023.”

Lisa Hooker, Consumer Markets leader comments on the Christmas promotion trends PwC has noted for 2022:

“There has been much speculation on the level of promotions in the run up to Christmas given the cost of living crisis and retail sales volumes declining this Autumn. However, many retailers have held their nerve and not gone back to the level of discounting seen at the height of the pandemic. During Black Friday, discounts were typically less generous with most retailers offering only a quarter or a third off, and only on specific lines that had sold less well across the year – for example, clearing winter coats, which remained unsold due to a mild autumn. However, will this continue as the current strikes impact sales and given PwC’s expectation that shoppers will rein in their spending on festivities and gifts?

We are already starting to see from mid-December, promotional levels creeping up versus this time last year which maybe suggests some overstocking. So will retailers participate in Boxing Day promotions with greater gusto than in previous years and with deeper reductions 0r even start such sales in the week before Christmas as they suddenly realise the threat of excess stock? For the few who leave the Christmas shopping to the week of Christmas, they may grab an unexpected bargain. Retailers will be keen to not start 2023 with too much stock due to the worry that inflation will leave a credit card hangover for some shoppers!”
December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : London letting agent, Laszlo Szabo, hit with 11-year ban after repeat abuse of Bounce Back Loan scheme

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 23 December 2022.

Laszlo Szabo, 49 of London, was the sole director of Letting Base Ltd, which was incorporated in 2009 and traded as a letting agency on Holloway Road until it went into liquidation in January 2022.

In October 2020, Szabo applied for a Bounce Back Loan of £38,000 to support his business, which had formerly traded as Hungarian Lettings Ltd. The company received the loan money the following day.

Bounce Back Loans were a government scheme to help keep businesses afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic, whereby companies could apply for loans of up to 25% of their 2019 turnover, up to a maximum of £50,000.

Under the rules of the scheme, businesses could only take out one loan, although they were permitted to apply for a top-up if the original loan was less than the maximum to which they were entitled.

Yet five days after applying for the first loan, Szabo applied for another Bounce Back Loan of £50,000 for Letting Base Ltd, this time from a different bank. And 10 days after this, he applied for a £12,000 top-up to the first Bounce Back Loan, taking the total borrowed through the scheme up to £100,000.

The following day he returned to the second bank, seeking a further top-up of £50,000 to the second Bounce Back Loan. This time the application was rejected.

Letting Base Ltd went into liquidation in 2022 owing more than £243,000, including the full £100,000 of the Bounce Back Loan money, triggering an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Investigators discovered that Szabo had made the four separate applications for Bounce Back Loans and top-ups, despite signing a declaration each time confirming it was his only application, and that Letting Base Ltd was entitled to the money he was applying for.

On 21 November 2022 the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Laszlo Szabo after he did not dispute that he had misused the Bounce Back Loan scheme by claiming money to which his business was not entitled.

His ban lasts for 11 years and began on 12 December 2022. The disqualification prevents him from directly or indirectly becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Due to Laszlo Szabo’s personal circumstances, it is unlikely that repayment of the Bounce Back Loans will be made.

Nina Cassar, Deputy Head of Investigations at the Insolvency Service, said:

The Bounce Back Loan scheme was set up to support businesses in genuine need during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the terms of the scheme were widely publicised to make clear that directors were required to self-certify their eligibility for support.

Laszlo Szabo made false declarations to his company’s banks, and then entered liquidation having made no repayments towards its Bounce Back Loans, which resulted in a loss of £100,000 of public funds.

His blatant and repeat abuse of taxpayer’s money has resulted in a lengthy disqualification, which will serve to safeguard the economy from traders who exploit financial support packages designed to help UK businesses.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : New powers to crack down on illegal tree felling [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 23 December 2022.
Unlimited fines and prison sentences are amongst a package of new powers to be introduced as part of a crackdown on illegal tree felling in England, Defra and the Forestry Commission announced today (Friday 23 December).

Delivered as part of the world-leading Environment Act, changes to the Forestry Act 1967 will deliver more proportionate, impactful and enduring enforcement options. The key changes are:

Felling trees without a felling licence, where one was required, will carry the penalty of an unlimited fine – up from the current limit of £2,500 or twice the value of the trees felled;

Failure to comply with a Forestry Commission Enforcement Notice and a subsequent court-ordered Restocking Order (meaning any trees felled must be replanted) will put offenders at risk of imprisonment, in addition to an unlimited fine;

Restocking Notices and Enforcement Notices will be listed on the Local Land Charges Register, making them visible to prospective buyers of the land – potentially reducing the land’s value.

Landowners have been known to fell trees without a licence in place, in readiness to accept the fine if they are caught and penalised, to repurpose the previously wooded land for commercial reasons. These new powers will curb this illegal practice, streamline and strengthen forestry enforcement administration, and serve to protect our trees, woodlands and forests.

The largest fine issued in recent years following a report of illegal tree felling to the Forestry Commission took place in Hailsham, East Sussex, in January 2020. Hastings Magistrates Court issued a fine of almost £15,000 for the felling of 12 oak trees, all approximately 150 years old.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Felling trees without a licence is illegal and can cause irreparable harm – scarring landscapes, damaging habitats for wildlife, and causing distress for local communities.

These robust measures, implemented as part of our world-leading Environment Act, empower the Forestry Commission to tackle the issue head-on with unlimited fines and custodial sentences for the worst offenders.

Today’s announcement demonstrates this Government’s commitment to protecting our precious trees, which are at the forefront of our efforts to bend the curve of biodiversity loss, tackle climate change and achieve net zero.

Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford said:

I am very pleased to see these new powers written into law; as we expand the numbers of trees in England, we must end the blight of illegal tree felling.

Legal tree felling is part of normal forest operations and essential to ensure a sustainable timber supply and these areas are restocked with new trees. The Forestry Commission will not hesitate to investigate allegations of illegal tree felling. Once reported, our top priority is to make sure the harm caused by the felling is put right by ensuring trees are replanted wherever possible. In cases which merit it, we will always seek prosecution.

These new powers will hit people where it hurts – in their wallets. By guaranteeing that illegal felling is no longer a financially viable option for offenders, these measures are a significant step forward in the fight against this offence and will help in our endeavours to fight the climate emergency and nature crisis.

Abi Bunker, Director of Conservation and External Affairs, Woodland Trust said:

This is a welcome announcement which should strengthen protection for trees in England. These changes should send a clear message that felling trees illegally, for example prior to submitting development proposals, will not be tolerated, and that the penalties reflect the value and many benefits trees bring to our towns and cities. It is important that this is backed by increased resources for the organisations that deal with the enforcement of illegal felling. We hope this is a step towards better protection of trees and recognising and protecting our oldest trees as essential parts of our heritage and the most important for climate and nature.

Bringing greater transparency to the forestry enforcement process, these provisions will also clarify that when an Enforcement Notice is affected by a change in land ownership, the new land owner will inherit the responsibilities of an Enforcement Notice. Furthermore, the new clauses will reclassify Restocking and Enforcement Notices as local land charges, which appear on the local land charge register. This register is routinely checked by conveyancers and will likely deter prospective buyers, removing some of the financial incentive to illegally fell trees.

Finally, the Forestry Commission will have powers to compel the landowner to provide information regarding who else has an interest in the land, including leaseholders and tenants. While the owner will be listed on HM Land Registry, demonstrating who occupies a woodland can be more challenging – these measures will improve visibility in this regard and help to better target any appropriate enforcement action.
December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Agreement reached between Italy and UK on exchange of driving licences without a test [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 December 2022.

An agreement between Italy and the UK to allow the exchange of driving licences without the need to take a test has been signed today. Edward Llewellyn, the British Ambassador to Italy and Inigo Lambertini, the Italian Ambassador to the UK, met this morning to sign the agreement at the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome.

The agreement will allow holders of driving licences issued in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar, who live in Italy, to apply to exchange their driving licence for an Italian one*. The agreement also makes provision for exchange of expired licences [up to a period of 5 years/for up to 5 years after their date of expiry] as well as lost and stolen licences, subject to domestic procedures.

The British Ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn, said today:

I am delighted to announce that, after intensive work between London and Rome over many months, an agreement has been reached with the Italian authorities which will enable a UK driving licence to be exchanged for an Italian one for UK licence holders living in Italy without having to take any exam, either written or practical. This is great news for British citizens and UK licence holders living in Italy.

This has been a complex negotiation. The agreement we have reached is the result of very close cooperation with our Italian colleagues, reflecting the close ties between our countries. I would like to thank the Italian Government, as well as my colleagues in London and at the British Embassy in Rome, for all they have done to deliver this agreement.

We are now working hard with the Italian Government to bring the agreement into effect as quickly as possible after ratification on both sides. In the meantime, we are making arrangements with the Italian authorities to ensure that UK licences will continue to be recognised beyond 31 December 2022 for a further 12 months.

December 23, 2022
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Andrew Smith announces review of Central Government Audit arrangements [February 2000]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 28 February 2000.

An historic opportunity to look more widely at the whole question of audit, access and performance validation across central Government was signalled today by the Chief Secretary Andrew Smith as he proposed that a study be set up to recommend suitable audit and accountability arrangements for central Government in the 21st Century.

He commented:

“This is a great opportunity for Parliament and Government to work together to make sure transparency and accountability go hand in hand with the modernising Government agenda.”

In answer to a written Parliamentary Question from Jackie Lawrence MP (for Preseli Pembrokeshire) he said that the proposed review will cover the modernising Government agenda, audit/validation of performance measures, the implications of devolution, the wider European context, with particular reference to European Directives affecting audit arrangements, possible models from other countries and the relationship with other audit and regulatory bodies.

Mr Smith stressed that he was keenly aware of the importance of Parliament’s rights in these matters. He recognised the need for its interest in scrutiny, accountability and control of expenditure to be reflected in the way the review was undertaken, including the steering group for the study. The steering group will direct a project board responsible for the delivery of the study and the project board will have an independent Chair.

December 23, 2022