Day: December 18, 2017

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This evening the Prime Minister spoke with President Erdogan of Turkey. The leaders reflected on the significant strengthening of ties between our two countries since the Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey earlier this year. They also acknowledged Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim’s recent positive visit to the UK.

They noted the deepening of defence industry co-operation between the UK and Turkey, including through the joint TFX fighter venture.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK disagreed with the decision and believed it to be unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region. She added that the status of Jerusalem should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and that Jerusalem should ultimately form a shared capital between the Israeli and Palestinian states.

The Prime Minister noted the importance of continuing to work with the United States to encourage them to bring forward proposals that will reenergise the peace process.

The Prime Minister and President Erdogan expressed their continuing commitment to a two-state solution.

They looked forward to meeting again in person at the earliest opportunity.

The Diversity Action Plan includes a commitment that by 2022, half of all public appointees should be female and 14% should be from ethnic minorities, bringing representation on public boards in line with the wider population.

The 10-point Diversity Action Plan sets out how the government will deliver these commitments by continuing with existing measures which are working well, and introducing new activities to support further progress. The new activities outlined in the plan include establishing a mentoring programme and developing an Inclusive Boards Charter which will set standards for inclusivity for chairs and their boards.

Considerable progress has already been made in increasing gender diversity among new public appointees. In 2016 to 17, the proportion of new public appointments going to women rose to 49% from 34% in 2013 to 14, and 96% of all shortlists in 2016 to 17 were made up of both male and female candidates.

The launch of the plan marks the first time that the government has published data on the status of diversity across all public appointments. Of the 5,500 public appointees currently in post, 43% are female and 10% are from ethnic minorities.

Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore said:

I am heartened by the increase in women being appointed to public boards but there’s more we need to do across all aspects of diversity. Today we published a Diversity Action Plan which sets out how we will make public appointments even more open and accessible to all.

We need diverse ideas and perspectives at the helm of our public bodies, so it is vital that public appointees truly reflect the society they serve.

Peter Riddell CBE, Commissioner for Public Appointments said:

I welcome the ambitious targets set out in the Diversity Action Plan as an important sign of the government’s commitment to delivering greater diversity.

The activities outlined in the plan are key to encouraging more diverse fields of applicants to apply for positions on public boards. Success will require a sustained will on the part of Ministers, departments and public bodies.

Up to 3,000 people are expected to visit Stonehenge on the morning of Friday, 22 December, and with limited parking on site, English Heritage is once again urging visitors to use public transport or car share.

The Monument Field will be opened at approximately 7.45am, dependent on light levels, and will close at 10am.

To assist the flow of traffic both before and after the event, a 40mph speed limit will be in place on the A303 between the Countess roundabout and Longbarrow roundabout, with the lay-bys closed in between.

Gareth Price, Highways England emergency planning officer for the south west, said:

We are anticipating traffic volumes to increase around the event, and our aim is to keep the Highways England network running while keeping road users safe and informed.

The traffic management will be in place for safety and to keep disruption to a minimum, and we advise all road users to check our traffic and travel information channels, plan their journeys and allow plenty of time.

Drivers can obtain up-to-the-minute travel information on Twitter, by phoning the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000 or by accessing the website.

Find out more information on the Winter Solstice event.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The warning comes after the risk level of African swine fever entering the UK was raised over the summer following spread of the disease in Eastern and Central Europe.

There has never been a case of African swine fever in the UK and it does not affect humans, but it is potentially fatal to pigs. If the disease were to reach the UK it could have a devastating effect on our export market and would also mean the humane culling of pigs on infected premises to prevent further spread.

Keepers are being reminded that it is illegal to feed catering waste of any description or domestic food waste to farm animals in the UK, including pigs kept as pets, as some of the outbreaks of African swine fever in Europe have been attributed to wild boar or domestic pigs consuming contaminated pork or pork products. Viruses such as foot and mouth disease could also be introduced to the UK through food products. This includes food from vegetarian kitchens, as there is still a risk of cross contamination from products of animal origin such as milk.

Strict hygiene measures are essential in preventing disease – people should not take meat or meat products into areas where pigs are kept and should only eat food in designated areas such as staff rooms or the farm kitchen. Pig keepers, farm staff and anyone in contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after eating or preparing food.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said:

The introduction of African swine fever would have an enormous impact on our pig industry. No matter how many pigs you keep, you need to be aware of the potential consequences of feeding waste food to your animals. Not only is it illegal, but you run the risk of spreading disease which could be fatal to your livestock.

You can purchase a range of pig foods from your local agricultural merchant that can be safely fed to your pigs and which is the most reliable way of giving them a balanced diet. Good biosecurity is also essential for minimising disease risk, such as providing dedicated clothing and boots for workers and preventing vehicles which may be contaminated from entering pig premises.

The UK suffered the consequences of pigs being fed illegal waste food in the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. That outbreak is thought to have originated from pigs being fed catering waste containing the virus, which came from outside the UK. The outbreak resulted in the destruction of more than 10 million cattle and sheep and cost the UK many millions of pounds.

Chief Executive of the National Pig Association, Dr Zoe Davies, said:

The health of our pigs is fundamentally important to our sector. A notifiable disease outbreak would not only needlessly result in the loss of many pigs and annihilate our burgeoning export market, but would significantly impact on countless families, their staff, local businesses and tourism for months. Feeding illegal food waste, however harmless it might seem at the time, is just not worth the risk.

Background

1. This press release is issued jointly by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland, The National Pig Association, The British Pig Association, The Pig Veterinary Society, The British Veterinary Association and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Pork.
2. EU-wide animal by-product legislation states that feeding farmed animals with catering waste or feed material containing, or derived from, catering waste is illegal. Doing so can result in prosecution.
3. Fruit and vegetable material that originated outside the kitchen, which has never entered the kitchen and which has not come into contact with material of animal origin can be fed, such as vegetables grown in domestic gardens. Some commercial food waste can also be fed if it has undergone the correct animal by-products processing and meets the requirements of the Feed Hygiene Regulation. The safest option if you are in doubt is not to feed any food waste to your animals.
4. More information about African swine fever and how to spot it. Additional information can be found on AHDB Pork’s website. If you suspect African swine fever you should notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately.
5. For more information, contact Defra press office on 020 8225 7618 or out of hours on 0345 051 8486.

Highways England is opening a permanent fourth lane in each direction between junctions 18 and 20 of the M62 as part of a phased opening of the Manchester smart motorway scheme – increasing capacity on one of England’s busiest stretches of motorway by a third.

Roadworks will be removed from the eastbound carriageway tonight (Monday 18 December 2017) and from the westbound carriageway tomorrow night (Tuesday 19 December 2017).

New electronic signs will also be switched on along this section of the M62 as well as on the M60 between junctions 8 and 10 near the Trafford Centre, providing drivers with journey time updates and details on incidents.

The opening of ten miles of extra lanes on the M62 are among almost 400 miles of roadworks across England being lifted or completed by Highways England in time for the Christmas getaway.

Almost 99 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free, meaning people travelling to meet up with families and friends can more easily reach their destinations.

Jon Stokes, Senior Project Manager at Highways England, said:

The extra lanes on the M62 will provide a significant increase in capacity on the busy stretch of motorway between Greater Manchester and Yorkshire, benefitting the 180,000 drivers who use the route every day.

We’re now at a stage where we can open the extra lanes in time to benefit both Christmas shoppers and people travelling to visit family and friends over the festive season.

Nearly 600 people are currently working to complete the smart motorway and we will open each section along the route as soon as possible, improving drivers’ journeys and supporting the economy.

Variable speed limits will be introduced on the M62 (junctions 18 to 20) and the M60 (junctions 8 to 10) in early 2018 which will automatically change in response to the flow of traffic. The speed limit will remain at 50mph while the new technology is being fine-tuned.

Construction work will continue between junctions 10 and 18 on the M60 in 2018 to complete the installation of over 350 electronic signs, over 100 traffic sensors and 50 CCTV cameras.

Resurfacing work will also take place along the entire smart motorway route using overnight carriageway closures. The project is due to be completed by summer 2018.

The scheme is Highways England’s most complex smart motorway project, affecting the second busiest motorway in the country and covering 13 junctions – an average of one junction every 1.4 miles.

The full scheme stretches 17 miles between junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale.

More details on the Manchester smart motorway scheme can be found on the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Under the current regulations, analogue radio stations have to play a particular genre of music as part of their licence agreement with Ofcom.

By removing these outdated rules that restrict the growth of the sector, the stations will no longer need to play specific genres as part of their licences. There will also be no requirement for Ofcom to approve changes to programme formats.

However, with recent research showing that radio is the most trusted medium for news, strong requirements will remain on commercial radio stations to provide national and local news as well as travel information and weather.

Digital Minister Matt Hancock said:

The UK’s thriving commercial radio sector is highly valued by local communities across the country. As radio moves closer to a digital switchover we need to give them the freedom to adapt and compete with online stations.

Removing these unnecessary burdens means commercial radio stations will have the freedom and flexibility to respond to their local audience and give listeners greater choice.

Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre said:

Radiocentre welcomes the Government’s plans for deregulation of the pre-internet age rules that govern commercial radio. The new rules will give stations greater flexibility in how they operate, unlocking the potential of commercial radio and giving listeners even more choice from their favourite radio brands. We now look forward to the Government enacting these sensible changes at the earliest opportunity.

Mims Davies MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Radio, said:

It is great news that the Government has published its response to the commercial radio deregulation consultation. I agree with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport that deregulation is a necessary and positive step for the industry.

I look forward to working with the APPG to ensure that legislation is introduced as soon as possible to support our local stations and ensure they continue to build on their current successes. This is a really important industry and I am pleased the Government is giving it the support it needs.

The government also intends to seek powers to enable Ofcom to license overseas services on UK DAB. This means that digital radio listeners will now be able to listen to stations based in the Republic of Ireland and the government will gradually extend this to stations licensed in the European Union.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The government launched a major consultation on proposals to deregulate commercial radio in February 2017. It sought to make changes to the outdated requirements that govern the commercial radio industry, which differ greatly between analogue and digital platforms. Analogue services are currently regulated by complex and burdensome requirements whilst digital-only services enjoy lighter-touch requirements in comparison
• The government’s response to the consultation can be read online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/commercial-radio-deregulation-consultation
• Recent research by Radiocentre highlights commercial radio listeners’ views on news and trust. Commercial radio listeners said they value regular news updates during local emergencies (when 60% turn to radio); in the morning (when 83% turn to radio); and in the car (when 85% turn to radio): Breaking news: How listeners value commercial radio news
• The government will be legislating to give effect to the proposals as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows
  According to Radio Centre, commercial radio stations broadcast over 13 hours of public value content per week (including news and sport, charity appeals and local events): Action stations: The public value of commercial radio