Day: November 1, 2017

The review, entitled ‘The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power’, is aimed at ensuring the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated.

It was commissioned by the now-Prime Minister following the conclusions of the fresh Hillsborough inquests in April 2016 so that the families’ perspective was not lost.

Bishop James, who is the Home Secretary’s advisor on Hillsborough, met the families in both group sessions and one-to-one as he compiled his report.

In the review, he urges the Home Secretary to help ensure that those responsible for national institutions listen to what the experiences of the Hillsborough families say about how they should conduct themselves when faced by families bereaved by public tragedy.

Bishop James’ review – which includes numerous first-hand accounts of the Hillsborough families’ encounters with private and public authorities – has 25 points of learning.

They include:

• the creation of a “Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy”, made up a series of commitments by public bodies to change, each related to transparency and acting in the public interest
• “proper participation” of bereaved families at inquests, including publicly funded legal representation for bereaved families at inquests at which public bodies are legally represented; an end to public bodies spending limitless sums; and a change in the way in which public bodies approach inquests so they treat them not as a reputational threat but as an opportunity to learn
• the establishment of a “duty of candour” for police officers which addresses the “unacceptable behaviour” of serving or retired police officers who fail to cooperate fully with investigations into alleged criminal offences or misconduct

Bishop James also welcomes the commitment in the Queen’s Speech to create an independent public advocate to act for bereaved families after a public disaster and to support them at public inquests. He stands ready to assist in this important work.

The Right Reverend Bishop James Jones KBE said:

Over the last two decades as I have listened to what the families have endured, a phrase has formed in my mind to describe what they have come up against whenever they have sought to challenge those in authority – ‘the patronising disposition of unaccountable power’. Those authorities have been in both the public and private sectors.

The Hillsborough families know that there are others who have found that when in all innocence and with a good conscience they have asked questions of those in authority on behalf of those they love, the institution has closed ranks, refused to disclose information, used public money to defend its interests and acted in a way that was both intimidating and oppressive.

And so the Hillsborough families’ struggle to gain justice for the 96 has a vicarious quality to it so that whatever they can achieve in calling to account those in authority is of value to the whole nation.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:

I am grateful to Bishop James Jones for undertaking this important piece of work. His thoughtful and considered report raises important points.

The government will now carefully study the 25 points of learning and we will provide a full response in due course.

You can read Bishop James’ review, which was laid before Parliament today.

Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said:

“While important progress has been made in discussions between the DUP and Sinn Fein towards the establishment of an Executive, it has not yet been possible for the parties to reach agreement.

“I am not therefore in a position to introduce the legislation necessary for an Executive to be formed this week though I must stress we are continuing to work with the parties as they proceed with ongoing talks.

“As I have outlined previously there are consequences to not being able to bring forward this legislation this week. It is responsibility of the parties to form an Executive to take forward its own Budget, but it is now very unlikely that an Executive will be in place within a timetable to pass a budget by the end of November, which is the point at which we and the Northern Ireland Civil Service assess that Northern Ireland will begin to run out of resources.

“No Government could simply stand by and allow that to happen.

“I am, therefore, now taking forward the necessary steps that would enable a Budget Bill to be introduced at Westminster at the appropriate moment in order to protect the delivery of public services in Northern Ireland.

“I would expect the Budget Bill to be considered in Parliament after the short November recess, but I will be returning to Westminster to update MPs.

“Subject of course to Parliamentary approval, the effect of this would be to give the Northern Ireland Civil Service certainty to plan for the rest of this financial year by giving the necessary legal authority to spend to existing plans.

“The Budget Bill will deal only with 2017-18 and would incorporate figures provided by the Northern Ireland Civil Service reflecting their assessment of the outgoing priorities of the previous Executive.

“I also want to be clear that passing a Budget in Westminster does not mean a move to direct rule … any more than the passing of legislation to set a Regional Rate did in April.

“Let me be clear, this is not a barrier to continued political negotiations and the Government will continue to work with the Parties with that intent.

“And indeed, however unlikely, should an Executive be formed speedily enough and a means could be created to provide an exceptional procedure to enable the budget to be passed by the end of November I would be prepared to withdraw the Budget Bill in order for Assembly to legislate for itself.

“I will also be seeking independent advice on what steps should be taken to reflect the current circumstances in MLA pay.

“The Government remains steadfast in our commitment to the 1998 Belfast Agreement and its successors and to the institutions that they establish.

“I therefore urge the parties to resolve their outstanding differences to see the restoration of devolved government quickly.

“Together with the Irish government, in accordance with the three stranded approach, we will continue to work with them and support them in their efforts.

“But in the end it is only the parties themselves that can reach that agreement.

“It remains firmly in the interests of Northern Ireland to see devolved government restored, to see locally elected politicians making decisions for the people of Northern Ireland.

“With goodwill and compromise on all sides the parties can still achieve this and it is what needs to happen.”

There are over half a million fewer children living in long-term workless households since 2010. The number of children in lone parent households that are long-term workless has fallen 349,000 since 2010.

The number of children in long-term workless households has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, according to new statistics out today (1 November 2017). This is down 505,000 since 2010.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 9.3% of children, around 1.1 million, are in long-term workless households. This is the first time in at least a decade that the percentage figure has fallen below 10%.

The number of children living in lone parent households which are long-term workless has fallen 73,000 on the year. Around 9 in 10 children live in households with at least one working adult.

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds said:

With more than 3 million people in work since 2010, we’re giving people the chance to find work and to achieve a regular household income.

We know that children growing up in working households do better in school and are more likely to be in work in adult life.

We will continue to build on this success and break the cycle of worklessness. At the heart of our welfare reforms is the goal to help people improve their lives.

More than 17.6 million households have at least one working adult. Less than 15% of households are classed as workless, with the number having fallen by 89,000 since last year.

Recent employment figures show that there are a near-record 32.1 million people in work, and the unemployment rate (4.3%) is the lowest since 1975.

More information

Estimates for overall workless households are taken from the Office for National Statistics ‘Working and Workless Households in the UK: April to June 2017’, published in August.

Children who grow up in workless families are almost twice as likely as children in working families to not reach the expected attainment level at all stages of their education – research has shown that three-quarters of children in workless families fail to reach 5 full GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and maths.

Compared to children from working families, those from workless families are also more likely to be workless in adult life. The Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families policy paper includes research on the impact of children being in a working household.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

Follow DWP on:

• Twitter – www.twitter.com/dwppressoffice
• Facebook – www.facebook.com/dwp
• LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/dwp
• YouTube – www.youtube.com/dwp

The fund is for the community sponsorship scheme which enables community groups to take on the rewarding role of welcoming and supporting refuge families in the UK. Sponsor groups can include charities, businesses, local authorities, community groups and third sector organisations.

The fund is designed to give experienced organisations the resources to provide training and support to groups who want to sponsor refugees. It aims to bring people together from across society to support vulnerable refugees through community sponsorship.

Brandon Lewis, Minister of State for Immigration said:

The community sponsorship scheme has got off to an excellent start and this funding will help the scheme develop even further.

The work of the charities and volunteers who have welcomes refugees into their communities so far is inspiring.

I wholeheartedly encourage organisations who feel that they can help to grow the community sponsorship scheme to apply for this funding.

Organisation with relevant experience are encouraged to apply to the fund, which seeks to achieve outcomes including:

• training for community groups on how to welcome and support refugees in their area, and how to apply to become sponsors
• connecting people and organisations who want to help resettled refugees through community sponsorship
• raising awareness of community sponsorship across different UK communities

A new draft bill will be introduced to Parliament today (1 November 2017) to ban letting fees.

The draft Tenant Fees Bill will set out the government’s approach to banning letting fees for tenants, helping millions of renters by bringing an end to costly upfront payments.

Evidence shows the level of fees charged are often not clearly or consistently explained, leaving many tenants unaware of the true costs of renting a property.

This latest action will help improve transparency, affordability and competition in the private rental market. It will also prevent agents from double charging both tenants and landlords for the same services.

Today the government has also launched a consultation on making membership of client money protection schemes mandatory for letting and managing agents that handle client money.

These schemes ensure greater financial protection for landlords and tenants, giving them complete confidence that their money is safe when it is with their agent and they can be compensated if all or part of their money is not repaid.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

This government is determined to make sure the housing market works for everyone. Tenants should no longer be hit by surprise fees they may struggle to afford and should only be required to pay their rent alongside a refundable deposit.

We’re delivering on our promise to ban letting agent fees, alongside other measures to make renting fairer and increase protection for renters.

As part of wider plans to improve the rental market, government has already introduced measures that crack down on the small minority of rogue landlords that shirk their responsibilities. Earlier this year, the law was changed to allow councils to impose new fines of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for a range of housing offences.

The draft Tenant Fees Bill, which reflects responses from a public consultation also published today, will:

• Cap holding deposits at no more than one week’s rent and security deposits at no more than 6 weeks’ rent. The draft bill also sets out the proposed requirements on landlords and agents to return a holding deposit to a tenant.
• Create a civil offence with a fine of £5,000 for an initial breach of the ban on letting agent fees and creating a criminal offence where a person has been fined or convicted of the same offence within the last 5 years. Civil penalties of up to £30,000 can be issued as an alternative to prosecution.
• Require Trading Standards to enforce the ban and to make provision for tenants to be able to recover unlawfully charged fees.
• Appoint a lead enforcement authority in the lettings sector.
• Amend the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to specify that the letting agent transparency requirements should apply to property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

More than 9 out of 10 tenants who responded to the government consultation backed the action to ban letting agent fees, with 7 out of 10 of them saying these fees affected their ability to move into a new rented property.

Overall more than 4,700 responses to the consultation were received from a range of individuals and representative bodies from across the sector.

The government’s housing white paper sets out measures to build the homes Britain needs now and to give those that rent a fairer deal. It puts tackling the high cost of renting at the heart of its plan to fix the broken housing market.

The new measures set out in the draft bill are now subject to Parliamentary scrutiny before they can be introduced into law.

Further information

All proposals relate to England only. The ban on letting fees will apply to assured shorthold tenancies and licences to occupy in the private rented sector.

The consultation on making membership of a Client Money Protection Scheme mandatory for letting and managing agent will help to ensure that all tenants and landlords have they financial protections they deserve.

Client money protection schemes give landlords and tenants confidence that their money is safe when it is with their agent, it also means that when things do go wrong – both tenants and landlords will be compensated if all or part of their money is not repaid.

The consultation will run for 6 weeks from 1 November 2017.

Read the government response to the consultation on banning letting agent fees.

The fourth meeting of the biannual UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue was hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom in London on 16 October 2017, co-chaired by Neil Wigan, Director for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, and Ambassador Abdelghani Elnaim Awadelkarim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan, accompanied by delegations from both countries.

The dialogue covered bilateral issues, the peace process, human rights, development, trade and investment, migration, defence engagement, counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism, and regional issues.

Both sides welcomed the steps taken since the last Strategic Dialogue meeting in Khartoum in March 2017 and agreed to continue joint work over the coming months. The parties welcomed the visit to Sudan by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the recent visit by the UK’s Department for International Trade’s East Africa Director. The UK congratulated the Government of Sudan on the recent decision by the Government of the United States of America to permanently lift bilateral economic sanctions, and both sides discussed steps to be taken to ensure that all Sudanese citizens benefit from this decision. This included agreeing to make progress on Sudan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and an offer from the UK to provide increased support on macroeconomic reform.

Both parties discussed the reconfiguration of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2362 (2017) . The United Kingdom welcomed the improved humanitarian access and operating environment and the recent decision by the Government of Sudan to extend its unilateral cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the Two Areas. The Government of Sudan expressed its continued commitment to the implementation of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Roadmap. Both sides agreed to continue the regular dialogue on human rights between the two governments at all levels, including UK support for Sudan’s accession to the Convention against Torture (CAT), and the subject of trafficking in people.

Both sides looked forward to celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the British Council in Sudan next year and affirmed their strong commitment to continuing cooperation on education and cultural exchanges. Both sides expressed strong concern about the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The UK welcomed the Government of Sudan’s decision to open humanitarian corridors and their continuing commitment to supporting South Sudanese refugees. Both sides agreed the importance of a politically inclusive peace process and agreed to engage constructively in support of the current IGAD led Revitalisation Forum.

The two parties also agreed to continue working together on countering terrorism and violent extremism. They welcomed the recent exchanges of visits to share expertise and agreed to continue and broaden these exchanges in future.

The UK and Sudan reaffirmed the importance of continued progress towards our joint goals, and a continued broadening of the bilateral relationship, and agreed to hold another Strategic Dialogue in Khartoum in six months’ time.

On the side-lines of the dialogue, the visiting Sudanese delegation engaged with Members of Parliament through the two All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) focusing on Sudan. The UK also hosted a technical workshop on human rights for the Sudanese delegation, including Sudan’s Special Rapporteur of the Advisory Council for Human Rights. Through this workshop, the delegation engaged with representatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Justice and some of the UK’s independent human rights bodies to discuss issues such as accession to UN human rights treaties and the role of independent human rights bodies in monitoring and reporting.