Day: July 19, 2018

Around 6,000 jobs are already supported by the project. Many of those are within the 2,000 businesses that have delivered work supporting the project, ranging from conducting the largest ground investigation programme in British history to the planting of over 7 million trees and shrubs.

HS2 Ltd Chairman, Sir David Higgins, is expected to say:

Britain invented the modern railway and it is right that, because of HS2, we have the opportunity once again to lead the world in this important sector.

As we move towards construction, we are already seeing thousands of people around the country working to bring Britain’s new railway to reality. We’re in the middle of the largest programme of early works that the UK has ever seen, leading to major construction next year; supporting jobs and businesses around the UK and building the skills base we need to export around the world.

On top of this, people only need to look to Birmingham and its booming economy to see the benefits that HS2 will bring right around the country happening already in the Midlands. Further proof that HS2 is more than just a railway.

Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, said:

HS2 will not only be the backbone of our national network, but a truly ambitious project that will drive huge economic growth right across the country.

It will create significant benefits for all, delivering improved connections between our major cities, introducing more seats and services for passengers, and creating thousands of new jobs and opportunities for people and businesses across the UK.

Sir David Higgins has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the success of this vital project. As this report shows, before he steps down from the role of chairman, HS2 is already delivering on its incredible potential, with jobs and business opportunities already being created well before the first services are expected in 2026.

The HS2 programme will span over 15 years and then continue to provide direct economic benefits through operation and maintenance contracts once in operation. In addition to this, cities and regions across the UK are already seeing the benefit HS2 will bring, attracting new investment outside of London and the South East, beginning to rebalance the UK economy.

The report, HS2: Realising the potential, launched at an event in Leeds to an audience of over 100 business and civic leaders from across the country, also points to the transformation in rail travel that the new high speed trains will have on travel in the UK. HS2 trains will call at over 25 stations from London to Scotland, serving around 30 million people in regions representing over half of the UK economy.

Core Cities UK Vice Chair and Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Nick Forbes, said:

Core Cities UK Leaders and Mayors believe HS2 is of enormous economic benefit to all our cities, even those not directly on the route. It will pay for itself many times over. And there is no reason why HS2 should be the end of the story, we believe it can be a first step towards high speed rail for the whole of the UK.

Ensuring that passengers can move around the country easily can help companies build a critical mass of skills, talent and expertise which is necessary to increase regional productivity. But passengers also need to have confidence in rail travel, knowing that their journey will be stress free and comfortable.

Passengers on the new high speed network will experience fast, reliable services, rivalling those of other high speed networks across the globe. Trains, stations and ticketing are being designed to revolutionise the user experience, ensuring that future generations of travellers will be catered for on HS2, with any delays to service on high speed lines no longer than an average of 30 seconds.

Sir David Higgins continued:

HS2 services will be unrecognisable to today’s commuters. A service that is dependable, if you’re travelling for work, attending a meeting, or seeing family and friends, the standard set by HS2 will be world class, with the stress of tickets, delays and other frustrations designed out of the system. HS2 will be judged, in the end, if it can be considered a railway for everyone.

Consumers are one step closer to cheaper energy bills as legislation to cap poor value energy tariffs completed its passage through Parliament yesterday (18 July 2018). Alongside this, the government has today announced its flagship energy efficiency scheme will help support more low income and vulnerable consumers.

The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill will put in place a requirement on the energy regulator, Ofgem, to cap standard variable and default energy tariffs. The cap will tackle the amount consumers have been overpaying the Big Six energy suppliers, which the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found to be an average of £1.4 billion a year. Some consumers could save up to £350 a year on gas and electricity bills by switching suppliers.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

For far too long older people, hard-working families and those on low incomes have been subject to rip-off energy tariffs. Our energy price cap will protect households from unfair price rises in time for this winter when people can feel the pinch more acutely. We know that the cost of living is still a challenge for some families and today marks an important step in helping people to keep more money in their pockets.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

This Bill, which delivers on our manifesto promise, is a necessary intervention to protect millions of energy customers who have been stuck on poor value deals and hit by unjustified price rises for far too long. Switching will always save people money, but that doesn’t mean that customers should be punished for their loyalty.

The government also announced today that its flagship £6 billion home energy efficiency scheme will be entirely focused on upgrading over 1 million low income and vulnerable households for the next 3 and a half years. The Energy Company Obligation scheme, which requires energy companies to supply heating and energy efficiency measures, will be entirely focused on households in or at risk of fuel poverty while being expanded so that more companies will be included.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said:

This government is committed to building an energy market that works for all, while delivering clean, affordable energy. This cap coupled with our £6 billion energy efficiency scheme will help build a market that puts consumers at its heart and ensures that those most at risk of fuel poverty are protected. Energy suppliers now need to get on board, ditch their old practices and improve their efforts to deliver value, choice and excellent customer service.

Today’s announcements are part of a package of measures designed to deliver the government’s objective of clean, affordable and innovative energy, while tackling fuel poverty, as part of our modern Industrial Strategy. This includes the rollout of smart meters and initiatives to promote smarter and faster switching which can also help save households money.

Notes to editors

1. The cap will be in place from the end of 2018 until 2020 when Ofgem will recommend if the cap should remain on an annual basis up to 2023. Ofgem will review the level of the cap at least every 6 months while it is in place.
2. The latest league table from Ofgem comparing the default or standard variable tariffs of the 10 largest energy suppliers shows that these tariffs are still around £350 more expensive than the cheapest deals on the market.
3. The Warm Home Warm Home Discount provides 2 million low income households with £140 off their winter energy bills, a scheme BEIS recently announced that it will be extending to smaller energy suppliers who will have to offer this discount to their low-income and vulnerable customers. This move to bring greater fairness to energy prices will mean that 97% of the consumer energy market will be covered.
4. The safeguard tariff cap has also been extended to a further 1 million customers – so over 5 million customers are protected.
5. The Energy Company Obligation scheme places an obligation on larger energy suppliers (currently 15) to deliver heating and energy efficiency measures.

The Committee welcomes the steps announced by the Leader of the House to put in place independent processes for dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment. We are particularly pleased that the lay members of the House of Commons Standards Committee will have a greater voice in individual cases involving an MP. The 6-month review will be a welcome opportunity to see how this works in practice, and to review the findings of the independent inquiries.

Notes to Editors

1. Interview requests and media enquiries should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.

2. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in the UK. It monitors and reports on issues relating to the standards of conduct of all public office holders. To find out more about the Committee’s work click here.

3. The current members of the Committee are: Lord (Paul) Bew, Chairman, Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP (Labour), Simon Hart MP (Conservative), Dr Jane Martin CBE, Dame Shirley Pearce DBE, Jane Ramsey, Monisha Shah and Rt Hon Lord (Andrew) Stunell OBE (Liberal Democrat).

4. You can follow the Committee on twitter @PublicStandards.

• Call for evidence on legal aid provision for inquests
• Bereaved families and lawyers urged to share experiences
• Ongoing review to determine need for legal representation

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer today announced the launch of a call for evidence to consider the need for legal representation during inquests.

This is part of an ongoing review, which aims to establish whether changes need to be made to the current availability of legal aid to ensure bereaved families can fully understand and take part in inquests.

It will also consider how the system could be made more sympathetic to the needs of the bereaved, and the Government is keen to hear from all who have been affected by the inquest process.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said:

The inquest process can be extremely difficult and the Government is committed to ensuring that bereaved families can access the support they need.

That is why we are opening a call for evidence, to help determine whether changes need to be made to the availability of legal aid for these cases.

We would encourage anyone who has been affected by the inquest process to share their experiences.

Today’s call for evidence forms part of the evidence gathering stage of the review and builds on the department’s recent work to make legal aid easier to obtain for death in custody cases.

The call for evidence will close on 31st August and the Government is seeking views from anyone who is involved or has been affected by the inquest process, including bereaved families and those who provide support to them at inquests, legal representatives and coroners.

This review will sit alongside the Post Implementation Review of the reforms made under LASPO and will report back later this year.

Notes to editors

• The link to the call for evidence is available here: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/review-of-legal-aid-for-inquests
• The Government is looking to hear from anyone who has been affected by the inquest process.
• This could include bereaved families, representatives of bereaved families, solicitors, barristers, volunteers or coroners amongst others.
• More information about changes to the Lord Chancellor’s Exceptional Case Funding guidance for death in custody cases is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-the-lord-chancellors-exceptional-funding-guidance-for-inquests

A woman who attempted to smuggle drugs into a Kent prison has had her sentence increased after it was referred to the Court of Appeal for being too low.

Ayesha Hibbert, 28, was visiting Swaledale prison when she was spotted handing a package to an inmate. The package was later found to contain cannabis with a value of up to £2,400 if sold in prison. At the time this offence was carried out, Hibbert was already on licence for another drug-related offence.

Hibbert was originally sentenced at Southampton Crown Court in May, where she was given a 24 month community order. The Court of Appeal increased her sentence to 9 months’ imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC MP said:

By introducing drugs into the prison system, Hibbert risked not only financing criminal organisations, but jeopardising inmate rehabilitation. This is a very serious offence, and I welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal that the interests of justice required an increase in the sentence.