Month: August 2018

Foreign Office Minister of State for Africa Harriett Baldwin said:

I congratulate President Keïta of the Republic of Mali on his election success and look forward to continuing to work with his government on issues that matter to both our countries. These elections were conducted despite challenging security conditions and terrorist attempts to disrupt the process.

We urge all candidates and political stakeholders to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and settle disputes through legal and constitutional means.

The UK continues to support Mali and its people in overcoming the challenges the country faces. We urge President Keïta to build on recent positive steps in the peace process in order to secure lasting peace and stability in the country and to improve the lives of all Malian people, including those facing increasing insecurity in the central region.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Harriett Baldwin on Twitter @hbaldwin
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

The four charity regulators in the UK and Republic of Ireland have decided to hold a governance review of the constitution and composition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) committee and the SORP making process.

The governance review will be undertaken by an Oversight Panel comprising an observer representative nominated by the FRC and a representative from each of the four charity regulators. The panel will be assisted by the staff of the CCEW and OSCR.

The work of the panel will be overseen by Professor Gareth Morgan, an independent Chair retained by the SORP-making body.

The purpose of the governance review is:

• to gain assurance that the SORP-making process commands confidence and addresses the transparency and public confidence challenges facing charities; and
• to assure the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) that any revised arrangements adhere to the FRC Policy on developing SORPs.

The Charities SORP is the set of rules which governs charity accounting for charitable companies and larger charities and was initially developed by the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) and the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) were added as joint members of the SORP-making body in June 2018. The Financial Reporting Council have also approved the inclusion of the Charities Regulator in the SORP-making body but this is subject to the SORP being formally adopted for use in the Republic of Ireland and made mandatory for Irish charities.

The charity regulators have identified that as a minimum the governance review shall consider the following matters:

• the composition of the advisory SORP Committee
• identification of, and engagement with, key stakeholders in the SORP development process
• the extent to which the views of key stakeholders have been recognised in the process
• potential of changes to membership of the SORP Committee should the FRC agree the remit of the SORP to make recommendations covering non-statutory financial reporting by charities

The governance review will be undertaken during 2018 and the conduct of the review, the taking of evidence, publicising of the process, and the identification and invitation of participants, and any other relevant matter shall be determined by the Oversight Panel. Any recommendations from the review requiring change to the composition of the advisory SORP Committee and the SORP development process will be taken forward by the SORP-making body in 2019 in time for the development of the next full SORP.

Charities SORP Committee Governance Review Panel Chair, Professor Gareth Morgan, said:

As someone who has had a long interest in the Charities SORP, both as an academic researcher and as a practitioner, I am very much aware of its significance in achieving massive improvements in charity accounts and reporting since the first modern SORP was issued in 1995. Going forward in 2018, I am delighted that the four charity regulators across the UK and Ireland will together form the new SORP-making body. In the circumstances, it is entirely right to begin with a review of the governance processes in developing new versions of the SORP, and I am honoured to have been asked to chair that review.

Laura Anderson of OSCR who is one of the joint Chairs of the SORP Committee, said:

On behalf of the charity regulators involved in the SORP process we welcome Gareth taking on the role of Chair. The review comes at a critical juncture as we look to take stock and develop the next SORP with the needs of all four charity law jurisdictions in mind. To be effective we need a SORP process that is fully representative and delivers a SORP that it is clear, accurate and meets the reporting needs of the users of charity reports and accounts whilst upholding the standards issued by the FRC.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The full terms of reference for the Charities SORP Committee Governance Review can be found here.
2. Gareth Morgan is Emeritus Professor of Charity Studies at Sheffield Hallam University where he led various research concerned with charity accounting and regulation. He has also advised a wide range of charities (mostly small to medium organisations) on accounting and governance issues though his firm, The Kubernesis Partnership LLP. He has worked with charities and the charity regulators across the three UK jurisdictions, and with the Irish Charities Regulator.
3. The Oversight Panel members are Sarah Atkinson, Director of Policy, Planning and Communication at CCEW, Judith Hayhow, Head of Support Services at OSCR, Punam McGookin, Head of Charity Services at CCNI and Tom Malone, Head of Compliance and Enforcement at the Charities Regulator.
4. The Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) is applicable to accounts prepared to give a true and fair view in the UK and Ireland. Whilst this remains the case the FRC oversees the SORP which provides guidance to charities in the UK and Ireland as to how to apply FRS 102 when preparing charity accounts.
5. For more information about the SORP, the SORP-making body and advisory SORP Committee refer to the dedicated website www.charitysorp.org.

Industry, the landowner community, representative bodies and Government have come together to reaffirm commitments to the ECC and the Ofcom Code of Practice.

MobileUK, the Country Land and Business Association, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have issued a joint statement:

The reformed Electronic Communications Code (ECC) came into force in December 2017 with the aim of boosting coverage and connectivity across the UK, through a package of measures which Government expects to deliver significant cost reductions to the sector, while ensuring that landowners receive a fair payment for allowing their land to be used.

Since the new legislation was introduced, there have been problems with negotiations progressing. While some initial uncertainty is to be expected, Government, regulators, the telecoms sector, independent infrastructure providers and the landowner community, recognise the importance of all parties working collaboratively together, both during this transition period and moving forwards.

We are therefore coming together to reaffirm the commitments made to each other in Ofcom’s Code of Practice, and to reiterate our support for the Government’s ambition to be a leading global economy underpinned by world class full fibre network and 5G infrastructure. It is essential that parties engage professionally in open and constructive communications. The future needs of customers and the economy are too important for it to be otherwise.

Minister for Digital Margot James said:

It’s great to see industry and landowners committing to the Electronic Communications Code and backing our ambitions to improve connectivity and ensure Britain is fit for the future. From improving our existing networks to using the next generation of technology, collaboration is vital when it comes to building our digital infrastructure.

Flying at 200 miles above the surface of the Earth, the powerful laser on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Aeolus spacecraft will beam down into the atmosphere and measure wind speeds – a completely new approach that could revolutionise the accuracy of weather forecasting, helping to protect people from disasters like floods and hurricanes across the world.

The spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage. Other British businesses provided critical elements to the mission, including a camera, software and propulsion systems.

The substantial extent of UK participation was achieved through the UK Space Agency’s strong, ongoing support of ESA’s Earth Observation Envelope Programme, which benefits industry and science.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

The Aeolus mission is a great example of the potential real-world impacts that space can have on Earth. Its data will lead to more reliable weather forecasts that can be used by farmers, seafarers, construction workers and others to improve productivity and safety.

Space is a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy and it is work like this that shows how vital our role in the European Space Agency is in bringing real benefits to UK companies.

Aeolus is the fifth of ESA’s Earth Explorer missions, which address critical Earth science issues, focusing on innovative missions and leading-edge technologies that deliver scientific excellence.

James Cotton, Satellite Winds Scientist, at the Met Office, said:

The Aeolus mission aims to improve the global coverage of wind profile observations, including areas where in situ wind measurements are currently lacking, such as over the oceans, in the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere.

Within numerical weather prediction, we expect the Aeolus winds to be particularly useful for improving our analysis of the atmospheric state in the tropics, a region where we know the model wind errors are large.

Aeolus will lift-off on a Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana this evening (22 August) at 21:20:09, Universal Time (UTC). The launch will be available to view online.

Colin Paynter, Managing Director Airbus Defence and Space Ltd, said:

The UK contribution to Aeolus, by the alliance of UK SMEs and established players led by Airbus, was first class, delivering a revolutionary Earth observation satellite that will give wind profile data in near real time, improving weather forecasting and helping to bring the benefits of space down to every citizen on Earth. Airbus was honoured to lead Team UK to deliver this spacecraft.

Britain’s space industry is going from strength to strength. In 2016 the UK committed €1.4 billion across a range of ESA space programmes. The UK invests around €350 million every year with ESA which gives us access to over €5 billion per year of ESA research and technical expertise. As well as our leading role in Earth Observation, the UK is also the led European funder of telecommunications research which results in one-in-four commercial telecommunications satellites being substantially built in Britain.

The UK Space Agency is driving the growth of the space sector as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy with major initiatives including the National Space Test Facility at Harwell, and the UK continues to be a leading member of the European Space Agency, which is independent of the EU.

In July, the government also committed £31.5 million to support the development of a spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland, which could be the first in mainland Europe.

Other UK companies involved in the Aeolus mission are e2v Chelmsford, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Scisys, ABSL and AMPAC.