Day: July 13, 2018

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP said:

The disorder in Derry/Londonderry last night, including targeted attacks on police vehicles and others, was completely unacceptable. These sustained attacks have been widely condemned and must end.

My full support goes to the PSNI and others who are working so hard to end this intolerable violence by a small minority.

Today (12 July 2018), The Planning Inspectorate published its Annual Report for 2017/18. The report shows that all targets were met in Wales and a continuing improvement in performance in England but acknowledges there is more to be done to meet customer expectations of the time taken to process some appeals.

Key points from the report include:

• The need to change and adapt to meet customers, stakeholders and staff expectations
• Investing to provide excellent customer service and tackle timeliness in dealing with hearings and inquiries in England
• Improved financial performance
• Casework performance in Wales exceeded targets
• Casework performance in England is improving but fell short of expectations partly due to an unexpected 13% increase in caseload
• All Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) applications determined within statutory timetables
• An increase in Local Plan examinations

Sarah Richards, Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate said: ” We are continuing to change and adapt to improve the time it takes to determine appeals and meet our customers’ expectations. Changing our processes and IT systems takes time and we must do this without jeopardising our delivery of quality decisions in an open, fair, and impartial manner.”

Sarah added: “A key foundation of our Transformation programme is ensuring our customers receive the service they deserve and to ensure our processes support the Government’s objective to build the homes and infrastructure the country needs.”

Ends

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning
Inspectorate Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email:
pressoffice@pins.gsi.gov.uk

The Temporary Enrolment Location (TEL) will operate on 7th and 8th August 2018 from 09.00 am to 05.30 pm from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives (1st Floor Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Male’).

Applicants wishing to use the temporary VAC will follow the normal application process by submitting their forms, paying for their visas and booking their appointments online via https://www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa.

UKVI have agreed to waive routine interviews for customers applying for a Tier 4 student visa via the TEL – making the process more convenient to those who use the TEL.

This is an optional service and those in Maldives are free to travel to the nearest visa application centres in Sri Lanka or India.

Maldivians will also have access to a streamlined application process, announced by the UK Home Office in early July. Maldives was added by UKVI to a list of countries known as Appendix H. This means Maldivians – along with other applicants from Appendix H countries – who are applying for Tier 4 visas will not be required to provide evidence of finances, qualifications or evidence of their English language ability with their application, although they must still meet these requirements – and UKVI reserves the right to request the documents in certain cases.

The UK welcomes students from Maldives, and recognises the contribution they make to the UK, both intellectually and culturally. The streamlined visa processes hopes to provide greater access to Maldivian students as they access the UK’s internationally recognised higher education system.

For specific queries on the visa application process contact the International Enquiry Service – www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-outside-uk