Day: October 24, 2017

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Press release: New steps to tackle littering announced

New steps will be taken to deal with litter louts and those few who mindlessly throw rubbish from their vehicles, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey announced today.

Cleaning up our streets and countryside currently costs the taxpayer almost £800 million a year and so maximum on-the-spot fines for dropping litter will almost double from April next year – from the current limit of £80 to £150 – in order to deter and punish the anti-social minority who continue to drop rubbish.

In future councils will also be able to impose these fines on the owners of vehicles from which litter is thrown, even if it was discarded by someone else. The government is clear these fines should not be abused simply as a means of raising money, so guidance on how fines should be applied will be issued to councils.

Environment minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Littering blights our communities, spoils our countryside and taxpayers’ money is wasted cleaning it up.

Throwing rubbish from a vehicle is just as unacceptable as dropping it in the street and we will tackle this antisocial behaviour by hitting litter louts in the pocket.

These new fines will make sure the perpetrators, not the local community, bear the cost of keeping our streets and roads clean.

Today’s announcement means that:

  • From April next year, the maximum on-the-spot fine local authorities can issue for dropping litter will nearly double, from £80 to £150. The minimum fine will increase from £50 to £65, while the default fine will increase from £75 to £100.
  • For the first time, local authorities will also be able to apply these penalties for littering to vehicle owners if it can be proved litter was thrown from their car – even if it was discarded by somebody else.

The changes to fines for littering follow a public consultation as part of the launch of England’s first ever Litter Strategy in April 2017. These new findings showed the vast majority of respondents were in favour of increasing on-the-spot fines.

More than 85% were in favour of increasing fixed penalties for littering, while local authorities agreed that new penalties to tackle littering from cars would help to improve environmental quality in their area. The government is today confirming that it will proceed with these measures, with legislation introduced by the end of this year and the new fines in place by April next year, subject to parliamentary approval.

The government is clear however that councils must not abuse the power to impose fines. Councils should take into account local circumstances, like local ability to pay, when setting the level for these fines. Government guidance will be issued around the turn of the year to ensure the new powers are used in a fair and proportionate way by local authorities.

Link: Press release: New steps to tackle littering announced
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Diamonds aren’t forever for banned jewellery seller

The sole registered director of AS Diamonds Limited in Arlington Court, Stevenage, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for six years failing to provide adequate company records, whilst also treating HMRC detrimentally in comparison to other creditors.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted an undertaking from Gary Wright effective from 11 October 2017.

Although Gary Wright provided some accounting records to the liquidator they were inadequate and it was not possible in particular to verify the purpose of payments to himself of over £160,000 as well as cash withdrawals of £40,000 and the validity of a supplier invoice to the value of £33,000.

During the period of trading, Gary Wright caused AS Diamonds Limited to treat HMRC detrimentally in comparison to other creditors. Although AS Diamonds Limited charged VAT on its sales invoices, no VAT returns were ever submitted and HMRC therefore duly issued assessments totaling £123,922. An analysis of the company’s bank account revealed that in excess of £490,000 was paid out, of which, nothing was paid to HMRC in respect of its accruing VAT debt.

Additionally, during the period 11 December to 22 December 2014, £49,967 was transferred to Gary Wright’s personal bank account which was to the detriment of creditors in general.

Commenting on the disqualification, David Brooks, a Chief Investigator with the Insolvency Service said:

The period of this disqualification contained within the undertaking signed by Gary Wright sends a clear message to other company directors.

Company directors have a statutory duty under the Companies Act to keep adequate company records which should amongst other things satisfactorily explain payments.

Further, much of the public service is funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid. By not declaring and paying the correct amount of taxes, Gary Wright has ultimately deprived the public services and the public from receiving the services it deserves. The Insolvency Service therefore will not hesitate to remove them from the business environment in order to protect the public.

Notes to editors

Gary Wright, 37 – date of birth, December 1980, was a registered director of AS Diamonds Limited (Company No. 08514671), which was incorporated in May 2013 and traded as a wholesaler of watches and jewellery from Arlington Court, Stevenage.

Gary Wright, of Stevenage, has been disqualified for 6 years from 11 October 2017.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

  • act as a director of a company
  • take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
  • be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.
The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Press Office

The Insolvency Service


4 Abbey Orchard Street
London
SW1P 2HT

This service is for journalists only. For any other queries, please contact the Insolvency Enquiry line on 0300 678 0015.

For all media enquiries outside normal working hours, please contact the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Press Office on 020 7215 1000.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

Link: Press release: Diamonds aren’t forever for banned jewellery seller
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Bethnal Green restauranteurs each disqualified for 6 years

Salahuddin Sahibzada and Muhammad Anjum have each been disqualified for six years having given disqualification undertakings to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which commenced on 25 September 2017 and 3 October 2017, respectively.

Mr Sahibzada and Mr Anjum were the directors of New Lahore Express Limited, and on 18 April 2016 Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers discovered that the company was employing five illegal workers.

The company went into liquidation on 17 August 2016 owing creditors £90,973. A penalty of £30,000 was imposed by the Home Office Immigration and Enforcement on 29 June 2016 for employing illegal workers which remained unpaid.

Commenting on the disqualification, Martin Gitner, Deputy Head of Investigations, West Midlands stated:

Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities these employers defraud the tax payer and undercut honest competitors.

The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, makes employers responsible for preventing illegal workers in the UK. To comply with the law, a company must check and be able to prove documents have been checked prior to recruitment that show a person is entitled to work.

The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff.

Notes to editors

Mr Salahuddin Sahibzada resides in Eastbourne and his date of birth is August 1973.

Mr Muhammad Anjum resides in Southend On Sea and his date of birth January 1963.

New Lahore Express Limited (CRO No. 06800253) was incorporated on 23 January 2009.

New Lahore Express Limited traded from 265 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6AH and its registered office was at the same address.

Mr Sahibzada was a director from 29 September 2009 to the date of liquidation.

Mr Anjum was a director from 14 May 2014 to the date of liquidation.

The Company went to creditors voluntary liquidation on 17 August 2016 with as estimated deficiency of £90,973.

On 4 September 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Sahibzada, effective from 25 September 2017, for a period of 6 years.

On 12 September 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Anjum, effective from 3 October 2017, for a period of 6 years.

Following a visit from Home Office Immigration Officers in April 2016, a breach was discovered, New Lahore Express Limited was issued with a penalty notice in the sum of £30,000 which remained outstanding at the date of liquidation.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

  • act as a director of a company
  • take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
  • be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.
The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Press Office

The Insolvency Service


4 Abbey Orchard Street
London
SW1P 2HT

This service is for journalists only. For any other queries, please contact the Insolvency Enquiry line on 0300 678 0015.

For all media enquiries outside normal working hours, please contact the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Press Office on 020 7215 1000.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

Link: Press release: Bethnal Green restauranteurs each disqualified for 6 years
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: New guidance to improve vision screening for young children

Public Health England (PHE) has today (24 October 2017) published new child vision screening materials and guidance to help improve consistency and quality of sight tests for children in schools during their early years.

There are almost 25,000 blind and partially sighted children in the UK – around 2 in every 1,000 children. Vision screening is an important way to identify problems as early as possible, helping to prevent young children from completely or partially losing their sight.

Early detection of reduced vision means that effective treatment, such as glasses or patching, can be quickly offered. The tests are carried out in schools to help maximise screening coverage of 4 to 5-year-olds.

Vision screening for 4 to 5-year-olds is part of the healthy child programme, and the new materials will summarise best practice for commissioners and those who carry out the tests, including school nurses, to ensure screening is of a consistent high-quality across schools.

The materials were developed by an expert advisory group, including PHE, and are all evidence based. They include a leaflet for parents, which clearly explains:

  • the importance of vision screening
  • how the test is carried out
  • what support is offered if there is a problem

There is also guidance for vision screeners, outlining the expected requirements to ensure they carry out safe and effective tests.

Dr Anne Mackie, PHE’s Director of Screening, who chaired the expert advisory group to develop the new materials, launched the resources during her speech today at the Westminster Health Forum Seminar in London, which focused on eye care services and treating visual impairment.

Dr Anne Mackie said:

There are almost 25,000 blind and partially sighted children in the UK – 2 in every 1,000 children, which is why it is essential that all young children have their vision tested.

A child’s eyes are in constant use in the classroom and at play. If they have any undetected problems with their vision, their education and participation in activities and sports can suffer.

The child vision screening programme is the only chance for all children to get their vision tested formally so that problems can be identified and tackled quickly at the start of their school life – helping ensure they can reach their full potential.

These new resources will help ensure high-quality, local vision screening services in schools across England.

The UK National Screening Committee has recommended vision screening on a number of occasions, most recently in 2013.

Background

  1. Public Health England chaired an expert advisory group, including professional organisations representing orthoptists, optometrists and ophthalmologists, academics and the Association of Directors of Public Health, to develop the resources, which includes public and parental information sheets, educational resources and commissioning guidelines. The documents were also the subject of a formal consultation.
  2. Read the latest UK NSC recommendation on child vision screening.
  3. Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist. Follow us on Twitter @PHE_Screening

PHE screening press office

Link: Press release: New guidance to improve vision screening for young children
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Eight year bankruptcy restriction for Leicester man

An investigation by the Insolvency Service found Langton misappropriated £21,517 from three banks by making false claims for reimbursement of sums paid out of his account.

Mr Langton (24), employed, of Leicester, has agreed to be bound by the restrictions set out in insolvency law until 11 October 2025.

On 2 December 2016, a bankruptcy order was made after Mr Langton applied for his own bankruptcy. His total deficiency at the time was around £36,421.

Commenting on the case Gerard O’Hare, Official Receiver for Nottingham said:

Mr Langton falsely claimed reimbursements for money paid out of his account from three banks receiving £21,517. He knew he was not entitled to the money but claimed the reimbursements regardless of the consequences, which resulted in incurring debt.

This eight year restriction should act as a deterrent to him and others from acting in the same way.

Notes to editors

The bankruptcy order was made on 2 December 2016 following a petition presented on 1 December 2016.

Mr Langton’s date of birth is October 1993.

If the Official Receiver considers that the conduct of a bankrupt has been dishonest or blameworthy in some other way, he (or she) will report the facts to court and ask for a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (BRO) to be made. The court will consider this report and any other evidence put before it, and will decide whether it should make a BRO. If it does, the bankrupt will be subject to certain restrictions for the period stated in the order. This can be from 2 to 15 years.

The bankrupt may instead agree to a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) which has the same effect as an order, but will mean that the matter does not go to court.

These are restrictions set out in insolvency law that the bankrupt is subject to until they are discharged from bankruptcy – normally 12 months and include that bankrupts:

  • must disclose their status to a credit provider if they wish to get credit of more than £500
  • who carry on business in a different name from the name in which they were made bankrupt, they must disclose to those they wish to do business with the name (or trading style) under which they were made bankrupt
  • may not act as the director of a company nor take part in its promotion, formation or management unless they have a court’s permission to do so
  • may not act as an insolvency practitioner, or as the receiver or manager of the property of a company on behalf of debenture holders

Additionally, a person subject to a bankruptcy restrictions undertaking may not be a Member of Parliament in England or Wales.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.
The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Press Office

The Insolvency Service


4 Abbey Orchard Street
London
SW1P 2HT

This service is for journalists only. For any other queries, please contact the Insolvency Enquiry line on 0300 678 0015.

For all media enquiries outside normal working hours, please contact the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Press Office on 020 7215 1000.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

Link: Press release: Eight year bankruptcy restriction for Leicester man
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Regulator publishes Statistical Data Return 2016 to 2017

The Statistical Data Return 2016 to 2017, published today (24 October 2017) by the Regulator of Social Housing, shows that housing associations in England continued to increase the number of homes that they own and manage at the same time as implementing the social rent cuts introduced through the Welfare Reform and Work Act.

The SDR national statistics are collated from an annual survey of private registered providers of social housing in England. This year’s SDR is the first to systematically record the actual rents charged by housing associations since the rent reduction policy came into effect; it shows that rents have fallen accordingly. The reported average net rent for general needs properties of £96.61 per week represented a -1.3% decrease since 2016 for providers with more than 1,000 units or bed spaces.

Some of the trends in this year’s figures include:

  • PRPs reported a continued increase of 0.7% from 2016 in the amount of housing stock that they own – although this was the smallest increase since 2014, this was the first year since then in which no new stock transfers took place
  • large PRPs built a total of 36,438 units in 2016 to 2017 – this includes 23,907 sub-market rental units, which fell 14.2% from 2015 to 2016 due mainly to transition between HCA funding programmes
  • over 10% (288,048 units) of all stock within the sector is owned by a combination of five providers

The regulator collects data on stock type, size, rent and location of social housing stock at 31 March each year, and data on sales and acquisitions made between 1 April and 31 March. The information is used to inform its risk-based and proportionate approach to regulation and to help a range of stakeholders better understand the housing association market.

Fiona MacGregor, Executive Director of Regulation, said:

The publication of today’s SDR shows that the housing association sector has continued to increase the number of homes that it owns and manages for the benefit of social housing tenants throughout England, at the same time as implementing the requirements of the Welfare Reform and Work Act.

The figures reported in the 2017 Return show that, across the sector, rents have fallen in line with the terms of the Act. If SDR data raises concerns that individual providers may not be setting rents in line with the relevant standards and legislation, we will continue to seek assurance from the landlords concerned and if necessary will reflect this in published governance judgements.

The SDR 2016 to 2017 is available on the Gov.uk website.

Further information

The SDR consists of a statistical release document, a full data spreadsheet, full data set zip file, additional tables and a pre-release access list. All these documents are available from the SDR 2016-17 Statistical Release page on Gov.uk.
Previous SDRs are also available on the website.

Figures do not include non-social housing units built by unregistered entities within PRP groups, which are outside the scope of the SDR.

A total of 1,432 providers completed this year’s Return compared with 1,490 providers in 2016. The drop was mainly as a result of changes in the structure of the sector, such as de-registrations and mergers.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England, and is the regulator of social housing providers. As regulator, its purpose is to promote a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation, as enshrined in legislation, focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. For more information visit the HCA website or follow us on Twitter.

Link: Press release: Regulator publishes Statistical Data Return 2016 to 2017
Source: Gov Press Releases