UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of children to benefit from schools fit for the future [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of children to benefit from schools fit for the future [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 16 December 2022.

    Pupils across England will benefit from transformative new school buildings as 239 more schools and sixth forms will benefit from renovation projects.

    The new projects build on the 161 that have previously been announced, with construction works now nearing completion on the most advanced sites. It means in total 400 out of 500 schools and sixth forms have now been selected for rebuilds through the ten-year School Rebuilding Programme.

    The new buildings will be more energy efficient for future winter resilience and net-zero in operation, with old facilities replaced by modern education environments including new classrooms, sports halls and dining rooms.

    In addition to the School Rebuilding Programme, the Government is continuing to invest in the school estate with annual capital funding. Over £13 billion has been allocated since 2015 to maintain and improve school facilities across England, including £1.8 billion in financial year 2022-23.

    The Government is also today setting out school funding allocations for local authorities for next year, following the extra £2 billion funding boost for schools for next year and the year after announced at the Autumn Statement. School funding will be at its highest ever level in real terms per pupil, totalling £58.8 billion by 2024-25.

    Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, said:

    Education is a top priority for this Government. That is why, despite facing challenging economic circumstances, we are investing a record amount in our schools and colleges. Today’s announcement will transform hundreds of schools across the country and ensure they are fit for the future.

    The additional funding, alongside fantastic new facilities, will mean our brilliant teachers can get on with what they do best – and inspire the next generation.

    The funding allocations announced today mean:

    • Funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities will increase by almost £1 billion – a 10.6% increase compared to this year.
    • Special schools and alternative provision receive an average 3.4%per place increase in their funding in 2023-24, as a result of the additional funding from the Autumn Statement.
    • Funding for mainstream schools will increase by over £2.5 billion in 2023-24, compared to this year.
    • Local authorities will receive average funding increases of 3.4% for the 3- and 4-year-old free childcare entitlements and four per cent for the 2-year-old entitlement, as the Early Years National Funding Formulae are updated.

    On top of this, the increased investment means pupil premium funding rates for 2023-24 will increase by 5% – equivalent to £180 million – compared to this year, supporting schools to raise educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. The increase will support schools to continue using high quality tutoring as a key means of targeted support for the children who need it most, and embed tutoring in schools long-term.

    The Government has today published the detailed methodology for how the new grant for mainstream schools will allocate additional funding following the Autumn Statement, so schools can plan for how much funding they should receive. All mainstream schools will receive their additional funding from April 2023.

  • PRESS RELEASE : £129 million to deliver cutting-edge mini drones for UK forces [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : £129 million to deliver cutting-edge mini drones for UK forces [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 16 December 2022.

    More than 250 “portable” and “packable” mini drones will be delivered to the Armed Forces after the award of a contract worth £129 million to Lockheed Martin UK.

    • Lockheed Martin UK awarded contract to deliver more than 250 mini drones
    • Drones will deliver high-resolution imaging capabilities to locate and identify potential targets
    • Jobs supported at Lockheed Martin UK and across the UK supply chain

    Replacing existing Mini Uncrewed Aerial Systems (MUAS) such as Desert Hawk 3, the 159 rotary-wing Indago 4 devices and 105 fixed-wing Stalker VXE30 drones, which are both capable of locating and identifying targets far from the operator, are due to be operational by the end of 2024.

    Weighing a little over 20 kilograms and with a 4.88 metre wingspan, the portable Stalker is an operationally proven, vertical-launched, near-silent drone providing more than eight hours of imaging capability and able to cover around 60 miles.

    The packable drone, Indago 4, weighing only 2.27 kilograms, can be folded and carried in a soldier’s backpack and deployed in just two minutes with a range of approximately eight miles. Its high-resolution camera systems provide incredible zoom capability to accurately identify people, objects, vehicles and weapons, day or night.

    Both drone platforms will deliver cutting-edge imaging and surveillance and provide greater capability for the Armed Forces, locating targets at multiple ranges across a variety of environments.

    Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC said:

    As the global threat changes, it’s crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting edge capabilities to our deployed forces.

    This is another fantastic example of British industry supporting UK defence technology.

    With proven effectiveness in this technology, Lockheed Martin UK will be the Systems Integrator for the duration of the 10-year contract, working with numerous Small and Medium Enterprises as well as larger UAV manufacturers to iteratively develop the capability through life. This will ensure operational advantage is maintained by UK Armed Forces by upgrading the drones, keeping pace with technological changes and emerging threats when required.

    Already used by the US military, the drones are designed to provide small military formations with immediate ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) capability – an increasingly vital component of modern battle spaces.

    Andy Start, DE&S CEO, said:

    These remotely piloted systems will enhance the ability of our soldiers to gather crucial intelligence and capture essential imagery in a tactical environment.

    As well as equipping the UK Armed Forces for operations now and into the future, this key programme supports highly skilled jobs for the next decade.

    More than a dozen full-time UK jobs will be sustained at Lockheed Martin over the contract’s duration, mostly based at Havant and Gloucester, including engineering, commercial, project management and support roles. Further supply chain roles across the UK are expected to be supported throughout the contract.

    Lockheed Martin UK will be the conduit to a collection of additional UK and international companies known as the “TIQUILA Enterprise”. This ensures that TIQUILA is able to access the best technology and ideas, as well as rapidly integrate them with their Stalker and Indago platforms.

    Brigadier Pete Drew, the Army’s Senior Responsible Owner for the TIQUILA programme, said:

    TIQUILA will bring the next generation of remotely piloted air systems into service in the Army. It will provide the means for the capability to remain at the leading edge of innovation allowing it to adapt to new threats.

    It marks a significant milestone for the Land ISTAR programme, with TIQUILA being the first sensor to be digitally integrated into the wider ISTAR ecosystem. It will speed up decision making and will make us more lethal, responsive and resilient as a force, underlining the Army’s commitment to delivering Future Soldier as set out in the integrated review.

    Air Commodore Steve Bentley, UKStratCom’s Senior Responsible Owner for TIQUILA, said:

    Employing a Systems Integrator approach will ensure that UK Defence is able to make the most of innovative development and Project TIQUILA’s rapid capability integration cycle, to deliver the latest and best capability into the hands of our users on the front line.

    Project TIQUILA will leverage competitive advantage from across the full spectrum of SMEs and Prime contractors, to ensure the UK is equipped with the best of breed and is able to make the most of the rapid pace of capability evolution.

    Delivering on the Integrated Review, the mini drone capability will underline the British Army’s commitment to Future Solider, building an Armed Forces capable of tackling emerging threats and future challenges on the battlefield.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Efforts to protect habitat and wildlife around the world boosted by £34 million of UK government funding [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Efforts to protect habitat and wildlife around the world boosted by £34 million of UK government funding [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 15 December 2022.

    Wildlife, plants and habitats at risk across the globe are set to benefit from new government funding announced today by Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).

    The UK will pledge nearly £30 million to support developing countries in delivering the ‘30by30’ target, which is aiming to protect least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean habitats by 2030. The target has the support of over 100 countries globally, with UK negotiators driving to get it included in a new UN Global Biodiversity Framework being negotiated in Montreal this week.

    Today’s funding announcement signals a major commitment to provide nations with the tools they need to protect fragile ecosystems and tackle some of the causes of habitat loss such as deforestation, and unsustainable farming and fishing practices, and protect wildlife threatened with extinction.

    Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

    At COP15 countries can put nature back on the road to recovery with a strong Global Biodiversity Framework that includes a commitment to see at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean protected by 2030.

    In support of this objective I’m pleased to announce up to £29 million to support developing countries in delivering the ‘30by30’ target and £5 million of funding for projects which showcase the incredible work underway to study and restore nature across our network of Overseas Territories.

    The UK is also announcing today funding for the study and restoration of wildlife and plants under threat from a changing climate and invasive species in our overseas territories. The Darwin Plus scheme will support over 20 conservation projects in these unique and globally significant environments.

    Projects to benefit from the £5.79 million of new funding include:

    • Using satellite technology to monitor seabird populations in South Georgia
    • Reintroducing threatened plants such as Falkland Rock Cress and two bird species – Cobb’s Wren and Tussac-bird – to the Falkland Islands wildlife reserves
    • Helping support endangered sea turtles on the Cayman Islands
    • Measuring the impact of Humpback whales on Krill populations around South Georgia

    The announcement was made as the next stage of negotiations at COP15, known as the High-Level Segment, commenced, with world leaders, international businesses and civil society coming together to agree action to reverse the twin challenges of nature loss and climate change.

    The UK is leading a coalition of high-ambition countries at the negotiations trying to secure a landmark global biodiversity framework which will end the global decline of species and help preserve the fabric of life on earth.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Breakthrough for nature recovery as billions of finance committed by donors [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Breakthrough for nature recovery as billions of finance committed by donors [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 15 December 2022.

    At COP15 in Montreal today (15 December), the international donor community came together and committed billions of dollars to support the protection and restoration of the natural world.

    The commitment, announced through the Donor Joint Statement, represents a major breakthrough in addressing the twin challenges of climate change and nature loss as the world sees mass species extinctions and habitat loss accelerate at an alarming rate.

    Donors have committed to substantially increase their investment by 2025, which will be used to align financial flows from public and private sources to the restoration of nature.

    Donor commitments include:

    In line with the 50% increase of its annual contribution to GEF-8, the Netherlands announced its commitment to increase its total biodiversity-related development finance by 50% in 2025, resulting in a target of $150 million for 2025.

    Spain intends to double its international funding for biodiversity, aiming to dedicate at least 550 million € of its Official Development Aid for biodiversity over the period 2021-2025.

    Canada will provide a new contribution of $350 million to support developing countries – home to the vast majority of the world’s biodiversity – to advance conservation efforts. This funding will support the implementation of the future Global Biodiversity Framework.
    Donors also reaffirm significant financial commitments made in the run up to Convention on Biological Diversity, COP15. The UK intends to meet its existing commitment of £3bn finance for climate change solutions that protect, restore, and sustainably manage nature as previously stated from 2021-2026.

    France has announced it would double its international finance for biodiversity to reach EUR 1 billion per year by 2025, Germany will increase its international biodiversity funding to EUR 1.5 billion by 2025, as part of the increase of its international climate budget to 6 billion euro annually by 2025 at the latest and the European Commission has pledged EUR 7 billion for biodiversity over 2021-27, in particular for the most vulnerable countries.

    Other donors Australia, Japan, the United States and Norway have also made significant commitments in the Donor Joint Statement.
    These commitments will support developing countries who host much of the most important biodiversity worldwide, to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework once agreed, including protecting 30% of the world’s land and ocean.

    In addition, 11 philanthropies have come together to form the Protecting Our Planet challenge and have doubled their support for nature conservation to $5 billion ahead of the COP15. With a strong COP15 outcome philanthropic leaders have indicated they will substantially increase their contributions further. Multilateral development banks are also stepping up and committing to increase their finance for biodiversity and support countries in delivering the new deal for nature being negotiated in Montreal.

    These announcements respond to the 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity, developed by the UK, Ecuador, Gabon and the Maldives to increase international development finance for nature as part of a comprehensive plan to finance nature recovery globally.

    Forty countries have now announced their support for the plan, which sets out an ambitious and credible blueprint for closing the biodiversity finance gap. This agreement not only calls for greater mobilisation of domestic resources but for better alignment of financial flows with the Global Biodiversity framework to support nature recovery.

    Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

    A healthy and thriving natural environment underpins the social and economic prosperity of our livelihoods, which is why it is pivotal for the international community to put nature on the road to recovery.

    The 10 Point Plan provides a clear vision for action, and I welcome the strong response to the plan from the international community with this significant increase in international public finance to protect our planet’s biodiversity hotspots”.

    The announcement was made at an event held during the High-Level Segment, where Environment Ministers from around the world attend negotiations at COP15. Leaders from government, international financial institutions and civil society joined the event which outlined why ambitious, global action is needed to bridge the gap in financing biodiversity loss.

    The UK hosted the event alongside Gabon, Ecuador and the Maldives, the key signatories of the 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity. This landmark framework responds to calls from low and lower-middle income countries for additional international aid to enable them to better protect nature.

    It commits the international community to create just transition in the economy to benefit the communities embedded in nature, the removal of subsidies which are harmful to biodiversity and the use of public and private investment to mobilise domestic resources, including green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Mask and outbreak guidance updated in care settings [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Mask and outbreak guidance updated in care settings [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 15 December 2022.

    • Guidance for social care has been updated to give local providers more autonomy over universal face mask use and outbreak management.
    • Providers can now conduct risk assessments to make decisions about the use masks across adult social care and on measures in the event of a Covid outbreaks in care homes.
    • Outbreak testing has also been streamlined for small care homes in line with public health advice.

    Guidance on the use of face masks in all care settings and on outbreaks in care homes has been updated to give settings the flexibility to ensure ongoing Covid measures are proportionate.

    Previous guidance stated that face masks in care settings should be worn at all times and that care homes should seek advice from a local health protection team in the event of Covid outbreak, but this pre-Christmas change enables providers to further utilise their own skills and knowledge on appropriate measures.

    From Thursday 15 December, providers can make risk-based decisions on when face masks are used, and care homes can initiate their own outbreak risk assessments to make decisions about which outbreak measures make sense for their individual settings. Decisions around masks will be based on factors like the risk to specific individuals, if the setting is in an outbreak or the preferences of the individual receiving care. Support remains available from health protection teams and other local partners for care homes when needed.

    Testing guidance has also been streamlined for small care homes to reduce the number of tests staff and residents need to take in the event of an outbreak. This, alongside new flexibility for rapid response testing in these settings, is in line with the latest public health advice.

    Social care settings will continue to be equipped with free PPE to keep staff and people receiving care safe over winter and protected against Covid where necessary.

    Minister of State for Care Helen Whately said:

    The darkest days of the pandemic are thankfully behind us. But it doesn’t feel like that for people living in care homes or being cared for at home, when many of the people they see are still behind a mask.

    So much of what we communicate is through our expressions, our faces, and our smiles – especially for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many rely on lip reading, and face masks don’t make the job any easier for care workers either.

    That’s why we’re making this change. We want care agencies and residential homes to decide what’s best for the people they look after. I hope this means thousands of people who are looked after by care workers will get to see a smile this Christmas.

    Care providers are now able to adopt a risk-based approach with decisions on the use of face masks balanced with the risk of infections spreading and considering any risks or benefits that arise from their use. Care homes can make use of new flexibility in the updated guidance on outbreak management and in all circumstances, should ensure visits between loved ones are supported, with each resident able to have at least one visitor even in an outbreak. Outbreak measures should only be implemented if at least two of the cases of Covid are linked and should be proportionate to factors specific to the care home such as if it’s well ventilated, easy to keep some parts isolated and how vulnerable people in the home are to Covid.

    Providers should continue to ensure adherence to guidance and be able to evidence this to the Care Quality Commission when asked.

    People receiving care can ask for staff to wear face masks, and staff should, of course, work in whatever way will make the person they are caring for most comfortable.

    Vaccination remains the best defence against flu and Covid, and with both viruses circulating this winter, it is vital that all those eligible – including care workers – come forward to top up their immunity and protect themselves and those they care for.

    Excellent progress has been made with nearly 45 million people jabbed this year, including 16.7 million Autumn booster jabs. It is important that care workers and care recipients are protected against illness so that staffing and visitation levels can be maintained, and care services can be kept safe this winter – this is why the government has supported care workers to get vaccinated by enabling them to be eligible at the same time as people receiving care. Social care workers and others eligible this winter can book their appointments for both a Covid Autumn booster and flu vaccine via the National Booking Service or by contacting their GP.

    The government continues to encourage staff and care recipients to take sensible precautions to protect against infection this winter.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Conservative Party Political Member appointed to the House of Lords Appointments Commission [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Conservative Party Political Member appointed to the House of Lords Appointments Commission [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 15 December 2022.

    Baroness Noakes DBE has been appointed as the Conservative Party Member for the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

    Baroness Noakes will commence the role on 1st January 2023, after Baroness Browning’s term comes to an end.

    The Baroness Noakes DBE

    The Baroness Noakes DBE was made a life peer in 2000. In 2001, she served as the Opposition Spokesperson for Work and Pension and Health, in 2003 serving as the Opposition Spokesperson for The Treasury, before working on a number of Lords Committees. Prior to becoming a peer she served as a Partner at KPMG, Director of Finance of the NHS Management Executive and a member of the Court of the Bank of England (Director of the Bank of England). She currently sits on the Economic Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and the Finance Bill Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.

    The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, welcomed Baroness Noakes’s appointment, saying:

    I would like to congratulate Baroness Noakes on her appointment to the House of Lords Appointments Commission and I am grateful to Baroness Browning for her excellent service over the last five years. Baroness Noakes brings to the role a depth of experience and commitment to public service that will be of huge value to the Commission.

    Notes:

    The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) has two main functions:

    • to recommend individuals for appointment as non-party political life peers;
    • and to vet nominations for life peers, including those nominated by the UK political parties, to ensure the highest standards of propriety.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Change of Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands – Ms Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Change of Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands – Ms Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 December 2022.

    Ms Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam has been appointed Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands in succession to Mr Nigel Dakin CMG. Ms Daniel-Selvaratnam will take up her appointment during June 2023.

    CURRICULUM VITAE

    Full name: Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam

    Date Role
    2021 to present Governor of Anguilla
    2017 to 2021 Cabinet Office, Director, Grenfell Tower Independent Public Inquiry
    2015 to 2017 Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Director of Strategy and Change, The Insolvency Service
    2011 to 2015 Ministry of Justice, Deputy Director of Strategy and Change, HM Courts and Tribunal Service
    2010 to 2011 Ministry of Justice, Deputy Head of Offender Management Strategy
    2010 Ministry of Justice, Secretary to the Omand Review, Independent Serious Further Offence Review
    2007 to 2010 Ministry of Justice, Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Justice
    2004 to 2007 Department for Constitutional Affairs, Policy Advisor
    2000 to 2001 9 King’s Bench Walk and 1 Inner Temple Lane, Barrister, Pupillage
    1999 to 2000 University of London, Master of Laws, Public International Law
    1999 Called to the Bar of England and Wales
  • PRESS RELEASE : Presentations by OSCE Committee chairs – UK response [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Presentations by OSCE Committee chairs – UK response [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 December 2022.

    Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown thanks the three OSCE Committee chairs for their focus on Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine this year.

    Thank you, Chair. I thank the Chairs of the three Committees for presenting to the Permanent Council today. Ambassadors, we have been grateful to you and to our Chair-in-Office, for your strong leadership over the past year. We are also grateful to your teams. Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine strikes at the very core of the obligations we have all freely signed up to as members of this organisation, including “refraining from the threat or use of force, the inviolability of frontiers [and the] territorial integrity of States”. Under your stewardship, and guided by our CiO, OSCE Committees have striven to collectively uphold these principles because they form the foundation of the security of every State represented in this room.

    Ambassador Kinnear, we have seen in the Security Committee that the repercussions of this war are wide-ranging and relevant to our work on transnational threats. Our meetings this year have highlighted the impacts on civilians when critical services are damaged, as well as the role of States in protecting these services in armed conflict. We heard about the spike in demand for sexual access to Ukrainian women and girls, and that “for predators and human traffickers, the war in Ukraine is not a tragedy. It’s an opportunity”. We heard how border guards in Ukraine and other States have been heroic in responding to the movement of Ukrainian refugees. And we were advised not to wait for conflict to be resolved to deal with the underlying risks of organised crime which can thrive in conflict situations.

    As we look to next year, responding to these repercussions will be no less important. The OSCE has a role to play to prevent and mitigate knock-on crises in crime, trafficking, terrorism and extremism, and the UK will continue to support the Security Committee to that end.

    Ambassador Raunig, thank you for your work this year. You have shown agility in highlighting new economic and environmental challenges throughout 2022, particularly: the damage being done to Ukraine’s natural environment as a result of Russia’s war of aggression; the effects of Russia’s invasion on food security; and the terrible – and potentially catastrophic – consequences of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. We welcome continued focus on these topics in the second dimension as Ukraine continues to be subjected to Russian belligerence and as the international community comes together to help rebuild Ukraine.

    Ambassador Karlsen, thank you for your leadership of the Human Dimension Committee during these most exacting times for human rights in the OSCE region – when fundamental freedoms are challenged, so is our collective security. We have particularly appreciated the Committee’s focus on Ukraine, including Russia’s blatant disregard of human dimension commitments it signed up to, alongside spotlighting Ukrainian voices. Looking to 2023, we hope that there will continue to be a strong focus on the brave human rights defenders from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus and that the recommendations in the Moscow Mechanism reports will inform the sessions. We have been starkly reminded this year that internal repression and external aggression are two sides of the same coin. When a State places a stranglehold on the freedoms of its own people, it sets the conditions for, and enables, aggression abroad.

    To close, as my Foreign Secretary said earlier this week, “today we have no higher priority than to support our Ukrainian friends until they prevail, as they inevitably will.” Our shared OSCE principles and commitments sit at the heart of Euro-Atlantic security, and we will continue to work in the three Committees – with you Ambassador Raunig, our incoming Chairs, with our North Macedonian CiO, and with the OSCE Secretariat, institutions, and field missions – to uphold them. Not just for Ukraine, but for all of us in this room.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Policing to receive up to £287 million funding boost next year [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Policing to receive up to £287 million funding boost next year [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 December 2022.

    The 2023/24 funding package will see an increase of up to £267 million on last year and means policing will receive up to £17.2 billion in total for 2023/24.

    The police sector will receive a nominal funding boost of up to £287 million next year to help victims feel safe and deliver more visible policing, the Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced.

    The rise will take total funding for policing up to £17.2 billion and mean police and crime commissioners across the 43 police forces in England and Wales will receive a nominal increase of up to £523 million from government grants and precept income to focus on getting the basics right, such as driving down anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime which can so easily rip through our communities.

    The government is giving police crime commissioners in England the ability to raise up to £349 million, through a council tax precept limit of £15.

    This provisional settlement will provide £1.1 billion towards national policing priorities, including tackling the scourge of serious violence, county lines, exploitation, abuse, fraud and cyber crime.

    Funding for counter-terrorism policing will continue to total over £1 billion, including continued funding for armed policing and the Counter Terrorism Operations Centre.

    We are also giving policing the funding they need to maintain the 20,000 additional police officers recruited as part of the government’s unprecedented campaign to put more police on the streets, ensuring our forces respond to crime effectively and to take a more proactive response in managing crime demand.

    Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, said:

    Our police make sacrifices every day to protect the British people, and I am steadfast in my admiration for our hardworking, brave and dedicated officers.

    It is vital that we continue to invest in the priorities that matter most to our communities, and we must do more to cut crime and restore confidence in our police.

    With over 15,000 additional officers already recruited and thousands more on the way, this package will support our forces to get the basics right and keep communities safe across country.

    We will continue to improve our criminal justice system for victims by prioritising the funding commitments made in the rape review and investing in a new victim satisfaction survey to shine a light on performance and drive improvements in the support police forces provide to victims.

    Through police and government efforts to tackle the crime that hits our communities the hardest, since 2019:

    • 90,000 weapons have been taken off our streets
    • over 49,000 violent offences have been prevented and 260,000 vulnerable young people have been supported through ‘Grip’ hotspot policing and Violence Reduction Units.

    The publication of the provisional funding settlement opens a period of consultation. The final police funding settlement will be debated in Parliament ahead of the new financial year.

  • PRESS RELEASE : MOD launches independent inquiry to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by British Armed Forces in Afghanistan [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : MOD launches independent inquiry to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by British Armed Forces in Afghanistan [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 15 December 2022.

    The Ministry of Defence has today established an independent statutory inquiry to investigate and report on allegations of wrongdoing by the British Armed Forces in relation to their conduct of deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan. The inquiry will investigate alleged activity during the period mid-2010 to mid-2013.

    The inquiry will also look at the adequacy of MOD’s response to those concerns and assess what lessons can be learned. This will take into account the progress that has already been made across defence in holding our Armed Forces personnel to account for their actions, and the handling of allegations that were later found to have insufficient evidence for any prosecutions.

    The inquiry will be chaired by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, a Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave has previous experience in defence, having been appointed by the then Secretary of State for Defence to conduct The Nimrod Review into broader issues surrounding the loss of the RAF Nimrod MR2 aircraft XV230 in Afghanistan in 2006.

    Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:

    Defence has made a number of changes in recent years when dealing with serious allegations of wrongdoing against our Armed Forces. Many of these are already in operation, including the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit.

    While there have been several comprehensive investigations into the events in question, if there are further lessons to learn it is right that we consider those fully to ensure all allegations are handled appropriately and in equal measure to ensure our personnel are adequately protected from unnecessary reinvestigations.

    Defence has worked hard to ensure the processes in place to maintain justice in the Armed Forces are effective, and allegations of criminal wrongdoing arising from any future operations are raised and investigated appropriately.

    This includes implementing recommendations from the independent Henriques Review in 2020, led by former judge Sir Richard Henriques. The purpose of that review was to ensure that in relation to complex and serious allegations of wrongdoing against UK Armed Forces on overseas operations, the UK has the most up to date and future-proof framework, skills and processes in place, and that improvements can be made where necessary.

    Approximately a third of the recommendations focused on the establishment of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, under a newly appointed Provost Marshal, which is now operational and will further strengthen the operational effectiveness of the service police and Service Justice System to deal with serious offences reported in defence.

    MOD is committed to supporting its people. All members of the Armed Forces, including the Reserves and civilians, plus veterans, will be entitled to legal and welfare support where they face allegations that relate to actions taken during their employment or service, and where they were performing their duties.

    Next steps for the inquiry will be detailed in due course.