Day: May 23, 2018

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister hosted Prime Minister Michel of Belgium for talks at Downing Street. They discussed the ongoing negotiations around the UK’s exit from the EU with the PM stressing that it was important to recognise the progress made thus far. She spoke about the agreements reached on vital issues such as citizens’ rights and the financial settlement and said that the agreement in principle of the implementation period had also given businesses much greater certainty. The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Michel looked forward to the June European Council.

The leaders spoke about global issues with the Prime Minister reiterating the UK’s commitment to the Iran nuclear deal as the best way of neutralising the threat of a nuclear armed Iran. The leaders agreed that there are important things that the deal does not cover, but which need to be addressed such as ballistic missiles and Iran’s destabilising regional activity.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Michel spoke about the importance of multilateralism and of the rules based international system. They agreed that it was vital to restore the international norm that the use of chemical weapons can never be acceptable. The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Michel for the solidarity shown by Belgium following the chemical attack in Salisbury.

They discussed Russia, agreeing on the importance of continued international cooperation to tackle Russian destabilising activity in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Finally the leaders looked forward to the upcoming World Cup fixture between the England and Belgium football teams in June.

Foreign Secretary Johnson will hold talks with the President Sebastian Piñera and Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Ampuero to discuss further collaboration on international security, defence, and post-Brexit trade opportunities.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Chile Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I am delighted to be visiting Chile as part of my tour of Latin America and to have the opportunity to further strengthen our historic relationship. It is fitting my visit comes on the 200th anniversary of the Chilean Navy´s foundation by British Admiral Lord Cochrane.

The UK and Chile already have strong trading links between our countries and with the UK leaving the European Union, I want both nations to grasp this opportunity and to deliver a real boost to British-Chilean trade links in the years ahead.

During his visit to Santiago, Mr Johnson will join the Chilean Minister of Education Gerardo Varela and meet Chilean students where he will launch a project led by the British Council aiming to empower girls through digital literacy and computer coding. The project entitled ‘Girl Power Codefest Americas’ will enhance digital literacy and coding skills among students, and specifically girls, in Chile, Colombia and Peru, underlining the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to improving education for girls across the world – a key personal priority.

He will join the Chilean Minister for Economy at the opening of the Bupa Santiago Hospital, which will officially open next month. British company Bupa is the biggest investor in the healthcare sector in Chile and the 400 hundred-bed hospital in Santiago is Bupa’s biggest healthcare clinic worldwide.

The Foreign Secretary will also attend an event with a select group of Chilean business people and senior political figures, organised by the Chilean Council for International Relations.

Further information

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A woman who falsely accused 4 men of sexual or violent offences has been sent to prison after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred her sentence for being too low.

Anna Judith Costin, 30, accused her victims of rape, sexual assault, or assault during early 2016. None of the men were charged, but as a result of the false reports some spent time in custody, were harassed by members of the public, or suffered psychologically.

Costin was originally sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court in March, where she was given a sentence of a 3 year community order and 60 day rehabilitation activity requirement. Today, after the Solicitor General’s reference, the Court of Appeal increased her sentence to 4 years immediate custody.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

“False rape allegations have a serious impact not only on the lives of the accused, but can also have an indirect but profoundly damaging effect on genuine victims of rape. It is important that Costin’s sentence reflects the gravity of her crimes.”

The Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill will increase efficiency by allowing greater flexibility to deploy the right judge to the right case.

Appropriately qualified and experienced court and tribunal staff – authorised by the judiciary, and working under judicial supervision – will also be able to deal with routine matters, freeing up judges’ time to focus their expertise on matters that need it most.

This new legislation will allow the judiciary to respond to the changing demands of a reformed courts and tribunals system and deliver better services to users. It underpins the government’s agenda to modernise the courts and tribunals, make them fit for the 21st Century while delivering better value for taxpayers.

Justice minister Lucy Frazer said:

This Bill supports our fundamental transformation of the justice system, making courts easier to use, more efficient and fit for the digital age.

By enabling judges to hear cases in different courts and tribunals and giving court staff powers to deal with routine issues, we will make our courts more efficient and effective, while making better use of taxpayer’s money.

Our judiciary are highly valued and we want to make sure judges’ time and expertise is being used where and when it is most needed.

Once enacted, the judiciary will be flexibly deployed across jurisdictions, allowing judges to gain experience of different types of cases, helping with their career progression.

We expect authorised staff could carry out some of the more straightforward judicial functions, which includes tasks like issuing a summons; taking a plea; extending time for service of applications; or considering applications for variations of directions made in private or public law cases.

This is the first step in legislation that will shift justice from slow, paper-based systems to streamlined, efficient digital services.

The Government has invested £1 billion in reforming and modernising courts, which has already delivered:

• A new in-court system which records the results of cases digitally and instantly.
• A fully paperless system in conjunction with Transport for London – which means thousands of cases involving fare evasion are dealt with more swiftly and effectively.
• A digital programme which will allow defendants, victims, witnesses and professional users to share legal documents and cases online.

In the civil courts people can now:

• Make a small money claim online – with over 3,000 claims issued in the first month, cases moving through more quickly, and user satisfaction over 80% during the pre-launch pilot.
• Apply for a divorce online – which has cut errors in application forms from 40% to less than 1%, saving people time and trouble during a traumatic time.
• Apply for probate online – which has also cut errors, speeds up the process, and has a satisfaction rate of more than 90%.