Day: June 27, 2018

• government acts to improve services for grieving families
• coroner services and information will be easier to access for all
• changes will make sure those grieving are at heart of the system

Senior Coroner Claire Bailey has already overseen significant improvements in Teesside, drastically reducing waiting times for families finding out the cause of death of a loved one. The average time taken to complete an inquest at Teesside has been cut from circa 50 weeks in 2013 to circa 11 weeks in 2017. The national average time to complete an inquest is 21 weeks.

The merger of Teesside and Hartlepool coroner services will build on this work, ensuring local families benefit from a more efficient inquest process and greater accessibility to services right across the region. Claire Bailey, who has also been the acting Senior Coroner for Hartlepool, will be permanently appointed the position for the combined area. No courts or inquest venues will close as a result of the merger.

Justice Minister Edward Argar said:

We are reforming the coroner system to ensure those who are grieving do not face the additional stress of poor service and lengthy inquest delays.

As a result of this merger, bereaved families across Teesside and Hartlepool will now benefit from a higher standard of service during their time of need.

I look forward to seeing Claire drive through these improvements, while ensuring the needs of grieving people are at the heart of the system.

The government is committed to raising the standards of coroner services across England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice has carried out a number of reforms to improve coroner services, including the creation of a new national code of practice, and the appointment of the first ever Chief Coroner of England and Wales to oversee the system.

Teesside has already taken steps to improve performance, including by introducing a new website to improve access to services. However, this amalgamation will ensure best practice is shared across the region.

Notes to editors

• The merger of the Teesside and Hartlepool coroner areas was first consulted on in 2015, following the retirement in April 2013 of the then Senior Coroner for Teesside, Michael Sheffield. Following the consultation, the MOJ, in agreement with the Chief Coroner, decided not to proceed until the selection of a Senior Coroner for the area had been agreed.
• All relevant local authorities agree with the proposal to appoint Clare Bailey as Senior Coroner for the combined area.
• A wide range of stakeholders have been consulted on this merger, including local MPs and councillors, coronial office holders including coroners in neighbouring coroner areas, coroner’s officers and administrative staff, police, hospital trusts, prisons, funeral directors and faith communities as well as the Chief Coroner.
• Hartlepool had the lowest number of deaths in England and Wales in 2017 (246 deaths, and 12 inquests opened). Average time taken to complete an inquest at Hartlepool was 15 weeks in 2017.
• The newly merged coroner area of Teesside and Hartlepool is due to come into force on 1 August.
• MOJ has carried out considerable reforms to improve coroner services across England and Wales and increase consistency of practice between coroner areas. These include:
  • creation of a new national code of practice – setting out what service and standards bereaved people can expect from coroners
  • creation of a Chief Coroner of England and Wales to oversee the coroner system
  • requiring inquests to be completed within 6 months of the date on which the coroner is made aware of the death, unless there are good reasons not to
  • requiring coroners to notify those who are bereaved within a week of setting the date for the inquest
  • requiring coroners to notify those who are bereaved of the date of the inquest within a week of setting the date
  • providing greater access to documents and evidence, such as post-mortem reports, before the inquest takes place, to enable bereaved families to prepare for the hearing
  • permitting less invasive post-mortem examinations
  • speeding up the release of bodies after post-mortem examination, and requiring coroners to notify the deceased’s next of kin or personal representative if the body cannot be released within 28 days.
• For more information contact the MOJ press office on 0203 334 2892.

As part of its ongoing investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has identified widespread concerns, including:

• Search results: how hotels are ranked, for example to what extent search results are influenced by factors that may not be relevant to the customer’s requirements, such as the amount of commission a hotel pays the site.
• Pressure selling: whether claims about how many people are looking at the same room, how many rooms may be left, or how long a price is available, create a false impression of room availability or rush customers into making a booking decision.
• Discount claims: whether the discount claims made on sites offer a fair comparison for customers. For example, the claim could be based on a higher price that was only available for a brief period or not relevant to the customer’s search criteria, such as comparing a higher weekend room rate with the weekday rate for which the customer has searched.
• Hidden charges: the extent to which sites include all costs in the price they first show customers or whether people are later faced with unexpected fees, such as taxes or booking fees.

The CMA will be requiring the sites to take action to address its concerns, where they are believed to be breaking consumer protection law. It can either secure legally binding commitments from those involved to change their business practices or, if necessary, take them to court.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

“Booking sites can make it so much easier to choose your holiday, but only if people are able to trust them. Holidaymakers must feel sure they’re getting the deal they expected, whether that’s securing the discount promised or receiving reliable information about availability of rooms. It’s also important that no one feels pressured by misleading statements into making a booking.

“That’s why we’re now demanding that sites think again about how they’re presenting information to their customers and make sure they’re complying with the law. Our next step is to take any necessary action – including through the courts if needed – to ensure people get a fair deal.”

In addition to its enforcement activity, the CMA has sent warning letters to a range of sites, demanding they review their terms and practices to make sure they are fair and comply with consumer protection law.

It is also referring a number of concerns around online hotel booking sites’ price guarantees and other price promises to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The CMA has asked the ASA to consider whether statements like ‘best price guarantee’ or ‘lowest price’ mislead customers and what conditions must be met for companies to make such claims.

The CMA continues to assess the evidence it has gathered on the practices of other online hotel booking sites and could launch further enforcement cases in due course.

Anyone wishing to provide further evidence on the issues being considered can do so on the online hotel booking case page.

Notes for editors

1. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
2. The CMA launched its investigation into hotel booking sites on 27 October 2017.
3. The key pieces of consumer protection legislation relevant to the CMA’s investigation are the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) and Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA). The CPRs contain a general prohibition against unfair commercial practices and specific prohibitions against misleading actions, misleading omissions and aggressive commercial practices. Part 2 of the CRA aims to protect consumers against unfair contract terms and notices, and requires contract terms to be fair and transparent.
4. The CMA has not reached a final view on whether the terms and practices it is concerned about breach consumer protection law, and will listen to operators’ responses to its concerns. If necessary the CMA will take action through the courts to enforce that law under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002. Ultimately, only a court can rule that a particular term or practice infringes the law.
5. Media enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gov.uk or 020 3738 6191.

• Independent panel calls for evidence on issues affecting press around the country
• Total press industry revenues declined by more than half over the last ten years
• The number of full-time journalists has fallen by over 25% since 2007
• A quarter of all regional and local newspapers have closed in the past decade

An independent review into the sustainability of high-quality UK journalism has issued a call for evidence as new research highlights the continuing decline of the press market.

The research shows significant changes to technology and consumer behaviour are posing problems for high-quality journalism – both in the UK and globally.

Circulation and print advertising revenues have dropped by more than half over the last decade, from nearly £7 billion to just over £3 billion. Over the same time, the number of frontline print journalists has dropped by over 25% – from around 23,000 in 2007 to 17,000 in 2017.

These findings are highlighted in a report commissioned for the review, which was established by the Prime Minister earlier this year and is chaired by Dame Frances Cairncross.

Dame Frances Cairncross, Chair of the Review, said:

This review is not about preserving the status quo. We need to explore ways in which we can ensure that consumers in 10 years time have access to high-quality journalism which meets their needs, is delivered in the way they want, and supports democratic engagement.

This call for evidence enables all those with an interest to contribute their knowledge and views so we can build the evidence and make impactful recommendations to move forward.

Matt Hancock, DCMS Secretary of State, said:

Our fearless and independent press plays a vital role in informing citizens and is one of the foundations on which our democracy is built.

At a time of dramatic technological changes and with our institutions under threat from disinformation, we need this clear-eyed view of how high-quality journalism can continue to be effectively produced, distributed and consumed.

Local and regional newspapers have been particularly affected by revenue challenges due to the movement of local and classified advertising online. The research indicates that over 300 local and regional titles have closed since 2007 – raising the prospect of communities being left without local news provision.

The Cairncross review is investigating the overall state of the news media market, particularly the press industry, including threats to financial sustainability, the role and impact of digital search engines and social media platforms, the operation of the digital advertising supply chain, and how content and data flows are operated and managed.

The review panel, made up of experts from the fields of journalism, academia, advertising and technology, is seeking a greater understanding of the apparent decline by gathering evidence and views from both consumers and across the UK’s diverse news media industry.

It is inviting any interested organisation or individual to submit written evidence to inform its final report, which is due to be published in early 2019.

The call for evidence will close on Friday 7 September 2018.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• In January 2018, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned a piece of academic research to look specifically at the changing state of the press market, to examine new business models being deployed by news publishers, and to provide essential market insights and capture trends in media provision, distribution, and consumption. Following an open competition, Mediatique were awarded the contract for the research.
• In addition to providing an all-in-one review of available public data – on newspaper readership, online engagement, revenues and profitability – Mediatique makes three original contributions to an understanding of the sector:
  • A robust estimate of the trends in circulation revenues, which are not tracked by any data provider; Mediatique estimates that, despite sharp rises in cover prices in recent years, offsetting some of the impact of declines in circulation, this revenue segment has reduced to £1.7bn in 2017, compared to £2.2bn in 2007
  • An updated estimate of the number of ‘front line journalists’ working as print journalists in the UK, which Mediatique puts at 17,000 today, compared to 23,000 10 years ago
  • A calculation of the contributions to editorial journalism of key providers in broadcasting, online and newspapers: despite severe revenue challenges, and lower profitability, the newspaper industry contributes 50% of total editorial journalism in the UK – more than online and broadcast news combined; in 2017, this amounted to an investment of £925m
• Other findings from the Mediatique report include:
  • As of February 2018, there were 1,043 local and regional titles, as well as ten daily and nine Sunday UK-wide national newspapers.
  • Altogether, a total of 73.5m newspapers circulate in an average week – 31.4m are local or regional and the remaining 42.1m are national.
  • Total press advertising expenditure (excluding digital) has declined across the national and regional/local press by 70% in the last ten years – from £4.6bn in 2007 to an estimated £1.4bn in 2017.
  • The average daily circulation of national newspapers (weekday) fell from 11.2m in 2007 to 6.1m in 2017.
    Younger people in particular are much less likely to get their news from printed newspapers; the proportion of people aged 16-24 who read printed newspapers is lower than the rest of the population (14%). At the same time, people in the same age group are more likely to get their news from the internet – 63% compared with 48% among the overall population.
• The Reuters Institute Digital News Report (June 2018) is the latest research into the state of the digital news landscape:
  • The use of Facebook as a source of news was down on last year as people prefer to discuss news through more private social media. Although accessing news through a ‘side door’ (i.e. not direct from news site) is still at 65%.
  • More people reported being prepared to pay for news (i.e. subscriptions/donations/membership), with a direct correlation being found between those aware of the value of high quality journalism (and the problems it is facing) and the willingness to subscribe.
  • Greater awareness of the problem of ‘fake news’; most people see this as a problem that publishers should solve, rather than seeing it as requiring Government action.
  • Research shows that eight of the 10 most shared UK websites on social media over the year to July 2017 were news sites, and that almost 50% of all engagements with UK websites on social media featured content sourced from UK news publishers.
    *For the purposes of the review, the press industry is defined as members of press self-regulators (i.e. IPSO/IMPRESS) or news publishers who have their own internal standards code and means of readers making complaints.
• The call for evidence represents just one part of the review’s evidence gathering, and complements a series of regional visits currently underway. Visits to Glasgow and Cardiff have already been conducted, with further trips planned to ensure the review takes into account the diverse makeup of the UK’s press industry.
• During these visits, the Chair and Panel will engage with journalists, publishers, academics, advertisers and many others who have a stake in the provision of high-quality journalism.

• new £200 million Nuclear Sector Deal to secure the UK’s diverse energy mix and drive down the costs of nuclear energy meaning cheaper energy bills for customers
• includes £32 million boost from government and industry to kick-start new advanced manufacturing programme including R&D investment to develop potential world-leading nuclear technologies like advanced modular reactors
• a commitment to increasing gender diversity with a target of 40% women working in the civil nuclear sector by 2030

An ambitious deal with the nuclear sector to ensure that nuclear energy continues to power the UK for years to come through major innovation, cutting-edge technology and ensuring a diverse and highly-skilled workforce, was announced today (28 June 2018) by the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark as part of the modern Industrial Strategy.

The deal, worth over £200 million, follows the government’s recent announcement that it is to enter into negotiations with Hitachi over the Wylfa Newydd project. The deal will spearhead Britain’s move towards cleaner economic growth, while promoting new opportunities in the sector including a focus on innovation to develop the technology and skills needed to maintain the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading nuclear countries.

It includes a strong commitment to increasing the diversity of the workforce so that more women can take advantage of new dedicated nuclear colleges and national schemes. Currently, the UK’s nuclear industry faces a lack of gender diversity, with only 22% of the nuclear workforce being female, and of this, only 15% being female nuclear engineers. This deal will deliver up to 100,000 jobs overall in nuclear by 2021 and significantly more diverse with a target of 40% women working in the nuclear sector by 2030.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

The UK is the home of civil nuclear technology and with this investment in innovation and our commitment to increasing diversity in an already highly-skilled workforce, I want to ensure we remain the world leader.

Nuclear energy not only fuels our power supply, it fuels local jobs, wages, economic prosperity and drives UK innovation. This Sector Deal marks an important moment for the government and industry to work collectively to deliver the modern Industrial Strategy, drive clean growth and ensure civil nuclear remains an important part of the UK’s energy future.

Co-chair of the Nuclear Industry Council Lord Hutton said:

The industry wants nuclear energy to remain competitive against other forms of low-carbon energy – which is why we are committed to working with government to reduce costs across the sector. Today’s funding boost will support this common goal; increasing the UK’s industrial capabilities as well as signalling our global leadership in nuclear to the rest of the world.

Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

It is particularly apt that we are launching the UK government’s nuclear strategy at Trawsfynydd. This site reflects both the past of our nuclear industry and an exciting future as the potential site for the new generation of small reactors, placing Wales at the centre of a UK arc of the nuclear industry.

Trawsfynydd is ready to be transformed with little upgrade needed to the grid infrastructure. It’s in the right place with the right people and good links to leading academic research institutions in the nuclear sector. The kind of small reactor which could be sited in Trawsfynydd is set to usher in an era of cost-effective power with equipment put together off site and transported to locations like this for relatively easy assembly.

I believe the UK government strategy announced today represents a road map which will drive innovation in the nuclear industry, create jobs and provide a significant boost to the local economy here in North Wales.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

British innovation is at the forefront of worldwide advancements in the nuclear sector, and there is clearly a demand for UK goods and services from around the world.

This demand is exactly why we’re putting a strong emphasis on our ambition to secure £2 billion of contracts related to the sector by 2030, both at home and overseas.

As an international economic department, the Department for International Trade will continue to support our innovative businesses who want to access overseas markets with measures such as our award-winning export credit agency, UK Export Finance, our network of global Trade Commissioners and GREAT.gov.uk.

Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington said:

Innovation will be crucial to the success or our nuclear industry. We want the UK to build on its strength in advanced manufacturing techniques to help position the UK at the forefront of the nuclear technologies of the future.

The Sector Deal will also see:

• the unlocking of growth opportunities in the nuclear supply chain through joint government and industry support for smaller companies in the UK to access higher value contracts and new markets
• the strengthening of pioneering research with the potential for global impact with a national fusion technology platform at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Science Centre in Culham in Oxfordshire supported by government funding of £86 million.
• up to £44 million for research and development funding to support the development of advanced modular reactors
• a dynamic new partnership with Welsh Government to develop a £40 million thermal hydraulics facility in North Wales as part of the Nuclear Innovation Programme to support the design and development of advanced nuclear technologies
• a firm commitment from industry to reduce the cost of new nuclear build projects by 30% by 2030, and the cost of decommissioning old nuclear sites by 20% by 2030
• a new review to look at ways to accelerate the clean-up of nuclear ‘legacy’ sites (where there was previous nuclear activity) doing this safely whilst providing value for money to the taxpayer
• a significant reduction in the high costs associated with the sector through investment in new world-class technology, meaning nuclear energy can be produced in a more cost-effective way, and cheaper bills and peace of mind for energy customers
• the emerging findings of the Expert Finance Working Group’s analysis of small modular reactors; the independent group’s analysis suggest that the UK is well placed to develop first of a kind small reactor projects, and that the characteristics of small modular reactors could attract private investment.

Nuclear energy has been powering the UK for over 60 years, with a world-leading record for safety, and today generates around 20% of our electricity, helping us to move away from our reliance on dirty coal.

The UK will also be driving forward cutting-edge small and advanced modular reactors as part of this deal. Smaller reactors using trusted light-water technology coupled with advanced modular manufacturing offer the potential for lower-cost nuclear power stations complementing the industry’s existing plans for larger scale new nuclear power stations.

Notes to editors

1. We have some really interesting bespoke case studies who are very willing to talk to media about their experiences working in the nuclear sector – including families working together in the industry, businesses involved in the local supply chains, and young EDF engineers. If you would like to arrange an interview please contact Marjorie Barnes, External Communications Manager, EDF on 07515 295488, or EDF Energy press office 01452 652233.
2. This is the fifth Sector Deal to be launched following the publication of the UK’s landmark Industrial Strategy last November. The deal will play an important role in building a Britain fit for the future through a stronger economy, supporting all parts of the UK. Through this we will help businesses to create better, higher-paying jobs – setting a path for Britain to lead in the high-tech, highly-skilled industries of the future.
3. As a result of the deal, the nuclear industry will cut costs of new nuclear power stations by 30% by 2030, while cutting the cost of decommissioning old nuclear sites by up to a fifth – all essential to future-proofing this crucial part of the energy sector.
4. The most recent UK energy figures show that nuclear provides more than 20% of our low-carbon, reliable, baseload electricity.
5. According to recent research for the Nuclear Industry Association by Oxford Economics the nuclear industry contributes £12.4 billion to the UK economy and provides long-term employment for 87,000 people across the civil and defence sectors.
6. The Nuclear Sector Deal builds on the historical partnership between the government and industry that has helped the UK become one of the leading nuclear countries in the world. The future success of the industry is central to achieving the Clean Growth Grand Challenge set out in the Industrial Strategy; to maximise the advantages for UK industries of the global shift to cleaner forms of economic growth. The UK nuclear sector, with its historical strength and skilled workforce across the country, is extremely well-placed to capture this opportunity.
7. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are part of the advanced nuclear technology sector which covers a range of new innovations under development. SMRs are smaller than conventional nuclear power station reactors and are designed so that much of the plant can be built in a factory and transported to site for construction. They usually fall into 2 categories – either water-cooled reactors similar to existing nuclear power station reactors but on a smaller scale, or advanced modular reactors which use new cooling systems or fuels and potentially offer a reduction in costs. The UK government is providing more than £40 million in funding to encourage companies to provide detailed plans for reactors.
8. Find out more about the UK government’s support for advanced nuclear technology.
9. Read Greg Clark’s statement on Hitachi.
10. The breakdown of the £200 million funding is as follows:

Up to £56 million for R&D for advanced modular reactors

• up to £4 million in Phase 1 will support around 8 reactor vendors to carry out detailed technical and commercial feasibility studies; up to £40 million of further funding could then support 3 to 4 vendors to accelerate the development of their designs in Phase 2, subject to a value for money re-approval process with the Treasury
• up to a further £5 million may also be made available to regulators to support this
• up to £7 million of funding to regulators to build the capability and capacity needed to assess and license small and novel reactor designs, as announced in the Clean Growth Strategy

£86 million for a National Fusion Technology Platform at Culham in Oxfordshire

£32 million for an advanced manufacturing and construction programme

• up to £20 million (subject to a rigorous business case) from government
• initial commitment of £12 million from industry

£30 million for a new national supply chain programme

• up to £10 million from government (subject to business case)
• £20 million from industry (£10 million from reactor vendors, UK supply chain companies and overseas markets; and £10 million as contributions-in-kind)