Day: July 17, 2018

The UK Space Agency has today announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that Wales will play host to the 2019 UK Space Conference, with the new International Convention Centre (ICC) near Newport confirmed as the event venue. Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency announced that the conference will take place on 9 to 11 July 2019.

The UK Space Conference is considered the most influential event for the space community, bringing together government, industry and academia, to build links, share opportunities and address mutual concerns at a crucial time of unprecedented change and growth for the sector.

The position of Programme Committee Chair is now open for nominations; this committee is responsible for defining the theme, shaping the content and selecting the speakers. Nominations for members of the committee are also welcome. We are looking to ensure wide engagement in the conference and so encourage people from across the community to put themselves forward.

The 2019 conference is set to be the biggest and most significant event to date with over 1,200 delegates anticipated. The ICC Wales, an £84 million investment development, is due to open shortly before the 2019 event. This biennial conference has been held previously in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester, with the first held in 2011 in Warwick.

CEO of the UK Space Agency, Dr Graham Turnock said:

We are working with the space sector to build on our significant capability and maximise the benefits of space to life on Earth, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

The UK Space Conference is a fantastic event for sparking the kind of collaborations and partnerships that will help our sector grow. I am delighted that Wales will be hosting the 2019 conference and I’m sure it will build on the huge success of the 2017 conference in Manchester.

Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and founder of the Surrey Space Centre said:

The UK Space Conference provides a vital forum for the UK space sector, academia and policy makers to network, debate, form new collaborations, and do business. It’s a key event for SSTL, and a fixture in my calendar.

This 2017 programme included 5 plenary and 28 parallel sessions which were carefully designed to inspire, enable and connect the space community. 180 speakers delivered a total of 43 hours’ worth of content and discussion to 1,200 delegates. Speakers included British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake, one of the most inspirational figures in the UK space sector, who spoke in the closing plenary entitled ‘Inspiring the future through exploration’.

Other influential speakers included; Professor Jan Wörner, Director General of the European Space Agency, and Andy Green, President of UKspace and chair of the Space Sector Council.

Fun Kids radio, with the support of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) created a radio series aimed at under 12s. It tells the story of pop pup Nancy and her backing band the Meerkats. Trying to make it big in the music they have to overcome a surprisingly diverse range of IP related issues.

Mark Skeggs from the IPO said:

We were very pleased to have the opportunity to support this competition that encouraged children to respect IP in a fun, creative and engaging manner. A number of very good entries were received from throughout the UK and we would like to congratulate Katie Howells from Usk Primary School as a worthy winner.

To support the new Nancy and the Meerkats series of radio shows, cartoons and videos the national competition was run to create a new tour poster for Nancy. In the new series Nancy is helping struggling artist Ed Shearling to succeed in the music industry by helping him understand about IP. For the competition schools were encouraged to use some of the messages in the new series to help produce a suitable tour poster.

Gregory Watson, MD of Fun Kids radio said:

Nancy and the Meerkats is a great resource that Fun Kids created to help the IPO engage children. The audio podcasts and animated videos, which remain available through Funkids, have engaged tens of thousands of children since Nancy hit the music scene in 2015.

Fun and engaging audio and animated videos remain a great way to engage children and their parents, helping them discover new things through content they can access where and when they want to, and through devices they are comfortable to use.

The prize is a bespoke music experience for Katie and her class mates, arranged by the UK Music; an umbrella organisation which represents the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry.
Oliver Morris, from UK Music said:

The IPO do really important work with a range of ages on the importance of IP for creators. If you’re an aspiring songwriter or have dreams of getting into music business then learning about this in school through the IPO’s fun and interactive online resources is a great first step. The app Music Inc.- developed in partnership with the IPO, UK Music and Aardman – is an example of an innovative and educational way for young people to understand this important issue. We’re really pleased to have supported the Nancy and the Meerkats competition and are happy to be able to bring producer Llion Robertson, artist HANA2K and UK Music member the Music Publishers Association to Usk.

Notes to editors

1. Crackingideas is the single hub for IP Education materials from the UK Intellectual Property Office.
2. Fun Kids is a national children’s digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, YouTube and podcast channels.
3. ukmusic.org is the umbrella organisation which represents the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry.

The channel is being built in the river where it passes under the A59 at Skipbridge, Green Hammerton, between York and Harrogate.

Once the channel has been built an ultrasonic sensor will be attached under the bridge so accurate flow readings can be achieved.

This is important for predicting floods in York because the River Nidd is the last major watercourse flowing into the Ouse.

Project manager Oliver Wilson said:

This is one of the Environment Agency’s critical assets for our flood warning service and for managing water resource available for abstraction.

Having an early warning that the Ouse could overtop in York means we can act early to prevent flooding by closing flood gates in the city.

So that the concrete lined channel can be built a cofferdam has been put in place.

One half of the river is dammed off to create a dry working area to enable construction on that side, before the other side is dammed and the new channel structure can be completed.

There was an existing concrete channel built a number of years ago but due to the design and flow dynamics it created in the river the bed got silted up, causing incorrect flow readings and it not working as an effective gauge station.

The new channel is designed to make sure sediment passes through it and flow readings are accurate.

Mr Wilson added:

Lower river levels have enabled us to make really good progress and we expect the gauge station to be fully functioning this winter.

North Yorkshire County Council’s Highways Department has carried out work on the bridge and road earlier this year and Northern Powergrid also recently installed an electricity line across the bridge.

To view river levels click here

On the fourth anniversary of the shooting down of MH17, the Foreign Secretary remembers those who died in the attack and calls for the Russian Federation to account for its role in this crime.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

Today is the 4th anniversary of the day 298 people, including 10 British nationals, tragically lost their lives when Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down as it flew a commercial route between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who died. Your loved ones, who were killed in such horrific and shocking circumstances, deserve justice.

Thanks to the painstaking work of the Joint Investigation Team over the past 4 years, we now know that MH17 was shot down by a Russian Buk-type missile, belonging to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Military Brigade of the Russian army which was launched from an area held by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. This is another example of the Russian Federation’s disregard for human life and the rules based international system and Russia must answer for its actions.

The UK fully supports Australia and the Netherlands in their call on the Russian Federation to accept state responsibility, and to cooperate with them in their efforts to deliver justice for the victims of this tragedy. The UK will continue to fully support the work of the Joint Investigation Team and the UK calls on the Russian Federation to cooperate fully with investigation and to provide any assistance it requests in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2166. It is vital this investigation leads to a prosecution and that those responsible are held accountable for this appalling crime.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @Jeremy_Hunt and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into Darul Uloom School London over concerns about potential misconduct and mismanagement at the charity. The inquiry was opened on 15 June 2018.

The charity’s object is for the advancement of education and religion in accordance with the tenets and doctrines of Islam. The charity provides Islamic and national curriculum education to children and young people.

The Commission received a serious incident report from the charity after police arrested one of the charity’s trustees, and seized weapons and cash held at the charity’s premises. The individual was also a teacher and designated safeguarding lead at the school. The Commission therefore, immediately after opening the inquiry, exercised its powers under section 76(3)(a), suspending the individual as trustee, officer and agent of the charity. A second individual, also a trustee and headteacher at the school, was also arrested.

On 13 June the Secretary of State submitted a complaint to Westminster Magistrates Court under section 120(1)(b) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 for an order that the school be removed from the register of independent schools – the consequence of which is that it would no longer be able to operate. A hearing took place on 15 June and was adjourned until 22 June where a settlement between the Department for Education and the charity was reached.

The scope of the inquiry will include:

• the management and oversight of the charity by the trustees – including the financial management of the charity and whether conflicts of interest are being properly identified and managed by the trustees
• the conduct of the arrested individuals

The Commission continues to work with the Metropolitan Police, the DfE and Bromley Council in whose authority the independent school, operated by the charity, resides. It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were.

Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work see the about us page on GOV.UK.
2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.

The Queen has been pleased to appoint Mrs Tia C Jones as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Powys to succeed Dame Shan Legge-Bourke DVCO when she retires on 10 September 2018.

Potential jurors can now confirm their availability, request a different date, or authorise someone else to respond for them online, meaning they no longer have to fill out and post cumbersome paper forms.

The new “Juror Digital” system marks another step forward in the modernisation of our courts system. And we already know it works – results of a pilot scheme showed almost a fifth (19%) of the 12,000 jurors who tested the system responded within seven days, compared to a mere one per cent when using the old paper form.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said:

It makes complete sense to move more of our court processes online to fit around our busy modern lives.

This impressive new system is a great example of how we are making it quicker and easier for people to exercise their democratic duty.

We’ve already made it possible for people to apply for a divorce, appeal a tax bill and make a small money claim online and this is the next common sense step to continue modernising our justice system.

As well as making the process easier for jurors, forms accepting a summons will be automatically uploaded to online court systems to save staff valuable time.

For those who struggle with technology the paper form is still available, and there is telephone support for anyone who needs help using the new system.

The Juror Digital scheme is the latest step in the government’s £1bn reform programme is designed to modernise the courts system and ensure it is fit for the 21st century.

Other examples of the government’s court reforms which are making access to justice easier for everyone include:

• The roll out across England and Wales of a service which allows people to apply for a divorce online.
• A new paperless system, in operation at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court, which means thousands of offenders caught dodging fares or using fraudulent tickets can now be punished more swiftly and effectively.
• The launch of a new digital service which allows people to submit appeals over their tax bill entirely online.