Day: May 1, 2018

• 11 Heads of International Trade Profession from across Whitehall appointed, all working with Crawford Falconer, the government’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser
• the group will ensure the government builds and grows existing trade capability

Today (Tuesday 1 May) Crawford Falconer, the government’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser, officially launches the ‘International Trade Profession’.

The profession will raise the skills and ambitions of those working, or aspiring to work, in international trade by:

• opening up new roles and career opportunities in the UK government
• supporting talented people to develop careers in trade
• providing a world class training programme

The recognition of international trade as one of government’s most important skills represents an important step forward in post-Brexit trade preparations.

Ten government departments (in addition to DIT) have appointed a Head of International Trade Profession working with DIT’s Falconer. The group will champion the profession within government ensuring that UK trade expertise continues to grow as a pipeline of talent to tackle the future is developed.

On the importance of international trade becoming a core government discipline, International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said:

By establishing the International Trade Profession, we have embedded the development of trade negotiation capability at the heart of the government’s agenda and taken another important step in getting UK trade policy Brexit-ready.

Crawford Falconer, the government’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and Head of International Trade Profession, said:

As Head of Profession, it is my job to ensure that UK trade negotiators are ready to strike trade deals around the world and deliver the benefits of free trade to all parts of the country.

Through the profession we are ensuring government attracts the best and brightest talent by not only offering trade professionals a clear route into working on trade policy, exports and investment at the centre of government but also nurturing their ability for the future through access to world-class training.

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, said:

Trade between the UK and partners old and new is a fundamental catalyst to job creation, productivity and prosperity across the country.

Business will warmly welcome the appointment of Heads of International Trade Profession across Whitehall, demonstrating that the government is building expertise and capability in a crucial area for post-Brexit Britain.

The government has a vital role to play in helping to dismantle trade barriers and improve market access around the globe. This is particularly key for the thousands of smaller, entrepreneurial firms who want to break into new markets, and who hold the key to unlocking our trading future.

Business and the government can be powerful joint venture partners when entering new markets.

Further information

The Department for International Trade (DIT) secures UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. We are an international economic department, responsible for:

• bringing together policy, promotion and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment, and help businesses succeed
• delivering a new trade policy framework for the UK as we leave the EU
• promoting British trade and investment across the world
• building the global appetite for British goods and services

On 23 January I provided an update to the House on the CMA’s interim report on their investigation into the proposed merger between 21st Century Fox Inc and Sky Plc.

Today I received the final report from the CMA regarding the findings of their phase 2 investigation. Now that I have received this report, I must come to my decision and publish the report within 30 working days (by 13 June). My decision will be on whether the merger operates or may be expected to operate against the public interest, taking into account the specified public interest considerations of media plurality and genuine commitment to broadcasting standards.

When I have reached a decision I will return to Parliament to make an oral statement. I will come to a view on whether to make a final order or accept any final undertakings in due course, and will consult on these publicly, but not before I have taken a decision on the public interest tests.

Given my ongoing quasi-judicial role, I will not be making any comment about the substance of the report until I publish my decision.

On 23 April I confirmed that I had written to Trinity Mirror plc and Northern & Shell Media Group Limited to inform them that I was minded to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) on the basis that I had concerns that there may be two public interest considerations – as set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 – relevant to consideration of the merger.

The first public interest ground is the need for free expression of opinion, and concerns the potential impact the transfer of newspapers would have on editorial decision making. The second public interest ground is the need for a sufficient plurality of views in newspapers, to the extent that it is reasonable or practicable.

I invited written representations from the parties by 26 April and, having considered these, I have written to the parties today confirming my decision to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) on both grounds.

This PIIN triggers action for Ofcom to report to me on the media public interest considerations and the CMA on jurisdiction and any competition issues, respectively, by the 31st May 2018. I will then consider whether or not to refer the merger for a more detailed investigation, or whether to accept undertakings-in-lieu of such a reference.

The role of the Secretary of State, in this process, is quasi-judicial and procedures are in place to ensure that I act independently and follow a process which is scrupulously fair and impartial.

As part of a trial initiative announced last month, the traffic officers patrolled for the first time in Cornwall over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with further trial patrols due to continue during the busy summer months.

But due to the initial success over the Easter period, Highways England has now extended the trial to cover the two Bank Holiday weekends in May.

Rob Penney, South West Service Delivery Manager for Highways England, said:

The aim of the initiative is to provide further assistance to motorists on our South West network, and we’re delighted to extend our service further south into Cornwall and to continue our close working partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Council.

The Easter patrols provided real value and were well received, both by our partners and the public, and we dealt with and assisted 16 incidents over the five days.

On that basis, we have added the May patrols to the trial and although we were originally only focusing the initiative on the busier summer holiday months, we are confident that these extra patrols will help our customers and partner agencies during a busy travel weekend.

Highways England already works in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police, forming part of a multi-agency partnership in terms of safety and severe weather handling, and the trial is aimed at providing further support to Devon and Cornwall Police to help meet the demands of increased traffic volumes and related incidents on the A30 in Cornwall.

Traffic officers currently assist drivers in any difficulty, co-ordinate the resources of the emergency services, manage traffic to reduce incident-related congestion and clear debris from the carriageways.

The traffic officers will patrol the A30 between Carland Cross and Lifton Down and, based at Bodmin police station and Cornwall Council’s Castle Canyke depot during the peak holiday months, they will be closer at hand to provide assistance along the A30 and A38.

Chief Inspector Adrian Leisk, head of roads policing for the Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police alliance, said:

Devon and Cornwall Police is delighted to expand its partnership working with Highways England into Cornwall.

This builds on the considerable success of the operational activity on the M5, A38 and A30 in Devon, where Highways England Traffic Officers have supported police resources in dealing with road traffic collisions and other incidents which have the potential to cause disruption on our strategic road network.

This ‘one team’ approach will undoubtedly help support communities and businesses who rely on a resilient and capable road network in Cornwall, during what will be the busiest periods of the year.

Highways England’s Traffic Officer service patrols England’s motorways and major A roads, helping to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Traffic Officers are not an enforcement agency, but they do have the power to stop and direct traffic, close lanes and carriageways and manage traffic, and road users must obey their directions.

Traffic Officers help to keep roads running smoothly by attending incidents, ensuring the scene is safe, clearing the carriageway of debris, managing debris and supporting the emergency services.

They also deal with broken down and abandoned vehicles on the strategic road network, recovering vehicles that are causing a blockage or hazard, and ensure that the scene of an incident is safe, for road users and working partners.

For more information on the roles and responsibilities of a traffic officer you can visit the traffic officers web page.

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.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns has today welcomed the appointment of Professor Brian Morgan to the independent Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC).

Professor Morgan is currently a Professor of entrepreneurship at Cardiff Metropolitan University and director of its Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre.

The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) is an independent body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy which assesses the impact on business of new regulatory and deregulatory proposals.

Professor Morgan joins four other new appointments to the board – and one reappointment. Each member has substantial experience and expertise to play a key role in overseeing the government’s better regulation agenda.

Marking Professor Morgan’s appointment, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

The RPC is a body which plays such an important role in providing a robust and impartial check on the purpose and effects of proposed government regulatory activity.

Brian brings with him decades of leadership and experience in economics and enterprise and I am delighted to see him appointed to this important position.

I have no doubt that he will work effectively with his co-members in their efforts to achieve better regulatory outcomes that promote growth and jobs, and protect the interests of society.
Appointments to the RPC are made by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy in line with the OCPA Code of Practice.

Business Minister Lord Henley said:

The Regulatory Policy Committee has been applauded by business for the strong, independent scrutiny it provides around the impact of regulation on business.

The new members will bring valuable expertise and experience to the Committee and play a vital role in supporting the Government to ensure that the evidence underpinning policy making is robust.

Chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee Anthony Browne said:

It is great to have such a strong range of new members joining the RPC, as we prepare for leaving the EU. Never has the work of the RPC in helping ensure high standards of policy making been more important.

The other new members are:

Laura Cox

Laura Cox is currently a partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and is a member of the Law Society (England and Wales) and the American Bar Association.

Stephen Gibson

Stephen Gibson has over 25 years’ experience as a professional economist, a regulator in regulated industries, and as a consultant. He has also lectured on the subject at Birkbeck and City Universities.

Andrew Williams-Fry

Andrew Williams-Fry is a regulatory economist and government affairs professional. He has worked in economically regulated sectors, including energy, water, rail, post, aviation and financial services and most recently has led regulatory and government affairs teams within the Mastercard group.

Sheila Drew-Smith OBE

Sheila Drew-Smith was a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. She is the Chair of the National Approved Letting Scheme, a committee member for SafeAgents and is the safeguarding adviser to the Secretary of State for International Development.

In addition to the five new members, Jeremy Mayhew has been reappointed to the Committee. He has served since 2012 and is, also, a Member of the Legal Services Board and the British Transport Police Authority. Previously, his experience was mainly in the media and broadcasting industry, both at the BBC and as a consultant.

The new appointments have been made following an open recruitment process and in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Professor Brian Morgan biography

Brian Morgan is a professor of entrepreneurship and director of the creative leadership and enterprise centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

In March 2016 the Enterprise Centre launched a two year Research project into aimed at mapping the future trends of the Welsh economy.

Brian traces his interest in economics and enterprise to his time as a student and lecturer at the LSE.

Before returning to academia at Cardiff University in 1997 Brian was Chief Economist at the WDA.

Has worked as a senior policy adviser in Wales (for the WDA and the Assembly), and in Whitehall (the DTI) and he has worked extensively in Europe (for the OECD and EU).

He is the co-founder of world renowned whisky brand, Penderyn and was chairman of Brecon Carreg.

In 2011 he was Chair of an independent review panel set up by the Welsh Government to assess the impact of business rates on economic growth.

The fifth meeting of the biannual Sudan-UK Strategic Dialogue was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Sudan in Khartoum on 24th April 2018, co-chaired by Ambassador Abdelghani Elnaim Awadelkarim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan, and Neil Wigan, Director for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, accompanied by delegations from both countries.

The meetings covered bilateral issues, the peace process, human rights, development, trade and investment, migration, defence engagement, counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism, regional issues and culture. Both sides welcomed the continued progress in many aspects of the bilateral relationship since the last Strategic Dialogue meeting in London in October, and agreed to continue joint work in areas of mutual interest over the coming months.

Both sides welcomed the continued meetings between high level government officials from Sudan and the United Kingdom, including at Foreign Minister level last December. They discussed future work on macroeconomic development and reform, including technical assistance and support on improving business indicators. Both sides agreed to continue the regular dialogue on human rights between the two governments at all levels, in particular political and media freedoms in the run up to the 2020 elections, and the UK support for Sudan’s accession to the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and other relevant Conventions. Both sides continued to emphasise the importance of joint work to combat trafficking in people.

On the peace process, both sides discussed the continuing reconfiguration of the UN-AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and agreed to continue to exchange views on the renewal of its mandate. Both parties welcomed the continued unilateral cessations of hostilities, and moves to open a UNAMID teamsite at Golo in Jebel Marra. They agreed to continue engaging constructively towards a negotiated political agreement to end the conflicts in Darfur and the Two Areas, including through the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).

Both sides expressed strong concern about the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The UK welcomed the Government of Sudan’s support to the IGAD-led peace process and its 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 peace process.

The two parties also agreed to continue working together on countering terrorism and violent extremism. They welcomed continued exchanges of visits and agreed to consider further joint work in this field. Both sides were pleased with progress to deliver the current celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the British Council in Sudan and agreed to continue exchanges on cultural and educational issues, including primary and higher education, digitisation of archives and co-operation on youth strategies.

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 London in October 2018.

Traffic Commissioner says case involving Stotts Tours (Oldham) Ltd goes beyond a simple failure to comply with the law

A bus company which failed to auto enrol its staff into a company pension scheme has had its transport licence cut from 40 to 31 vehicles indefinitely.

Traffic Commissioner for the North West of England, Simon Evans, said Stotts Tours (Oldham) Ltd “manifestly brought its good repute into doubt” after director Alan Stott admitted he had buried his head in the sand about pensions requirements.

Stotts Tours (Oldham) Ltd was the first company to be prosecuted by the Pensions Regulator for failing to comply with the law on workplace pensions.

Mr Evans expressed his disappointment that as the regulator of the bus industry it was an operator in this sector who had “so clearly failed in its duty”.

“That Stotts became the first company to be prosecuted casts a shadow on the industry,” he added.

“My dismay is compounded because this case goes beyond a simply failure to comply with the law – since staff of companies such as Stotts are the very people whose interests an operator ought to be guarding and through the provision of pension schemes investing in their future.”

The company was called to a public inquiry before the Traffic Commissioner on 27 April 2018. Alan Stott said he had buried his head in the sand regarding workplace pensions and failed to discuss it with his co-directors.

Evidence provided to the Commissioner showed the business now had a pension scheme in place, staff had been auto-enrolled and back payments of employer contributions had been made.

Mr Evans also heard about other changes the business had made and intended to put in place from August. He also made note of the company’s positive record of operating vehicles on the road with regard to safety standards.

The Traffic Commissioner ordered the company’s licence to be reduced from 40 to 31 vehicles indefinitely and recorded a formal warning on its transport licence. A number of undertakings were agreed relating to the appointment of a new transport manager, financial standing and the payment of fines.

He also said the repute of the firm’s transport manager, Alan Stott junior, was tarnished.

Media enquiries
T: 01942 295033
M: 07971 071558
E: pressoffice@otc.gov.uk

The Centre for Public Appointments has today opened recruitment campaigns for both Psychiatrist and retired Judicial Parole Board members.

Martin Jones, CEO of the Parole Board, said:

“We are very happy to support these recruitment campaigns.

“It is an important and engaging role to be appointed as a Parole Board member, where protection of the public is the priority, and we welcome applicants who have the skills and experience to rise to that challenge.”

The key task of all members of the Parole Board is to make rigorous, fair and timely risk assessments about individual cases which have the primary aim of protecting the public.

These are routine recruitment campaigns to fill positions that will be vacated by a number of current Parole Board members who are near the end of their tenure. There is the potential for up to 20 appointments per campaign.

The appointment will run for 5 years with the possibility of reappointment for a further term subject to satisfactory appraisal and at the discretion of Ministers.

The deadline for applications is 12:00 on 21 May 2018.