Day: September 19, 2018

In Belgrade, the Minister has today met with Prime Minister Brnabic and Foreign Minister Dacic to discuss bilateral relations and regional security, and with Serbia’s Minister for European Integration Joksimovic to express the importance of reform and UK’s support to Serbia’s EU path.

Sir Alan has also had the opportunity to meet leading figures in the non-governmental sector, and to showcase the British Council’s flagship project on digital education and creative programming for school children in the region.

Ahead of the visit, Sir Alan said:

I am pleased to visit Serbia for the second time, almost three months after the Western Balkans Summit in London.

The UK and Serbia have a historic and dynamic relationship reaching back over 180 years and I look forward to strengthening that relationship further.

The UK supports Serbia’s path towards the European Union and we continue to support them in the implementation of necessary reforms which will increase Serbia’s stability and prosperity and improve the lives of its citizens.

The commitment of the Serbian Government to normalising relations with Pristina is welcomed. We stand ready to offer support in reaching a sustainable deal that enhances stability in the region.

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

• All were prosecuted for keeping their unregistered boats on the River Great Ouse
• They’ve been ordered to pay more than £6,500
• It brings the total of avoided registration charges recovered by the Agency to £129,000

Register your boat or face thousands of pounds in penalties – that’s the message from the Environment Agency for boat owners flouting the law.

The warning comes as 7 boaters have been forced to forfeit more than £6,500 between them for failing to register their vessels for use on the River Great Ouse.

Boat owners are legally required to register any vessel they keep, use, or let for hire on Environment Agency waterways, and to clearly display a valid registration plate. Not doing so can result in penalties including fines and a criminal record.

Lee Eastwood, residing on the Lowena Dew moored at Downham Market, Paul Dale of Tunstall Terrace in Darlington, Darren Beacroft of Mason Gardens in Kings Lynn, Paul Danahar of Ramsey Road in St Ives, Trevor Hewitt of Railway Road in Downham Market, Terry Whitnall of Pitmansfield in Harlow, and Jessica Ibbotson of Spencer Road in Bedford have each been given 28 days to pay up.

The cases were proved at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 23 August, except for Mr Eastwood’s case which was proved at Kings Lynn on the same day, and Ms Ibbotson’s case which was proved at Luton Magistrates’ Court on 28 August.

Mr Eastwood was ordered to pay £608.79, Mr Dale £878.71, Mr Beacroft £472.49, Mr Danahar £978.98, Mr Whitnall £1,079.99, Ms Ibbotson £535.50, and Mr Hewitt – who owned 2 of the unregistered vessels – had to pay £1,990.99.

So far this year, the Environment Agency has recovered £129,000 in avoided registration charges – funds which are reinvested into maintaining, improving and protecting waterways.

Nathan Arnold, Waterways team leader at the Environment Agency, said:

Our waterways are part of our nation’s rich heritage and beauty, and they contribute to our environment, our health and wellbeing, and our economy.

But boaters who break the law by not registering their boats are putting the future of these historic and precious waterways at risk – so we won’t hesitate to take action against them.

As well as not contributing their fair share towards the upkeep of waterways, unregistered boats can be unsafe, hazardous to other river users and a pollution risk to the local environment and wildlife.

The Environment Agency looks after 353 miles of navigable waterways in the Anglian network, which includes the Ancholme, Black Sluice, Glen, Welland, Nene, Great Ouse and Stour, as well as associated locks and navigation facilities like moorings, showers and toilets.

More information about boating and waterways, including registering vessels, is available from the Environment Agency. If you suspect a boat is illegal, please contact the EA on 03708 506 506 or email waterways.enforcementanglian@environment-agency.gov.uk.

The Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith MP, has appointed Harry Rich as the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. His appointment will commence from 22 September 2018 for a term of no more than four years on a fixed term contract with the possibility of reappointment. Harry Rich will replace Alison White whose term concludes on 21 September 2018.

Harry Rich is an executive coach and business advisor with clients principally drawn from the non-profit, professional services, charitable and creative businesses sectors. Harry Rich is also a non-executive Board member of the Press Recognition Panel, a position he has held since 2014. He also holds a number of positions in the education sector as a trustee for the Open College of the Arts and a Governor for the Glasgow School of Art. Harry Rich was the Chief Executive of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 2009 to 2016 and was the Chief Executive of Enterprise UK from 2007-2009. He is also a qualified but non-practising solicitor.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is an independent, statutory office established by the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. The Registrar is responsible for keeping and publishing a register of consultant lobbyists. The Registrar has a duty to monitor compliance with the requirement to register and a power to undertake enforcement action in instances of non-compliance.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. Further information on the lobbying register can be found on the website of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists.

The Attorney General, Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP, has announced his preference to extend the term of Kevin McGinty CBE as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. Mr McGinty’s term is due to finish on 31 March 2019 and the Attorney General wishes to reappoint him for a further two year period.

The appointment is subject to scrutiny by the Justice Select Committee. The Attorney General has therefore written to the Chair of the Committee, Bob Neil MP, to explain his intention to extend Mr McGinty’s tenure. The Committee can ask Mr McGinty to take part in a pre-appointment hearing before his position is confirmed.

Commenting on the announcement, Attorney General, Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP said:

I am pleased to announce my intention to extend Mr McGinty’s tenure as Chief Inspector by two years. During his four years as Chief Inspector, Kevin McGinty has proven himself a strong Chief Inspector who is not afraid to tackle the important and difficult issues, such as disclosure of evidence by the police and prosecutors. I hope that the Justice Select Committee will agree with my assessment that Mr McGinty is the right person at the right time to inspect the prosecutors.

Commenting on the announcement, Kevin McGinty said:

I am delighted at the prospect of continuing as Chief Inspector for a further two years. I want to thank the Attorney General for supporting my mandate to tackle important issues such as CPS performance. The work of HMCPSI is crucial to ensuring the quality of our criminal justice system and I hope to continue delivering high quality inspection programmes.

Notes to editors

1. Kevin McGinty CBE was appointed in April 2015 by the previous Attorney General, Jeremy Wright, on a fixed four year term. His current tenure is due to end on 31 March 2019.
2. If extended, Mr McGinty’s tenure would last until March 2021. At this point, it is expected that an external recruitment process to select a new Chief Inspector would be launched by the Attorney General’s Office.
3. A full biography for Mr McGinty is below.

Kevin McGinty curriculum vitae
(PDF, 87.8KB, 2 pages)

Foreign Secretary begins two day visit for talks with Burmese leaders on the Rohingya crisis and announces additional UK support for victims of sexual violence in Burma.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will today (19 September) arrive in Burma for a two day visit to the country, which will include talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday.

During his trip to Burma, Foreign Secretary Hunt will visit the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners to talk to human rights defenders and visit northern Rakhine, the area from which thousands of Rohingya have fled.

Speaking on the first day of his visit, Foreign Secretary Hunt announced additional support from the UK to gather evidence for the Rohingya victims who have suffered sexual violence from members of the Burmese military in Rakhine.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

“The United Nations fact-finding mission exposed terrible suffering in Burma, and in the face of such serious allegations, no country that considers itself humane can stand back and do nothing. We are determined to do all we can to provide security, dignity and justice to the victims. It will be a long journey, but it starts with their conditions right now.

“We have already provided counselling and psychological support to more than 10,000 women and deployed mid-wives to help provide care to over 53,000 women. Together with our international partners, we will increase our support for those who have been victim of these heinous acts. This will include additional deployment of the PSVI Team of Experts by the end of 2018, development of a code of conduct for gathering such evidence, support for an enhanced coordination mechanism, and more capacity building. We are also exploring options to increase psychosocial support.”

Before his visit to Burma Foreign Secretary Hunt held a meeting in London last week with representatives from the Rohingya community from Bradford where he heard stories of the persecution they had faced in Rakhine.

Further information

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

England

In England, the July data shows, on average, house prices have risen by 1.2% since June 2018. The annual price rise of 3% takes the average property value to £248,611.

The regional data for England indicates that:

• the North West experienced the greatest monthly price rise, up by 3.4%
• the East Midlands saw the most significant monthly price fall, down by 0.2% and
• house prices in London fell by 0.7% in the year to July 2018

Price change by region for England

Repossession sales by volume for England

The lowest number of repossession sales in May 2018 was in the East of England.

The highest number of repossession sales in May 2018 was in the North West.

Average price by property type for England

Funding and buyer status for England

Building status for England

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for England

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for England show:

• the number of completed house sales in England fell by 16.1% to 58,073 compared with 69,176 in May 2017

London

London shows, on average, house prices have risen by 0.6% since June 2018. An annual price fall of 0.7% takes the average property value to £484,926.

Average price by property type for London

Funding and buyer status for London

Building status for London

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for London

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for London show;

• the number of completed house sales in May 2018 fell by 25.6% to 5,861 compared with 7,874 in May 2017

Wales

Wales shows, on average, house prices have fallen by 0.2% since June 2018. An annual price rise of 4.2% takes the average property value to £157,368.

Average price by property type for Wales

Funding and buyer status for Wales

Building status for Wales

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for Wales

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for Wales show:

• the number of completed house sales in May 2018 fell by 14.4% to 3,368 compared with 3,933 in April 2017
• there were 44 repossession sales in May 2018

Access the full UK HPI

UK house prices rose by 3.1% in the year to July 2018, down from 3.2% in the year to June 2018. This is the lowest UK annual rate since August 2013 when it was 3.0%.

The UK Property Transaction Statistics for July 2018 showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of transactions on residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 99,270. This is 3.2% lower compared with a year ago. Between June and July 2018, transactions decreased by 0.8%.

House prices grew fastest in the North West region, increasing by 5.6% in the year to July 2018, followed by the South West and the West Midlands, both increasing by 4.4% over the year. House prices in London fell by 0.7% in the year to July 2018, down from an increase of 0.3% in the previous month.

See the economic statement.

Notes to editors

1. The UK House Price Index (UK HPI) is published on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. The August 2018 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 17 October 2018. See calendar of release dates.
2. The UK House Price Index achieved National Statistic status on the 18 September 2018. The National Statistics badge indicates that the index has been independently assessed and meets the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value as defined in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
3. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
4. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
5. Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
6. Revision tables have been introduced for England and Wales within the downloadable data. Tables will be available in csv format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
7. Data for the UK HPI is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
8. The UK HPI is calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, in particular HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
9. The UK Property Transaction statisticsare taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series so HMRC also presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Adjustments are made for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
10. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
11. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
12. Work has been taking place since 2014 to develop a single, official HPI that reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property in the UK. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
13. Information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process, is provided by HM Land Registry for properties that are sold for full market value.
14. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
15. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
16. For England, this is shown as volumes of repossession sales recorded by Government Office Region. For Wales, there is a headline figure for the number of repossession sales recorded in Wales.
17. The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. Repossession sales data prior to April 2016 is not available. Find out more information about repossession sales.
18. Background tables of the raw and cleansed aggregated data, in Excel and CSV formats, are also published monthly although Northern Ireland is on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
19. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
23. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook

Contact