Data Protection Bill [HL]: HL Bill 66-II(Rev)(c) Amendments for Committee, supplementary to the revised second marshalled list
Link: Publication: HL Bill 66-II(Rev)(c) Amendments for Committee, supplementary to the revised second marshalled list
Source: Data Protection Bill
During his meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, the focus was on shared international interests, Pakistan’s regional relations and UK-Pakistan co-operation.
The Minister also had a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly, where he discussed the UK-supported work to encourage parliamentary capacity building and co-operation.
The Minister visited the Commonwealth War Graveyard in Rawalpindi ahead of the annual commemorations to remember all those who gave their lives in the UK and the wider Commonwealth.
He also spoke at a Chevening event, welcoming back scholars who have spent the last year in the UK at some of the world’s best universities on fully-funded Chevening Scholarships.
Mark Field, Minister for Asia and the Pacific, said:
I was delighted to spend today in Islamabad, during my first visit to Pakistan. I had a productive meeting with Khawaja Asif, where we talked about the important Commonwealth Summit next year and about Pakistan’s wider role in South Asia.
I also was honoured to see Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate, and I heard about the work the UK is doing with Pakistan’s parliaments to build capacity, create links between UK and Pakistani parliamentarians and support the strengthening of Pakistan’s parliamentary systems.
Press Attaché
British High Commission
Islamabad
Tel. 051 201 2000
For updates on the British High Commission’s 70th Anniversary of UK – Pakistan relations and for more information on the Chevening Programme, please follow our social media channels:
Link: Press release: UK Minister for Asia and the Pacific visits Pakistan to reinforce UK support
Source: Gov Press Releases
David Davis has met leading Polish politicians and been briefed by British military personnel on the UK’s role in NATO’s deployment on Poland’s Eastern border as part of a visit to the country today.
Reaffirming the UK’s commitment to strengthening its relationships across Europe after exit, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union met with Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and Europe Minister Konrad Szymanski to discuss progress in the negotiations.
They spoke about an agreement on citizens’ rights being within touching distance, and the importance of providing certainty to people from the EU living in the UK and British nationals living in Europe. David Davis also stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum that the Prime Minister’s speech in Florence injected into the negotiations.
While in Warsaw, the Secretary of State was also briefed by service personnel on the British deployment in Poland.
NATO has deployed an Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) in the eastern part of the Alliance, with four multinational battalions in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on a persistent, rotational basis. The EFP initiative is part of the biggest reinforcement of NATO collective defence in a generation.
David Davis also took part in an act of Remembrance, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw to commemorate the sacrifice of the Polish people during the Second World War and the UK’s lasting ties of friendship with Poland.
We have a historic and deep relationship with Poland, which will endure long after we have left the European Union.
The Prime Minister’s Florence speech gave new momentum to the negotiations and we are now within touching distance of an agreement on key issues such as citizens’ rights.
We welcome the EU’s move to start their own preparatory work on how they see the future relationship working; that will allow us to accelerate talks once they are ready to participate in this conversation.
We are approaching the discussions in a spirit of goodwill and at the December European Council we hope to rely on the support of our friends in Poland in progressing discussions to the next stage.
The visit to Warsaw confirms the UK’s commitment to deepening its bilateral relationships with countries across Europe after its departure from the EU.
Link: Press release: Brexit Secretary reaffirms UK’s commitment to shared goals
Source: Gov Press Releases
A 41-year-old man was today (Wednesday Nov 8) arrested for questioning in relation to a fire which burned for over two weeks on a farm near Walesby in north Nottinghamshire last September.
He was arrested in a joint operation involving officers from the Environment Agency and Nottinghamshire Police.
He is being questioned in connection to a fire at Oakfield Farm, in Forest Lane, Walesby, which contained dumped illegal waste.
No permit existed for waste to be stored on the farm.
The man from the Sneinton area of Nottingham was also answering questions about two other enquiries following the discovery of illegal waste at a site on Hathernware Industrial Estate in Loughborough and a farm in Leicestershire.
When officers entered the property in Sneinton they discovered around 40 suspected cannabis plants. The man is also being questioned over this matter.
Peter Haslock, Area Enforcement Team Leader for the East Midlands, said:
The arrest was made as part of a joint investigation involving enforcement officers from the Environment Agency and colleagues from Nottinghamshire Police.
We know the Walesby site did not have a permit for waste activity and we believe the waste was involved in the fire.
These are extremely serious cases and the Environment Agency is determined to bring the culprits to justice.
We are working closely with partners to share intelligence on illegal waste activity. And we’re encouraging property and land owners to be vigilant.
Anyone who sees waste crime taking place is advised not to approach as these people can be dangerous.Report it by calling our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Advice to land and property owners:
Link: Press release: Nottingham man arrested in connection with Walesby Fire
Source: Environment Agency
People working with personal information have been warned they have to obey strict privacy laws after a charity worker was prosecuted for making his own copies of sensitive data.
Link: Warning for workers after charity employee is prosecuted for data protection offences
Source: ICO .org.uk
With an ambition to set a common safety standard for more than 50 thousand workers across its whole supply chain, Highways England has today (8 November 2017) announced a new Health and Safety Passport scheme.
Safety is at the centre of this new scheme. The passport strives to simplify the method of gaining access to construction sites with a personalised smart card, assuring competency, qualification and fitness to work across Highways England’s construction workforce.
Operations Regional Director at Highways England, Simon Jones said:
Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Highways England.
Our Health and Safety Passport scheme sets a common safety standard for colleagues across our supply chain. It will make it simpler for staff to transfer between sites and for companies to verify that the people who work for them have the training, qualifications and competencies to work on any site.
We hope that within 12 months all the suppliers we work with will be using the system.
The card is checkable using smartphone technology to help build a picture of the workforce and help colleagues to transfer between sites and suppliers with ease.
Working together with over twenty different suppliers and partners from across the industry, the common introduction course delivered by Lantra covers all major projects and construction and renewal sites.
Alongside the common induction training, a passport smartcard will be issued to the individual who will be able to carry around their training record, qualifications and competency details in their pocket wherever they work.
To gain register for training and your passport card, please contact either the helpdesk on 0330 726 0225 or email he.validate@mitie.com
The new Health and Safety Passport scheme was launched today (8 November 2017) at the national Highways UK conference, in Birmingham.
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
Link: Press release: A passport to safety
Source: Gov Press Releases
On October 26, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), a body established by unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), concluded that the Assad regime is responsible for the use of sarin in Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017. We have full trust in the JIM’s findings, its professionalism and independence. The Syrian regime violated international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention. We condemn this heinous act and demand that the Syrian regime immediately cease any and all use of chemical weapons and finally declare to the OPCW all chemical weapons that it possesses.
The JIM also found that ISIS/Daesh was responsible for a sulphur mustard attack on the town of Um Housh in September 2016 on two consecutive days. We also condemn this despicable act, and we are united in our determination to defeat this abhorrent terrorist movement once and for all. We condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere.
We agree that it is vital for the international community to continue to investigate cases where chemical weapons have been used in Syria. We therefore urge the United Nations Security Council to maintain the JIM’s investigative capacity. We also call on the OPCW Executive Council to take action in response to the JIM report to send an unequivocal signal that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons will be held accountable.
Sadly, this is not the first report identifying those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. In 2016, the JIM came to the conclusion that the Syrian regime was responsible for the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in at least three attacks in 2014 and 2015, and ISIS/Daesh used sulphur mustard once in 2015.
And there is more work for the JIM to do. The OPCW has now reported that a sarin attack “more than likely” took place in Al Lataminah in Syria, just a week before and 15 kilometers from the sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The attack it describes bears the hallmarks of the Syrian Regime.
A robust international response is now essential to hold those responsible to account, seek justice for the victims of these abhorrent attacks and to prevent such attacks from happening again. After such a report, the Security Council and all its members have a common responsibility to protect the international non-proliferation regime and live up to their previous commitments.
Ends
Attack at Khan Shaykhun: What Happened
For journalists
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Link: Press release: Joint Statement on Syria Chemical Weapons
Source: Gov Press Releases
The Cabinet Secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Patrick Vallance as the new government Chief Scientific Adviser. Dr Vallance, who is currently President of Research and Development, at GlaxoSmithKline, and the former Head of Medicine at University College London, was chosen following an open competition. He will take up the post in Spring 2018. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health, is carrying out the role on an acting basis.
The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood said:
This is an excellent appointment for the Civil Service, in an important area of government business. Patrick Vallance has already advised the government on several occasions in his capacity as a Member of the UK Ministerial Industry Strategy Group, so he is well placed to offer the best scientific advice available to the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet. I am also looking forward to the contribution Patrick will make in leading the science community across government, building on the great work of Sir Mark Walport, his predecessor.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Mark for the invaluable contribution he has made to policy development and strengthening Whitehall’s already world-class science capability.
Commenting on his new role, Dr Patrick Vallance said:
It is a great honour to join the Civil Service as the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. Science, engineering and technology have a vital role to play at the heart of policy making and are critical to economic growth and prosperity in the UK as well as to addressing many of the greatest challenges of our time, such as environmental change and keeping our citizens healthy and secure.
I look forward to working with colleagues to ensure the government has the best possible advice, from the best experts, based on the strongest evidence, to inform the widest range of policy decisions.
Science Minister, Jo Johnson said:
Science and innovation plays a pivotal role in our Industrial Strategy and we’ve invested an additional £4.7 billion to 2020/21 to ensure we continue to build on our worldwide reputation as a science powerhouse. Dr Patrick Vallance’s extensive knowledge and experience from the private sector and academia will play a central role in supporting this commitment and promoting our global leadership status.
Link: Press release: Appointment of Dr Patrick Vallance as government Chief Scientific Adviser
Source: Gov Press Releases
Members of the public are being invited to share their views on the Environment Agency’s strategy to protect areas of the north Kent coast over the next century.
The online public consultation opens today, 6 November 2017, allowing people to view the Environment Agency’s plans on how best to best protect people, properties, wildlife habitats and agricultural land from flooding and coastal erosion in the Swale and Medway Estuary Area.
The Medway Estuary and Swale Strategy outlines the best technical solution for flood defence while considering the impact and benefits to local communities and the environment, as well as the cost to the taxpayer. It covers the Medway towns of Stoke, Sittingbourne, Conyer and Faversham, in addition to the Isle of Sheppey and the Medway Estuary.
Rising sea levels could result in the loss of nationally and internationally designated wildlife habitats in the area, which might be ‘squeezed’ against existing defences. The strategy therefore considers whether existing defences could be moved inland and the coastline returned to a more natural state, or whether habitat could be created elsewhere.
Mark Douch, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, said:
The project team has developed leading options for each section of the strategy area, based on economic, technical, and environmental appraisals.
We are keen to hear comments and feedback from the public on the proposed flood and coastal management options. We want to make sure we have captured all information before finalising the strategy.
The consultation runs until 5 February 2018.
Members of the local communities and key stakeholders are invited to review the proposed options for the management of coastal flood and erosion risk at public exhibitions being held at:
Link: Press release: Public asked to comment on Medway Estuary flood defence strategy
Source: Environment Agency
More than £68 million of investment from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for robotics and artificial intelligence projects aimed at improving safety in extreme environments has been announced by the government.
This investment will develop robots and artificial intelligence able to take on jobs in the freezing depths of the North Sea, dealing with extreme environments in the process of nuclear energy production, the hostile vacuum of space, and heat of deep mining.
In her keynote speech to the Innovate UK Conference in Birmingham today (8th November), Climate Change and Industry Minister Claire Perry set out how British experts and innovators are leading the world in this new sector, receiving support from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
The government is working with business and academia in order to encourage investment in robotics and artificial intelligence – a priority area of the Industrial Strategy.
Almost £45 million will be used to set up four new research hubs based at the University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, University of Surrey and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
The centres of excellence, managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will be responsible for developing robotic technology to enable safer working environments in space and deep mining and the hazardous and harsh environments of nuclear energy and off-shore wind.
As well as receiving government investment, the four hubs will be supported by £52 million of industry support from commercial and international partners, and UK Space Agency is co-funding the University of Surrey hub.
Minister for Climate Change and Industry Claire Perry said:
Britain leads the world in innovation and technology and through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, we are making £68 million available to projects in robotics and artificial intelligence with applications in clean renewable energy generation to ensure the UK is the place new technology is nurtured.
Next week, I will be at the COP23 conference in Germany, and it will be abundantly clear there that, if we want to truly make a difference to our climate as well as take advantage of the economic opportunities of our transition to a low carbon economy, it will come down to continued innovation.
The investment announced by the Climate Change and Industry Minister today also includes:
Professor Philip Nelson, Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said:
These new Robotics Hubs will draw on the country’s research talent to nurture new developments in the field of robotics and provide the foundations on which innovative technologies can be built.
The resulting outcomes from this research will allow us to explore environments that are too dangerous for humans to enter without risking injury or ill-health. The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund is helping us achieve a joined up approach to research, discovery and innovation.
Ruth McKernan, Chief Executive of Innovate UK, said:
These pioneering projects driven by the very best minds in UK research and industry exemplify the huge potential of what can be achieved through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and the long-term benefits for the UK economy.
These are just the first competitions in robotics and AI, there will be further opportunities for businesses in the coming months.
Professor Duncan Wingham, Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, said:
These sensors will help us to better understand our oceans, helping us to manage them sustainably for the future. The projects will develop ambitious new technologies that work in hazardous and extreme environments, maintaining the UK’s world-class status in marine robotics.
Other industries, such as the water, aquaculture and industrial waste, are also likely to benefit from these technologies.
Today’s announcements follow the publication of the industry-led Made Smarter review, which predicted Britain’s manufacturing sector could unlock more than £450 billion over the next decade and create thousands of jobs if it successfully embraced digitisation, robotics and artificial intelligence.
Alongside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, BEIS has also been working with Professor Dame Wendy Hall and Dr. Jerome Pesenti to establish how to grow the UK can grow and support its burgeoning artificial intelligence sector.
In April, the government announced £1 billion of investment through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for cutting-edge technologies to create jobs and raise living standards. Other areas receiving government support include cutting edge healthcare and medicine, battery storage and satellite and space technology.
Ahead of attending climate change talks at COP23 in Germany next week, the Minister also announced £16 million for research into two new smart energy innovation competitions, which build on Government’s ambition to fund over £2.5 billion in clean technology innovation, as set out in last month’s Clean Growth Strategy.
These will focus on creating technologies which will reduce demand on the electricity grid at peak periods and to increase demand at times when low-carbon generation is at its peak, saving money and cutting emissions.
These new competitions will also be used to explore ways that smart energy systems can help to reduce energy use by schools, and small hospitality businesses.
This comes following the government publishing its Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan in July this year, which set out a range of measures to reduce the regulatory burdens of making our energy system more smart.
The minister also announced the winners of the first phases of two energy innovation competitions looking into the feasibility of energy storage and non-domestic demand side response, with £400,000 awarded to nine companies across the UK.
Summaries of the EPSRC hubs:
National Centre for Nuclear Robotics
Led by: Professor Rustam Stolkin, University of Birmingham
ISCF funding: £11.3 million
Project partners: Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Essex, Lincoln, West of England, Lancaster University, Queen Mary University of London.
The National Centre for Nuclear Robotics will aim to develop advanced robotics and AI technologies for nuclear industry applications. These are required to help deal with nuclear waste, and alleviate the need to send humans into hazardous environments. These advances are also needed to maintain and monitor the UK’s existing nuclear power stations, and facilitate the safe building and operation of new-build nuclear power-plants.
The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN)
Led by: Professor Barry Lennox, University of Manchester
ISCF funding: £11.9 million
Project partners: Universities of Oxford, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, Lancaster, Bristol and the UKAEA’s RACE centre.
The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN) Hub involves robotics and nuclear engineering experts across the UK and international partners from the US, Italy and Japan. It will undertake world-leading research and develop innovative technologies to address the challenges facing the nuclear industry, from decommissioning and waste management to fusion, plant life extension and new build.
Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA)
Led by: Professor David Lane, Heriot-Watt University
ISCF funding: £14.3 million
Project partners: Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford and Liverpool, Imperial College London
The ORCA Hub will develop robotics and AI technologies for use in extreme and unpredictable environments. The Hub will create robot-assisted asset inspection and maintenance technologies that are capable of making autonomous and semi-autonomous decisions and interventions across aerial, topside and marine domains.
Future AI and Robotics for Space (FAIR-SPACE)
Led by: Professor Yang Gao, University of Surrey
ISCF funding: £6.7 million
Project partners: Imperial College London, Universities of Edinburgh, Liverpool, Salford and Warwick
The aim of FAIR-SPACE is to go beyond the-state-of-the-art in robotic sensing and perception, mobility and manipulation, on-board and on-ground autonomous capabilities, and human-robot interaction, to enable space robots to perform more complex tasks on long-duration missions with minimal dependence on ground crew. FAIR-SPACE is co-funded by the UK Space Agency.
Additional information:
Highview Enterprises Ltd., London for liquid air energy storage;
SSE Renewables Developments UK Ltd in Perth, focused on power-to-gas;
ITM Power Trading Ltd in Sheffield, focused on power-to-gas; and
Cumulus Energy Storage Ltd in Rotherham, focused on Copper/Zinc super-storage batteries
DuckDuck Ltd., London, focused on cloud based energy management;
Totem Sustainable Solutions in Wells, focused on intelligent energy saving platforms;
Flextricity Ltd., Edinburgh focused on demand-response portfolios;
Kiwi Power, London focused on demand response aggregation; and
Innovatium LLP, Windsor focused on an innovative liquid air production and storage system.
Link: Press release: Funding for £84 million for artificial intelligence and robotics research and smart energy innovation announced
Source: Gov Press Releases
