Month: August 2018

On the fifth anniversary of the horrific Ghouta Sarin attack, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France reiterate their condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.

Since 2012, the regime has resorted to the use of chemical weapons during military offensives, not only in Ghouta but also in Khan Sheikhoun, Ltamenah, Saraqib, and Douma, killing and injuring thousands of people.

As Permanent Members of the Security Council, we reaffirm our shared resolve to preventing the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, and for holding them accountable for any such use.

Our position on the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons is unchanged. As we have demonstrated, we will respond appropriately to any further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, which has had such devastating humanitarian consequences for the Syrian population.

We welcome the establishment of attribution arrangements at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in accordance with its authority under the Chemical Weapons Convention, as confirmed by the decision of the Conference of States Parties.

The establishment of these arrangements will help ensure that the perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria cannot escape identification. We welcome the launch of the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons on 23 January 2018, and call on all countries committed to fight impunity to join the International Partnership. We remain committed to securing justice for victims of chemical weapons use.

Furthermore, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are gravely concerned over reports of a military offensive by the Syrian regime against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Idlib, and the resulting humanitarian consequences. We also underline our concern at the potential for further – and illegal – use of chemical weapons.

We urge supporters of the Assad regime to use their influence to uphold the global norm against chemical weapons use. We implore those countries to recognize that the unchecked use of chemical weapons by any state presents an unacceptable security threat to all states. We urge the international community to support our collective efforts to end Syria’s use of chemical weapons. And we remain resolved to act if the Assad regime uses chemical weapons again.

Tourists and residents are being urged to make the most of Salisbury as the city launches its bid to be crowned a ‘Rising Star’ in the Great British High Streets Awards.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, today (21 August 2018) visited business owners in Salisbury and Amesbury to thank them for their community spirit, and see first hand how government funding is helping the city recover following incidents earlier in the year.

Salisbury has received more than £5 million in funding to further support businesses, boost tourism and meet unexpected costs.

Early indications show that the cash injection is encouraging tourist to return to Salisbury.

Now the city is in line for a further £10,000 if it scoops the top spot in the ‘Rising Star’ category of the Great British High Streets competition – which celebrates the most ambitious high streets taking a lead and working together to revive, adapt and diversify.

Communities Secretary, Rt. Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

There are encouraging signs tourists are returning to Salisbury to enjoy the huge variety of attractions and activities the area has to offer. Government funding is helping to support this.

Residents and business owners on the high street have shown huge community spirit and resilience in the face of unparalleled circumstances. I wish them the best of luck as they go for gold in our Great British High Streets competition.

The Great British High Streets Awards also recognise individuals playing a leading role in making our high streets special.

Susi Mason, owner of gift shop Casa Fina, has been nominated as Salisbury’s High Street Hero, recognising her time, dedication and commitment to the city.

Baroness Jane Scott OBE, leader of Wiltshire Council, said:

It’s really good news that the city is in the running for these awards given the recent difficult months for local businesses and the community.

We have been working closely with businesses throughout this time, providing financial support and rate relief, plus bespoke advice, training and coaching to ensure they have the help needed to keep going and safeguard jobs.

The council introduced free parking in both Amesbury and Salisbury to help encourage visitors and shoppers and to support local businesses.

We are extremely fortunate to benefit from world-class attractions in south Wiltshire; including Stonehenge, the cathedral and medieval streets, and we welcome tourist and visitors from across the globe to visit this quintessential city and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Chief Executive of Visit Wiltshire, David Andrews, said:

Salisbury and the surrounding area has long been a huge draw for both domestic and international visitors.

Through working in partnership with VisitEngland, Wiltshire Council and the Salisbury recovery team, we are pleased that our joint activity is bringing people back to Salisbury.

With several weeks of the summer holidays left, there’s no better time to enjoy the world class attractions, unique high streets, heritage sites and packed schedule of events.

On the visit, the Communities Secretary also met senior police officers and council officials to hear about the recovery operation, and thank them for their work and commitment.

Further information

The Great British High Streets Awards 2018, run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and sponsored by Visa, close on 22 August 2018.

The government has announced more than £5 million in funding to further support businesses, boost tourism and meet unexpected costs as a result of the incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury.

This new package is in addition to the £2.5 million that has been made available since March to support the local community.

Two Ukrainian nationals held in Russian detention, Oleg Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh, are on hunger strike to demand the Russian authorities release all Ukrainian political prisoners. Today marks Oleg Sentsov’s 100th day on hunger strike.

Minister for Europe and the Americas Sir Alan Duncan said:

“On the 100th day of Oleg Sentsov’s hunger strike, we remain extremely concerned for Mr Sentsov’s health and treatment at the hands of the Russian authorities.

“Mr Sentsov was detained by Russia after expressing peaceful opposition to the illegal annexation of Crimea. He was convicted on fabricated terrorism charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Mr Balukh is also on long term hunger strike and it is reported that the conditions of both men are rapidly deteriorating and their lives are under threat.

“It is critical that Russia allows Ukrainian officials and international humanitarian organisations unrestricted access to Mr Sentsov, Mr Balukh and up to 70 other Ukrainian political prisoners. No one should be imprisoned for opposing the illegal annexation of Crimea. Russia must now uphold its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and release them immediately.”

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan on Twitter @AlanDuncanMP and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

The Parole Board is moving to new offices over the Bank Holiday weekend (25 -27 August 2018).

From Tuesday 28 August 2018, the Parole Board’s address will be:

The Parole Board will share its office space with other Arm’s Length Bodies and will be on the same floor as a new MoJ hub.

The move to 10 South Colonnade is part of the MoJ Transformation Project, with the aim to use mobile technology to work flexibly and reduce the reliance on expensive office space in Westminster.

All letters sent to the old office will be forwarded to the new one at 10 South Colonnade. All our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.

If you have any queries, please contact us:

• By email: info@paroleboard.gov.uk
• By phone: 020 3880 0885

In July:

• HM Land Registry completed more than 1,794,850 applications to change or query the Land Register
• The South East topped the table of regional applications with 412,457

HM Land Registry completed 1,794,855 applications in July compared with 1,701,272 in June and 1,619,118 last July, of which:

• 408,138 were applications for register updates compared with 67,516 in June
• 860,123 were applications for an official copy of a register compared with 825,155 in June
• 231,386 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 226,333 in June
• 27,245 were postal applications from non-account holders compared with 24,801 in June

Applications by region and country

Region/country	May applications	June applications	July applications
South East	398,029	391,741	412,457
Greater London	332,546	324,861	342,764
North West	194,722	189,790	199,371
South West	169,351	166,626	175,922
West Midlands	147,196	146,855	153,247
Yorkshire and the Humber	131,727	128,441	138,612
East Midlands	121,511	121,551	129,991
North	78,596	79,945	84,004
Wales	78,038	77,307	81,079
East Anglia	71,749	74,017	77,226
Isles of Scilly	41	66	109
England and Wales (not assigned)	72	72	73
Total	1,723,578	1,701,272	1,794,855

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	May applications	Top 5 local authority areas	June applications	Top 5 local authority areas	July applications
Birmingham	26,902	Birmingham	25,724	Birmingham	27,538
City of Westminster	24,121	City of Westminster	23,468	City of Westminster	22,955
Leeds	19,782	Leeds	19,257	Leeds	21,258
Cornwall	18,301	Cornwall	17,591	Cornwall	18,581
Manchester	17,347	Manchester	16,765	Manchester	18,026

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	May applications	Top 5 customers	June applications	Top 5 customers	July applications
Enact	53,314	Enact	53,868	Enact	55,674
Infotrack Limited	28,453	Infotrack Limited	29,175	Infotrack Limited	30,027
Optima Legal Services	28,173	O’Neill Patient	26,523	O’Neill Patient	28,146
O’Neill Patient	26,645	Optima Legal Services	26,239	Optima Legal Services	26,763
TM Group (UK) Ltd	22,706	TM Group (UK) Ltd	21,465	TM Group (UK) Ltd	24,461

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The August Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Friday 21 September 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.
2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and search and hold queries (official searches) were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.
3. We are challenging ourselves to reassess our language to make our terms understandable to both our commercial and our citizen customers. This is in line with our commitment set out in the Business Strategy 2017-2022 under the ‘simplicity’ element of our ambition.
4. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.
5. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications; bankruptcy applications; bulk applications; and
   discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register).
6. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in the transaction data.
7. Most search and hold queries (official searches) carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search and hold query will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.
8. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.
9. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.
10. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2018. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
11. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
12. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
13. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
14. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry our blog and LinkedIn and Facebook

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