Month: December 2017

A woman who conspired to pervert the course of justice has had her sentence increased today by the Court of Appeal after the Solicitor General referred it as too low.

Catherine Coslett was originally sentenced at Newport Crown Court to eighteen months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. She was found guilty of disposing of evidence and putting pressure on witnesses to retract their statements in the case of a man murdered by her son, Richard Wallis.

Catherine Coslett conspired with her son and his daughter to wash and dispose of the clothing that he was wearing when he killed Jan Jedrzejewski. They also put pressure on three witnesses to retract the accounts they gave to the police that incriminated Coslett’s son in the crime.

Following the Court of Appeal hearing, Coslett’s sentence was increased to two years’ immediate imprisonment. Commenting on the increased sentence, the Solicitor General said:

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Catherine Coslett’s sentence. The murder of Jan Jedrzejewski was a despicable crime and Catherine Coslett’s actions to cover it up were disturbing. My thoughts are with the family of Mr Jedrzejewski. I hope they can take some comfort from the increased sentence today.”

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox today hailed the ‘immediate and tangible’ benefits that will arise as the UK works to establish itself as a global champion of free trade.

Addressing academics, policy makers and business representatives at the launch of the Department for International Trade sponsored e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ he asserted his confidence that the best days of global trade lie ahead.

The publication produced by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and sponsored by DIT is a collection of essays marking the 200th anniversary of David Ricardo’s principle of comparative advantage.

Using the simple example of trading English cloth for Portuguese wine, Ricardo explained how all actors, at all times, can mutually benefit from commercial cooperation and voluntary trade. Whilst a radical idea at the time, this insight generated the basis for international trade today.

Outlining his ambition to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, Dr Fox explained how 200 years on, Ricardo’s transformative insight still holds true for the modern global economy and will remain crucial to securing future UK prosperity and growth.

In his speech, Dr Fox said:

As an international economic department, our ambition is to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, upholding those principles developed by David Ricardo, Adam Smith and others, to generate wealth and spread prosperity across the globe.

By realising this ambition, the benefits to this country will be immediate and tangible. The best days of global trade lie ahead of us.

Opening a series of panels with participants from the OECD, TUC and leading universities on comparative advantage and trade in the 21st century, Dr Fox highlighted the vital role collaboration will play in developing a successful future trade policy, and the importance of drawing upon expertise and experience from across government, industry and academia.

The DIT and CEPR e-book fields contributions from prominent trade academics across the globe such as former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, and Penn State distinguished professor of economics Jonathan Eaton, and examines Ricardo’s theory through a contemporary lens, including its relevance for digital trade, the growth of trade in services, and the impact of automation on the labour force.

CEPR Fellow, Chad Bown said:

The current policy climate demands a more reasoned discourse around the topic of globalisation. This volume brings together a tight-knit and yet sophisticated analysis that shows off the fundamental principles of comparative advantage as well as the nuance of its implications for policy today.

Notes to editors

The e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ was commissioned by DIT to the CEPR.

Further information

The UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation was officially launched today (6 December 2017) by Science Minister Jo Johnson and Vice-Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang. Witnessed by His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York and China’s Vice-Premier, Liu Yandong, the strategy outlines a commitment for both nations to take science and innovation collaboration to a new level.

The new strategy represents a step-change in UK-China science and innovation collaboration, building on almost 40 years of cooperation, and is the first bilateral science and innovation strategy China has developed jointly with another country.

Science Minister Jo Johnson said:

The UK has a history of successful collaboration with China and we are increasingly looking to strengthen this partnership. This new joint strategy is a central part of the UK-China bilateral relationship, underpinning our mutual commitment to drive growth and tackle global challenges through science and innovation.

The recent launch of our Industrial Strategy underlines our commitment to ensuring science and innovation remains at the core of the UK’s future ambitions. It is international partnerships like this that are a testament to our ongoing commitment to propel Britain towards global leadership of future industries.

The UK and China have a strong foundation of existing collaboration, including the ongoing UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (channelled through the Newton Fund in the UK), which has supported over 460 joint projects since its launch in 2014.

China’s Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang said:

The Chinese government attaches great importance to China-UK cooperation on science, technology and innovation. Over the past 4 decades, the continuously expanded sci-tech relations have yielded fruitful outcomes. With this new strategy, the level and scope of the cooperation will be further extended to take the golden era forward.

As China enters into a new era, our government identifies innovation as the primary engine of development underpinning the building of a modernised economy. We will follow the principle of win-win cooperation and mutual benefit, increase open innovation and promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on science and innovation to achieve common prosperity with the rest of the world and build a community of shared future for mankind.

The UK and China have both prioritised research and development to boost economic growth. To continue the UK’s global leadership in research and innovation, the government has committed an additional £2.3 billion as part of the Industrial Strategy. The impact of China’s research is also increasing, with citation impact rising by more than 20% in recent years, and UK-China co-authored papers are more than twice as impactful as the world average.

The strategy also sets the framework for future cooperation to jointly tackle global challenges and drive economic growth over the next 10 years covering co-operation across the spectrum, from research through to the commercialisation of new technologies. It outlines priority areas for collaboration in a variety of areas, including life sciences, food security, renewable energy and environmental technologies. It also outlines new cooperation mechanisms, including an annual Flagship Challenge Programme which will focus on agricultural technologies in 2018.

The agreement details shared principles for intellectual property in UK-China research and innovation collaborations, supporting projects in adhering to international best practice. The UK and China are committed to promoting effective protection of IP rights, which in turn support innovation and trade in both countries.

The launch of the strategy took place at the UK-China Science and Innovation Forum at the Royal Society, alongside the UK-China People to People Dialogue.

Notes to editors

UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (Newton Fund)

The UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund, part of the UK’s Newton Fund, brings together the best of UK and Chinese expertise to tackle and build capacity to respond to global challenges. Highlights include projects on understanding climate risk and supporting climate smart decision making, tackling antimicrobial resistance, innovative technology to support agriculture, and programmes to develop researcher skills and knowledge.

The Newton Fund is part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA) commitment, administered in the UK by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue (P2P)

The P2P is one of the UK’s 3 major Ministerial dialogues with China, along with the Economic and Financial Dialogue, and Strategic Dialogue. It covers 10 policy strands:

• education
• science
• health
• tourism
• sport
• culture and creative industries
• youth
• regional cooperation
• social equity
• women’s equality

The P2P is chaired by Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt on the UK side and Vice-Premier Madame Liu Yandong on the Chinese side.

Industrial Strategy

Business Secretary Greg Clark last week (27 November 2017) launched the government’s ambitious Industrial Strategy white paper, setting out a long-term vision for how Britain can build on its economic strengths, address its productivity performance, embrace technological change and boast the earning power of people across the UK.

Documents

• 
  UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 3.23MB, 16 pages)
  

• 
  IP Annex to UK-China Memorandum of Understanding for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 364KB, 4 pages)
  

The 38th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was hosted by Kuwait on 5th December 2017.

Commenting on the Summit, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

The UK and GCC are close partners on a range of issues, and we welcome the attendance by all GCC member states at the Summit hosted by Kuwait this week.

Unity amongst GCC members is important for the Gulf’s stability and security. We urge our GCC partners to build on the Summit and take further steps towards resuming full cooperation.

I pay tribute to the Amir of Kuwait for hosting the Summit. The UK fully supports his continued mediation efforts towards a resolution of differences between GCC member states.

Further information

• Follow the Minister Burt on Twitter @AlistairBurtUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Following recent events which appear to threaten the activities of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, an FCO spokesperson said:

The UK has growing concerns that Ukraine’s fight against corruption is being undermined. Corruption remains a major threat to Ukraine’s stability and national security and is cited by Ukraine’s electorate as the number one issue facing the country. The fight against it is fundamental to Ukraine’s European choice and its aspiration to become a modern, prosperous and democratic state.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), in which the UK has invested significant resource, is a critical piece of the anti-corruption machinery in Ukraine, and has made great strides in its development and its investigations. Recent events, including interference in NABU investigations and the exposing of NABU’s undercover officers, are a worrying sign that the future of independent anti-corruption investigations is under threat.

We hope that those in positions of authority will show leadership in progressing a joined up reform effort to eradicate corruption.

Further information:

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Following a review of the evidence, the independent expert screening committee recommends that screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) should be tried for a period of time in the NHS.

SCID refers to a number of rare inherited conditions which affect the development of a baby’s white blood cells – these are an important part of the immune system and make it difficult for babies to fight infections. Around 15 to 25 babies are born with the condition every year in the UK. The treatment is a bone marrow transplant, which can repair the damaged immune system.

The trial period will allow the committee to gather information about the practicalities and likely effect of screening before a final recommendation is made on whether to include SCID in the NHS newborn bloodspot screening programme.

Screening, as part of the newborn blood spot screening programme, would look for babies with low numbers of white blood cells as a sign that they may have SCID, but the independent committee found that more evidence is required on whether screening for the condition would do more good than harm, as it is not clear:

• how many babies may be diagnosed with having the condition when they do not (false positives)
• what care and treatment to offer babies with other conditions that cause low numbers of white blood cells

Professor Anne Mackie, Director of Programmes for the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), said:

There is still uncertainty whether screening for SCID would lead to babies who are well being diagnosed with the condition and receiving unnecessary treatment. It’s also unclear what would be the best care and treatment to offer babies who don’t have SCID, but are found to have other immune deficiency conditions.

We need to find out if screening for SCID would provide overall benefits or do more harm by falsely diagnosing those without the condition. That is why the committee has recommended screening over a trial-period which will help them decide whether NHS screening for SCID should be recommended.

After careful consideration of the evidence, the UK NSC did not recommend introducing screening programmes for the following conditions:

Newborn screening for Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

Cytomegalovirus is a common viral infection found in children and adults which doesn’t always have symptoms nor need to be treated. If it is passed from mother to baby during pregnancy this is called congenital CMV infection. Screening was not currently recommended as it is not possible to know which babies are going to develop long-term health problems. So more research is needed to distinguish between babies that will suffer from the infection and babies that will not.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) in pregnancy

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) can be passed from person to person through blood transfusion or unprotected sexual contact. HTLV infection can also be passed from mother to child. This is usually through breastfeeding for longer than 6 months. Screening was not recommended as the risk of a mother passing HTLV to their child through breastfeeding is low unless breastfeeding is continued beyond 6 months.

Newborn screening for biliary atresia

This is a rare condition that causes the bile ducts to become blocked or inflamed. Bile is a digestive fluid necessary to digest fatty acids and vitamins. If it cannot drain away from the liver, bile can build up and cause serious liver damage in the early years. Screening was not recommended as there is no reliable test which could be used to find babies with biliary atresia in the first week of life.

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in children under 5 years

IDA is the most common form of anaemia and occurs when iron levels are too low to support the production of red blood cells, usually because of a lack of iron in the diet. Children aged under-5 are especially at risk. It is possible that IDA may affect a child’s development, but this is not known for certain. Screening was not recommended as it is not known how many children in the UK are affected. It is uncertain whether IDA in children under the age of 5 causes adverse developmental outcomes and whether it gets better without treatment. Also a suitable test is not yet available.

The UK NSC will review all these recommendations again in 3 years as part of its regular evidence review process or earlier if significant new evidence becomes available.

The latest screening recommendations were made at the UK NSC meeting on 25 October 2017, the minutes of which are published today (6 December 2017).

Background

1. The UK National Screening Committee is independent of, but supported by, Public Health England.
2. View the detailed summaries of the recommendations for all of the conditions mentioned.
3. Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. We do this through world-leading science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services. We are an executive agency of the Department of Health, and a distinct delivery organisation with operational autonomy to advise and support government, local authorities and the NHS in a professionally independent manner.