Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Statement on inaccurate claims about Country of birth statistics and the Census [November 2022]

The press release issued by the National Census on 30 November 2022.

Inaccurate claims about the future of nationality and country of birth statistics

Following yesterday’s release of Census 2021 ethnic group, national identity, religion and language bulletin, there have been misleading claims regarding the ONS’ plans on the future publication of nationality and country of birth statistics. It has been suggested that in future the ONS will not ask people their country of birth or publish data on the subject.

This is simply not true. No decision has been taken on the future of the census. The National Statistician will be making a recommendation to government at the end of 2023 on what is needed for us to continue to realise our ambitions for more frequent, timely and inclusive population and social statistics.

On our regular, annual, population statistics by country of birth and nationality we have recently released a statement which makes clear why we have taken the decision to change our way of producing our Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality series, which is based on our Annual Population Survey (APS), not Census 2021.

Essentially, this is because of an underlying issue with the data used to produce it. On Thursday 24 November we published a more timely measure of the non-UK population, for England and Wales, which rolls forward Census Day 2021 data for that population with net migration and deaths. At this moment in time this is the best measure we can produce because of the data issues explained in the statement. Going forward, we plan to produce provisional measures of the non-UK born population, depending on user needs and working closely with colleagues in National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and other government departments, next year. We will provide an update on this in early 2023.

Misleading statistics

There have also been misleading statistical claims that the latest census data show that white people are now a minority in London and Manchester.

This is confusing responses from people who have identified with the ‘white British’ ethnic group with responses which identify with ‘white’ ethnic group.

In London, 53.8% of usual residents identify their ethnic group within the high-level white category. In Manchester, 56.8% of usual residents identify their ethnic group within the high-level white category.

November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK sanctions Russian officials behind conscription, mobilisation and criminal mercenaries [November 2022]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

The Foreign Secretary has announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting officials who have promoted and enforced mobilisation in Russia.
- Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation and officials behind the forced mobilisation of citizens in Russia sanctioned
- Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation, also sanctioned for supporting the recruitment of prisoners into Wagner Group
- The UK has now sanctioned over 1,200 individuals and over 120 entities in response to Putin’s war in Ukraine
The Foreign Secretary has today (Wednesday 30 November) announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting the officials who have promoted and enforced the conscription of citizens to fight in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

This includes the Deputy Prime Minister Denis Valentinovich Manturov, who is responsible for overseeing the Russian weapons industry and responsible for equipping mobilised troops.

10 governors and regional heads have also been sanctioned. This includes the heads of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kalmykia – some of Russia’s poorest ethnic republics, from which a significant number of conscripts have been drawn. In July, the UK sanctioned 29 regional governors for their role in providing financial support to Russian proxy administrations in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The Russian regime’s decision to partially mobilise Russian citizens was a desperate attempt to overwhelm the valiant Ukrainians defending their territory. It has failed.

Today we have sanctioned individuals who have enforced this conscription, sending thousands of Russian citizens to fight in Putin’s illegal and abhorrent war.

The UK will continue to use both sanctions and military aid to support Ukraine in the defence of their independence.

Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation and Dmitry Bezrukikh, the head of the Federal Punishment Service of the Rostov region, have also been sanctioned.

Bezrukikh and Gostev have reportedly worked closely with oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, ally of Putin and head of the Wagner Group, to fill the ranks of the mercenary gang that is supporting Russia’s army in Ukraine.

They have drafted criminals, including murderers and sex offenders, in exchange for pardons from President Putin – resulting in Bezrukikh’s region being dubbed ‘The Wagner Group recruitment hub’.

Also sanctioned today are Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Central Election Commission and Andrey Burov, head of the regional election commission in Rostov, who were both responsible for organising the sham referendums in the four temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. Pamfilova has since actively supported Russia’s forced mobilisation.

The UK has continued to support Ukraine through delivering vital military equipment, as well as implementing targeted sanctions to undermine the Russian war machine.

The UK has committed over £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including most recently a package including 25 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones.

UK sanctions are also having a significant impact on Russia’s ability to maintain their war machine. Technology imports have forced them to mobilise Soviet-era tanks and use semiconductors from kitchen appliances to restock equipment. Recent Defence Intelligence has shown that Russia is likely removing nuclear warheads from ageing cruise missiles, and using them in Ukraine, as a desperate attempt to maintain their assault.
November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Increased prison sentence for man convicted of rape and controlling or coercive behaviour [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Attorney General on 30 November 2022.

A man who raped a victim will spend longer in prison after his sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The offender, who cannot be named for legal reasons, raped the victim after his behaviour towards her had become controlling and coercive for a number of years. The controlling and coercive behaviour both included physical violence and taking away her bank cards. Following the rape, the victim called the police and the offender was subsequently arrested.

On 25 August 2022 at Snaresbrook Crown Court the offender was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months’ imprisonment for one count of rape and one count of controlling or coercive behaviour.

His sentence was then referred to the Court of Appeal for being too low.

On 30 November 2022 the Court ruled that the original sentence was unduly lenient, and handed down a new sentence of 8 years imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson MP said:

“The offender displayed utterly shameful behaviour before committing a dreadful act of rape. While no sentence can repair the harm brought about his actions, I am satisfied with the Court’s decision to hand down a sentence which is a better reflection of the severity of his crimes.”

November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Government response to the Regulatory Horizons Council report on the regulation of Neurotechnology [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 30 November 2022.

The Business Secretary has responded to recommendations made by the Regulatory Horizons Council on the regulation of neurotechnology.

Letter (in .pdf format)

November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Defence accelerates digital skills development with Amazon [November 2022]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 November 2022.

Amazon and the Ministry of Defence are teaming up to scale up and accelerate work on advancing digital skills development across UK defence.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the MOD and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will see AWS supporting MOD’s Digital Skills for Defence Programme for the next three years.

It will deliver cloud-based skills development and training to thousands of personnel across UK defence, equipping the next generation of future leaders in the British Armed Forces and wider supply chain with the data and digital skills to defend the UK from emerging threats.

The MoU sets out a number of initiatives designed to directly push the MOD’s Digital Skills for Defence programme forward at scale and pace. Key aspects of the collaboration will see the provision of:
- Training resources across the defence enterprise and in particular supporting the Digital Foundry, the visionary hub formed within Defence Digital that harnesses emerging technology to tackle some of the country’s most pressing defence challenges.
- A tailored programme of attachments for senior leaders responsible for driving the UK MOD’s digital transformation.
The agreement – the first of its kind globally – was announced at the AWS re:Invent 2022 conference, with the work taking place as part of a wider UK government programme with AWS to boost digital skills.

Laurence Lee, Second Permanent Secretary at the MOD, said:

It is crucial we keep Defence personnel at the forefront of digital skills as we’re faced with emerging threats in an ever-changing battlespace. The speed of digital change cannot be underestimated, and the Digital Skills for Defence programme will help us match global competitors.

This agreement with AWS exemplifies our focus on harnessing cutting-edge ways of working within Defence, drawing on the expertise of the public and private sectors, and we’re excited at the new opportunities for skills development this presents.

Charles Forte, Chief Information Officer at the MOD, said:

Today marks a key milestone in our delivery of our Digital Skills for Defence programme and the development of digital skills across UK Defence. Amazon’s agreement to build upon and scale up our work within the Digital Skills for Defence programme is a crucial priority that will help us realise digital transformation across Defence.

It serves as an important symbol of how we must deepen our work with the tech sector to realise our objectives. We are grateful for this commitment and look forward to developing this partnership with AWS and other companies and organisations across the sector.

The MoU will enable deeper collaboration between AWS and Defence Digital on skills development, outlining plans for equipping defence leaders and military and civilian personnel with game-changing technical skills to sustain military and business advantage.

Chris Hayman, Director Public Sector UK & Ireland at AWS, said:

We are proud to be the first company to sign an MoU of this nature with the UK Ministry of Defence. We are fully committed to supporting the Government’s skills agenda across the whole of the public sector, and this agreement reflects our determination to support the defence community in their development of a world-leading skills environment.

To better help defence organisations with their digital transformations, a clear understanding across Government and amongst senior military leaders about the benefits of emerging technology, such as cloud, to deliver critical missions is needed.

We are excited to be working with MOD to help upskill senior officials and military leaders in their understanding of cloud and associated technologies, such as quantum technology and artificial intelligence.

Digital Skills for Defence aims to deliver a critical digital skills capability uplift, for Defence Leaders, Digital Professionals and the whole Military and Civilian workforce. This is fundamental in building and retaining operational and business advantage, keeping up with and ahead of the competition. This ambition goes beyond education but looks to transform our learning culture and the way we work collaboratively across Defence.
November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Plans to support students in 2023 exams confirmed [November 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 30 November 2022.

Decisions for GCSE maths, physics, combined science and modern foreign languages published following consultations.

Proposals to support students taking exams in some GCSE subjects in summer 2023 have been given the go-ahead after 2 Ofqual public consultations.

Permanent changes to assessment requirements in modern foreign language (MFL) GCSEs will also be introduced.

The outcome of a consultation on proposed changes to the assessment of mathematics, physics and combined science and a consultation outcome on proposed changes to the assessment of MFL from 2023 published today show:
- more than 90 per cent of respondents – including students and teachers – supported proposals to continue to require exam boards to provide formulae and revised equations sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams in 2023
- more than 95 per cent strongly agreed or agreed with proposals in GCSE modern foreign language (MFL) to remove permanently the requirement for exam boards to include unfamiliar vocabulary that is not on vocabulary lists. This will take effect for assessments from 2023 onwards
The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed its expectations for subject content in September. Ofqual then published its consultations on the arrangements for each, while the DfE hosted a separate consultation on minor amendments to the MFL subject content.

Ofqual Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said: “In 2023, students will again have the opportunity to show what they know and can do in exams. We have listened to feedback and today’s decisions, together with some protection on grading, offer the degree of support students need as we move towards normality, while guarding against over-testing.”

Ofqual also today publishes the outcome of its joint consultation with the DfE on proposals to build resilience in the exam system for GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications. Ofqual and the DfE have decided to introduce guidance to support schools and colleges to gather evidence of student performance that could be used to determine grades, in the unlikely event that exams are not able to go ahead as planned.
November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Cyber laws updated to boost UK’s resilience against online attacks [November 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 30 November 2022.

Outsourced IT providers will be brought into scope of cyber regulations to strengthen UK supply chains.
- Changes will boost security standards and increase reporting of serious cyber incidents to reduce risk of attacks causing disruption
- Laws can be updated in the future to cover new organisations or sectors if they become vital for essential services
Essential everyday services, such as water, energy and transport, will be better protected from online attacks following changes to laws which set the UK’s cyber security standards.

In response to a public consultation earlier this year, the government today confirms the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations will be strengthened to protect essential and digital services against increasingly sophisticated and frequent cyber attacks both now and in the future.

The UK NIS Regulations came into force in 2018 to improve the cyber security of companies providing critical services. Organisations which fail to put in place effective cyber security measures can be fined as much as £17 million for non-compliance.

But high profile attacks such as Operation CloudHopper, which targeted managed service providers and compromised thousands of organisations at the same time, show the UK’s cyber laws need to be strengthened to continue to protect vital services and the supply chains they rely on.

MSPs provide IT services such as security monitoring and digital billing and can have privileged access to their customer’s IT networks. This makes them an attractive target for cyber criminals who can exploit MSP software vulnerabilities to compromise a wide range of clients.

The UK is able to change the NIS regulations, which were originally derived from the EU’s NIS directive, because the UK has left the EU and can update these laws to better fit the country’s cyber security needs.

Under the new changes MSPs, which are key to the functioning of essential services that keep the UK economy running, will be brought into scope of the regulations to keep digital supply chains secure.

Cyber minister Julia Lopez said:

The services we rely on for healthcare, water, energy and computing must not be brought to a standstill by criminals and hostile states.

We are strengthening the UK’s cyber laws against digital threats. This will better protect our essential and digital services and the outsourced IT providers which keep them running.

The updates to the NIS regulations will be made as soon as parliamentary time allows and will apply to critical service providers, like energy companies and the NHS, as well as important digital services like providers of cloud computing and online search engines.

Other changes include requiring essential and digital services to improve cyber incident reporting to regulators such as Ofcom, Ofgem and the ICO. This includes notifying regulators of a wider range of incidents that disrupt service or which could have a high risk or impact to their service, even if they don’t immediately cause disruption.

The new measures will give the government the power to amend the NIS regulations in future to ensure it remains effective. This change will allow more organisations to be brought into scope if they become vital for essential services and add new sectors which may become critical to the UK’s economy.

The updated rules will allow regulators to establish a cost recovery system for enforcing the NIS regulations that is more transparent and takes into account the wider regulatory burdens, company size, and other factors to reduce taxpayer burden.

The Information Commissioner will be able to take a more risk-based approach to regulating digital services under the updated cyber laws and will be allowed to take into account how critical providers are to supporting the resilience of the UK’s essential services.

These changes to legislation are part of the government’s £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy which is taking a stronger approach to getting at-risk businesses to improve their cyber resilience and making the UK digital economy more secure and prosperous.

Paul Maddinson, NCSC Director of National Resilience and Strategy, said:

I welcome the opportunity to strengthen NIS regulations and the impact they will have on boosting the UK’s overall cyber security.

These measures will increase the resilience of the country’s essential services – and their managed service providers – on which we all rely.

Carla Baker, Senior Director of Public Policy UK and Ireland, Palo Alto Networks, said:

Palo Alto Networks supports the development of an agile policy framework to reduce cybersecurity risks to our economy and society.

We welcome the opportunity to engage with the UK Government as it reviews the legislation and develops guidance for industry to enhance cyber resilience and combat the risk that malicious actors pose to the UK’s national security.
November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : 97% of English bathing waters meet required water quality standards [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 November 2022.

97.1% of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing at over 400 designated sites carried out by the Environment Agency (EA).

The results, released today (30 November), show that for the 2022 bathing season, 72.1% of beaches and inland waters met the ‘Excellent’ standard, the highest since new stringent standards were introduced in 2015. 92.8% of beaches and inland waters gained an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating, while 4% achieved the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating. This compares with 99% passing the required standards in 2021.

Bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season. Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.

The EA has been monitoring bathing water sites since the 1990s, and in this time there have been significant improvements. In the early 1990s, for example, just 28% of bathing waters met the highest standards in force at that time. Based on today’s data, over 97% of bathing waters meet the minimum standard, with 72% reaching the highest standards. While progress has been made, there is still much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy. The Environment Agency is clear that more needs to be done on the part of water companies, and is taking robust action to support businesses, farmers and councils to help clean up our waters.

Since 2015 the EA has required water companies to install Event Duration Monitors at bathing water sites. This captures data on the frequency and duration of storm overflow discharges, with all the data published online so the public can see what is happening in their local area. More than 12,000 of England’s 15,000 storm overflows now have these monitors, and the remaining 3,000 will have them by end of next year.

As part of the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, water companies must improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water by 2035; and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites by 2035. The Government has also committed to consult on policy options in 2023 to review the Bathing Water Regulations and revise guidance to make applying for new bathing water designations easier.

Knowing more about water quality helps people make informed decisions on when and where to swim. The EA’s Swimfo website provides detailed information on each of the 400+ bathing waters in England, and notifies bathers when Pollution Risk Forecasts have been issued.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

“Public confidence in our bathing waters is key to the tourism industry as well as people’s health and wellbeing.

“Overall bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency and the work carried out by others. In most places it is now better than it has been for many years, but there is much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy.

“We know that improvements can take time and investment from the water industry, farmers and local communities, but where the investment is made, standards can improve.”

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“I welcome the good news that more bathing waters than ever have met the highest standard of excellent at just over 72% of all our bathing waters – an increase from last year – but there is more to be done to improve our bathing waters and we must not rest on our laurels.

“That is why we are going further and faster than any other government to protect and enhance these precious sites.

“We have brought in strict targets to protect our bathing waters and new rules to crack down on water pollution will require water companies to deliver a £56 billion infrastructure improvement programme – the largest in their history.”

This is the first year that the Wolvercote Mill Stream at Port Meadow, Oxford, and the East Cowes Esplanade in the Isle of Wight have been given official classification after being added to the list of bathing waters in 2022.

Designation does not guarantee clean water for swimming. Bringing rivers up to bathing water standards will be a challenge and places greater responsibility on farmers, water companies and communities to remove pollution that is harmful to swimmers.

November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Concern over low rate of 2 to 3 year olds getting the flu vaccine [November 2022]

The press release issued by the UK Health Security Agency on 30 November 2022.

Following the latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data showing the low uptake of the flu vaccine among 2 and 3 year olds and the high rates of under 5s being hospitalised with flu, UKHSA is warning parents of the importance of ensuring their young children are vaccinated.

During week 46 (between 14 and 20 November), it is estimated that over 200 children under 5 were hospitalised suffering from serious complications caused by flu. These figures are estimated based on confirmed influenza cases in NHS acute hospitals.

The uptake of the flu vaccine among 2 and 3 year olds (30.9% and 32.9% respectively in week 46) has dropped considerably when compared with the last 2 years, by around 11%.

Flu is now circulating at higher levels than recent winter seasons and young children are particularly vulnerable and can become seriously unwell. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the past couple of years most young children will not have ever encountered flu. This means they will not have built up any natural immunity to this virus, so it is particularly important for them to take up the flu vaccine this year.

GP surgeries are inviting children aged 2 and 3 years old (age on 31 August 2022) for the nasal spray vaccination at their practices. If you haven’t heard from your GP surgery you should contact them directly to make an appointment.

All primary school children and some secondary school children are also eligible for the flu nasal spray this year, which is usually given at school.

Dr Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said:

Young children are particularly vulnerable to becoming very poorly from flu. For the third week running we have seen hospitalisation rates among children under 5 jump up, with a 70% increase in just the last week. Over 200 children were hospitalised because of flu in one week.

Flu is now circulating at higher levels than recent years and because of the pandemic restrictions most young children will not have encountered flu before. This means they will have no natural immunity and are therefore at even greater risk this year.

Two and 3 year olds can get protection with a free nasal spray vaccine from the NHS. Nobody wants their child to get sick so I strongly urge parents to book the vaccine at their GP surgery as soon as possible.

Case study

Anjali and Ben Wildblood from Bristol, parents of a 2-year-old boy, Rafa, wanted to share their story to encourage other parents of 2 to 3 year olds to ensure their child receives the flu vaccine. Both work as NHS consultants and had every intention of getting their son vaccinated as soon as possible, but could not attend the appointment they were offered and before they could reschedule their son became very sick. Ben and Anjali told us about their experience:

Before we were able to get our 2-year-old son, Rafa, booked in for a flu vaccine, over the course of a weekend he became very sick, with a high temperature and breathing difficulties. He had previously suffered with croup and had been treated with steroids, but this was clearly some other very concerning respiratory problem.

We took him into A&E where he was treated and we returned home. But his condition got worse again, with a soaring temperature and exhaustion – he had no strength whatsoever and what was so extremely worrying was that he barely had the strength to breathe; every parent’s worst nightmare.

We returned to A&E and he was admitted to the paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Even as NHS consultants, seeing your child in ICU is a terribly frightening experience. He was put under general anaesthetic and intubated, which involved inserting a tube into his throat so he was able to breathe. His swab results came back showing he had Influenza type A. After 2 long agonising days of intubation in ICU, his condition improved and he began to recover. He is now home and doing well.

No parent wants this for their child or to go through a similar terrible experience. We urge other parents of 2 to 3 year olds to ensure your child gets their flu vaccine as soon as possible. Our son has now been vaccinated as we wanted to be sure he was protected against other strains of flu that may be circulating.

November 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Leaseholders in medium-rise buildings helped with cladding fixes [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 30 November 2022.

The launch of a new pilot today (30 November) comes ahead of a wider rollout next year, when it will be the biggest Building Safety scheme in operation. It will be funded by the £3bn Building Safety Levy and cover buildings between 11-18m tall where the developer cannot be traced or held responsible for remediation work – for instance because they have gone out of business.

Approximately 60 buildings across England, which have interim safety measures in place, such as waking watches, will be invited to apply for the pilot from today.

The scheme builds on the significant progress made by the Secretary of State, Michael Gove to make buildings safe and protect leaseholders from unfair costs. This includes the existing Building Safety Fund for 18m+ buildings, the ACM Fund and pledges by developers to fund remediation of their own buildings, which are being turned into legally-binding commitments.

Minister for Local Government and Building Safety Lee Rowley said:

This is an important step forward for leaseholders who have been trapped in unsafe, unsellable homes with unfair costly repair bills for far too long.

Building owners have the responsibility to get essential cladding repairs done and this scheme will help ensure this happens.

We are taking action to protect innocent leaseholders and ensure they are safe and secure in their homes. I will be monitoring progress very closely as we work towards the launch next year.

Homes England will be running the pilot and ensuring that building owners or freeholders in targeted buildings get the help they need to assess and fix fire safety defects. There is also an opportunity for building owners in eligible medium-rise blocks to share their details ahead of the wider rollout to help them prepare and plan for the next phase of the scheme.

More details on eligibility and the application process for the full scheme will be announced next year. Buildings will be assessed through a fire risk assessment carried out in line with the British Standards Institute PAS 9980 standard, to ensure that recommended work is proportionate, and the funding is properly targeted.

Proposals for £3 billion Building Safety Levy, which will fund the scheme, are currently out for consultation. The Levy will run alongside pledges by 49 of the country’s biggest homebuilders have committed at least £2 billion to fix life-critical fire-safety cladding defects in buildings over 11 metres they had a role in developing in the last 30 years.

November 30, 2022