Day: January 18, 2018

The Business Secretary Greg Clark has today (18 January 2018) welcomed the decision by several banks to set up funds to support small businesses affected by Carillion’s insolvency.

Today, Lloyds Banking Group has launched a £50 million fund, HSBC a £100 million fund and RBS has made £75 million of assistance available.

It follows a meeting held by Greg Clark yesterday with banks where he discussed further support and advice that could be provided by the banks for small businesses affected by Carillion’s liquidation.

Greg Clark said:

I welcome this quick and positive move by banks including Lloyds, HSBC and RBS. This follows my meeting with the banks yesterday where I challenged them to see what further support they could provide for SMEs affected by Carillion’s insolvency.

It is essential that small businesses exposed are given the support they need by their lenders, and I look forward to other banks following suit.

HMRC has also outlined the support being offered to those businesses contracted to Carillion that may be concerned about their ability to pay tax. HMRC are providing practical advice and guidance to those affected through its Business Payment Support Service (BPSS).

This follows action outlined by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to address concerns set out earlier this week.

The unique 70 metre long tapestry that depicts the 1066 Norman Conquest of Britain will be put on public display in 2022.

The exhibition has been announced to coincide with the UK-France summit taking place this week. The loan of the Tapestry will form part of a wider cultural exchange taking place between Britain and France over the next four years and marks a key milestone in the celebration of our shared history.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Our shared history is reflected in the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK in 2022, the first time it will be on British soil in more than 900 years.

The loan of the Tapestry will form part of a wider cultural exchange taking place between Britain and France over the next four years.

I am honoured at the loan of such a precious piece of our shared history which yet again underscores the closeness of the UK-France relationship.

DCMS Secretary, Matt Hancock said:

France and Britain are global cultural leaders with a millennium long recorded history. The Bayeux Tapestry is a fundamental symbol of our history as neighbours. It’s arrival in the UK is a tribute to the strength of our relationship now and in the future.

We are committed to opening up the UK to the best culture and history the world has to offer. This year Liverpool will welcome the Terracotta Warriors from ancient China and we look forward to hosting the Bayeux Tapestry.

The UK is home to some of the leading museums in the world and by showcasing works of national and international interest we will ensure that the UK remains a go to destination for the arts and culture.

The tapestry was created in the UK in the eleventh century, shortly after the Battle of Hastings and has been on display in various locations in France since its completion. The Tapestry is now part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and depicts the Battle which saw William the Conqueror take the English throne in 1066.

The Tapestry will come to the UK while its current home, the Bayeux Museum, undergoes refurbishment in 2022. Further details of the exhibition, including exact dates and locations will be released in due course.

On 9 January prominent human rights activist Oyub Titiev, the Director of Russian NGO Memorial’s office in Chechnya, was detained by the Chechen authorities. He was subsequently charged with the illegal acquisition and storage of narcotics. Although significant doubts have been raised about the legitimacy of these allegations, a local court has remanded him in custody until 9 March. Overnight on 16 January Memorial’s office in Ingushetia – a neighbouring republic in the North Caucasus – was destroyed by an arson attack.

Sir Alan Duncan said:

The decision of the Chechen authorities to charge Oyub Titiev, the Director of Russian human rights NGO Memorial’s office in Chechnya, and remand him in custody until 9 March, is extremely concerning. Since his arrest, Mr Titiev’s family has also faced harassment and threats which have forced them to flee the region. This is yet another example of the restrictions on freedom within Russia which I raised in Moscow in December.

I was appalled to also hear that Memorial’s office in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia has been destroyed by an arson attack overnight. This is clearly another attempt to disrupt and intimidate Memorial and other NGOs working on crucial human rights issues in the North Caucasus region of Russia. The Russian Government must urgently investigate this attack and hold those responsible to account.

The Chechen authorities must ensure the safety of Mr Titiev and allow him the right to a fair trial, and immediately cease the intimidation, harassment and detention of individuals and groups advocating such fundamental freedoms.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan on Twitter @AlanDuncanMP and Facebook
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The Defence Secretary has joined the Prime Minister, Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and other members of the Cabinet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for the 2018 UK-France Summit.

The two countries are the only European powers with the ability and political will to deploy and sustain significant military force. A number of initiatives have been announced at the Summit to strengthen UK-France cooperation, building on the 2010 Lancaster House Treaties.

The measures agreed between the UK and France today will include:

• President Macron has agreed to further French support to the UK-led enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Estonia in 2019, which will help to deter Russian aggression towards NATO Allies and bolster the security of NATO’s Eastern flank.
• The UK will deploy RAF Chinook helicopters to Mali to provide logistical support the French counter-terrorism mission there. This will increase British logistical support to France’s Operation BARKHANE, which up to now has been limited to RAF strategic air transport flights. The UK already supports the UN mission in Mali, along with military support to UN missions in South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. British military personnel are also training the Nigerian armed forces in countering the threat from Boko Haram.
• The creation of a UK-France Defence Ministerial Council, creating a permanent and regular forum in which UK and French Defence cooperation can be discussed by the two Defence Ministers
• Agreement between the UK and France on the importance of the ability of the UK’s defence industry to continue to be able to engage in European defence research and capability development programmes
• The UK will work with France and other European partners to support the development of the proposed European Intervention Initiative (EII). The EII will be a defence cooperation framework that aims to improve operational planning and coordination of military deployments among European partners with meaningful capabilities. The EII will be separate from the EU, and will be complementary to existing NATO, EU and JEF military structures and initiatives.
• Confirmation that the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, CJEF, will be fully operational by 2020 and able to carry out a full range of complex and demanding expeditionary military combat operations on land, in the air and at sea; or to provide peace-keeping, disaster relief or humanitarian assistance.

The countries’ strong defence ties were symbolised at the summit by a flypast from a Typhoon and a Rafale jet and French and British cadets joining attendees to witness the Guard of Honour.

Using specially designed shoebox-sized satellites known as CubeSats, scientists will be able to study the Earth’s upper atmosphere and find out how it impacts on radio frequencies through space.

Dr Mike O’Callaghan, Space Programme Manager at Dstl, said:

We’re trying to find out how the ionosphere might affect us when we communicate. For example, are signals weaker during specific space weather conditions? It’s important to understand the effects and how it might impact our communications around the world, specifically with military operations.

The Wideband Ionospheric Sounder CubeSat Experiment (WISCER) project builds on work carried out by Dstl and the University of Birmingham, which was partly funded by the UK Space Agency. It forms part of a joint programme with the Naval Research Laboratory in the United States (US). Plans are now in place to launch two CubeSat satellites during 2020/21, each with a UK and a US payload.

The UK payload will contain a WISCER antenna and waveform generator that will transmit a signal to a bespoke ground signal receiver, assessing the impact of the ionosphere on the signal. The US payload will measure how electron density changes with altitude. The collaboration offers the opportunity to generate data cost effectively, with both countries potentially sharing results.

Dr O’Callaghan added:

Space is a global endeavour and collaboration is absolutely critical to delivering the WISCER project. We’re excited to be launching the project and will be looking at initial results once in orbit.

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Here in the UK, Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a contract for £1.5 million to build the WISCER payload and ground signal receiver. Ben Olivier, CEO of Thales Alenia Space, said:

We are delighted to have been selected by Dstl to contribute to this important project, which will ultimately improve the understanding of operating in the space environment. Working with key partners Oxford Space Systems and Teledyne Defence & Space, we will deliver a complete experiment package including mission system engineering.

Since my appointment as Secretary of State I have had a number of discussions on the way forward to restore
the Northern Ireland Executive and other political institutions under the Belfast Agreement.

What has quickly become clear to me is that time is short and one last opportunity to reach agreement remains.

Without agreement we will be facing a set of political consequences that will represent a significant setback to the progress made since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998, almost twenty years ago.

Over the past eight months the political parties, particularly the DUP and Sinn Fein, have made progress in closing the gaps existing between them on a range of difficult issues that have prevented the formation of an Executive.

The gaps are narrow, but there are still significant differences to overcome.

I also want to emphasise the role played by the SDLP, Alliance and the UUP who have made an active and positive contribution to making political progress.

Based on my conversations so far, I believe it is possible to reach agreement.

All of the parties have expressed their commitment to the restoration of the Executive.

They have indicated to me directly their willingness to engage in a constructive manner to try to reach agreement.

A short, intense set of political talks to restore the Executive will therefore commence next Wednesday [24 January 2018].

These will involve the five main parties, the UK Government and the Irish Government in accordance with the well-established three-stranded approach.

Initially, these talks will focus on gaining clarity of understanding on the progress that was made over the last seven months on a range of issues, including formation of the Executive and what are known as legacy issues.

Progress must be swift.

It is clear that Northern Ireland needs strong devolved government and political leadership. The people of Northern Ireland cannot continue to have their public services suffer by the lack of an Executive and without Ministers making the key policy and budget decisions.

Without an Executive, Northern Ireland’s voice on critical issues will not be heard as strongly.

I will be updating Parliament in Westminster no later than 7 February on progress.

Without rapid progress, the UK Government will face significant decisions.

These include setting a budget for 2018/19, the future of MLA pay, the prospect of a further election (which I continue to keep under review) and ultimately other arrangements to ensure that Northern Ireland is able to benefit from the good government that its people both need and deserve.

My clear focus now, however, must be to see devolution restored, an Executive established and the progress that Northern Ireland has made over the past two decades continue.

And that is what I intend to do in the coming weeks.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is working alongside the judiciary to modernise the justice system to make access to justice quicker, easier and fairer for all – and enable some work to be held away from a physical court building.

Instead of taking time out to attend a physical court building, working people can now make a number of claims online – including filing for divorce, challenging rogue traders for money owed, or making a tax appeal. In criminal courts the increasing use of video links means more vulnerable victims can give evidence away from the court room and without having to meet their attacker face to face. Across the country, people are also now able to indicate their plea online for low level motoring offences – 80,000 online pleas were made last year. This enables the court to better prepare for the hearing – saving time in the courtroom. Fully virtual options – where a case is hearing by an online video hearing – are also being tested for some court cases. This will save people the time and money spent travelling to court and waiting for their hearing – which can mean taking an entire day off work.

Ministers are seeking views on how the estate can change to support this transformation. The consultation asks for opinions on how to best make decisions about courts across the country – focusing on ensuring access to justice, delivering value for money and enabling efficiency in the longer term.

Five separate, regional consultations have also been published today seeking views on the closure of 8 courts across the country – where workload can be better allocated at other courts close by.

Following an earlier consultation in July 2015, HMCTS has been closing some underused and dilapidated courts which are not necessary to deliver effective justice. When this is complete, HMCTS will occupy around 340 court and tribunal buildings providing face to face services. Over 90% of these will be less than 15 miles from another court or tribunal, and the majority will be less than 5 miles away. £114.7 million has already been raised from building sales, which has been ploughed back into modernising our courts and tribunals services and making it easier for people to access justice.

The changes introduced through digital reforms will mean there are many more ways to access justice without the need to travel or physically attend court. For those that do need to go to court, there will be more modern and well-connected courtrooms.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said:

This government is investing over £1 billion to reform and modernise the justice system – making it more convenient, easier to use, and providing better value for the taxpayer.

As we increase the use of digital services, it makes sense to consider the wider role and need for Court buildings and assess whether some are still necessary to provide effective access to justice. Where physical courts are to close, every penny raised will be put back into funding changes which will make justice easier to access for all at the same time as offering protections for the most vulnerable.

The government’s reform programme is already delivering benefits to court users, including the ability to plead guilty online for traffic offences and a new digital programme which will allow defendants, victims, witnesses and professional users to share legal documents and cases online. It is also reducing stress for victims and the most vulnerable and reducing the emotional turmoil experienced through crime by the use of video links in criminal courts so victims don’t have to face their attackers. And online applications for divorce and probate, as well as making a claim in the civil courts, are already being piloted.

Consultations

Banbury Magistrates’ and County Court and Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court (in a single consultation for the court estate in the Thames Valley)

Cambridge Magistrates’ Court

Chorley Magistrates’ Court and Fleetwood Magistrates’ Court (in a single consultation for the court estate in
Lancashire)

Northallerton Magistrates’ Court

Wandsworth County Court, and Blackfriars Crown Court (in a single consultation for the court estate in London)

Fit for the future: transforming the court and tribunal estate