Month: September 2018

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Press release: Savers to earn 50p for every £1 saved thanks to Help to Save

Hardworking people on low incomes are set to benefit from a new government savings account that offers a 50% bonus.

Help to Save will reward savers with an extra 50p for every £1 saved, meaning over 4 years a maximum saving of £2,400 would result in an overall bonus of £1,200.

The launch of the new account follows an 8-month trial, with over 45,000 customers who deposited over £3 million.

Help to Save is easy to use, flexible and secure, will help those on low incomes build up a ‘rainy day’ fund, and encourages savings behaviours and habits.

How much is saved and when is up to the account holder, and they don’t need to pay in every month to get a bonus.

John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said:

Savings shouldn’t be a luxury, they are an essential part of planning for the future. But for some, putting away even a tenner each month can be a tough habit to get into.

Whether you’re saving up to take the family on a much-needed holiday, or to take the next step in life, Help to Save is designed to make saving possible for every hardworking person in this country.

Help to Save is available to working people on tax credits and Universal Credit.

Paul Richard Hughes, from Torquay, said:

I wasn’t saving before, so it has helped me save and it was easy to use.

It has enabled me to build up a savings pot and the bonus is very good value. It is much better than other savings accounts as the interest on other savings accounts is low in comparison.

Account holders can save between £1 and £50 every calendar month and accounts last for 4 years from the date the account is opened.

After 2 years, savers get a 50% tax-free bonus on savings. If saving continues, there is another 50% tax-free bonus after 4 years.

On maximum savings of £2,400 over 4 years, the overall bonus would be £1,200.

Savers can apply online or use the HMRC app.

Help to Save explained

Further information

  • the scheme, administered by HM Revenue and Customs, will be open to UK residents who are entitled to Working Tax Credit and receiving Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit payments. It is also available to those claiming Universal Credit who have a household or individual income of at least £542.88 for their last monthly assessment period (though note that payments from Universal Credit are not considered to be part of household income).
  • people living overseas who meet either of these eligibility conditions can apply for an account if they are: a Crown servant (or their spouse or civil partner); a member of the British armed forces (or their spouse or civil partner).
  • Help to Save is an example of digital transformation designed to make it quicker and easier for citizens to interact with government online and on-demand. The #SmarterGov campaign has been launched to drive innovation, savings, and public service improvement across the public sector.

10 things about Help to Save

  1. You get a 50% bonus on your savings, so you can earn 50p for every £1 you save.
  2. Help to Save is available for working people who receive tax credits or Universal Credit – check if you’re eligible.
  3. Opening online account takes, on average, less than 5 minutes.
  4. Paying in is easy: you can set up a standing order to make regular payments into your Help to Save account on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis to fit the way that you manage your money. You can also make one-off payments by debit card when you are in your online account. Note that any payments, including standing orders, need to arrive in your account before the last working day of the month to ensure they are credited to that month – don’t get caught out by weekends and public holidays.
    5.You can withdraw money at any time from your account if you need to – although this could affect the size of your bonus.
    6.You can continue to receive tax credits or Universal Credit while saving with Help to Save.
  5. If your situation changes and you stop receiving Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit, you can still save and receive any bonus you are entitled to.
  6. Help to Save is backed by the government, which means the money you save is secure.
  7. Help to Save accounts will be available to open from 12 September 2018 and up to September 2023.
  8. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can still get an account. Call 0300 322 7093 and our helpline advisers will help you set one up.

Link: Press release: Savers to earn 50p for every £1 saved thanks to Help to Save
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Traffic officers go back to school for road safety education

Traffic officers have been patrolling the busy holiday route as part of a trial this year, and now they’re extending their patrols to visit three primary schools.

The crews are running two highways awareness days, visiting Blackwater Community Primary School and Chacewater Community Primary School near Truro on Wednesday, 19 September, and Goonhavern Primary School, near Perranporth, on Thursday, 20 September.

The children will get a chance to chat to the traffic officers about their jobs and will get to see first hand their patrol vehicle and the equipment used every day as they patrol England’s major A roads and motorways.
Highways England’s trial initiative has seen traffic officers patrol the A30 in Cornwall for the first time during the bank holiday weekends and summer holiday season.

The aim of the initiative is to provide further assistance to motorists on the South West network, and extend the traffic officer service further south into Cornwall to continue an already close working partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Council.

The traffic officers have been patrolling the A30 between Carland Cross and Liftondown and, based at Bodmin police station and Cornwall Council’s Castle Canyke depot during the peak holiday months, they have been much closer at hand to provide assistance along both the A30 and A38.

During the summer holiday period up to its conclusion on Monday (10 September), Highways England crews attended a total of 134 incidents, including live lane breakdowns, road traffic collisions and debris clearance. And on the last Sunday in July, the traffic officers’ ‘powers of recovery’ averted major disruption on the westbound A30 as they were able to assist police by towing a broken down horsebox and vehicle to safety at Okehampton Services.

Rob Penney, South West Service Delivery Manager for Highways England, said:

“The patrols have been really well received by both holiday makers and local residents.

“Following this initial trial period, the school visits are a great opportunity to meet local children and raise road safety awareness among this young audience.”

The highways awareness days will launch a longer-term STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) initiative run by Highways England’s A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross project team.

The schools’ outreach programme, which will run from October, is designed to engage children from four to 18 in fun, hands-on activities which will teach them more about the interesting work taking place as part of the dualling scheme.

Josh Hodder, project manager of the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, said:

“The traffic officers have had a great reception and we look forward to working with local schools to teach them more about the STEAM project and our work on the scheme.”

For any schools interested in receiving a STEAM visit, or learning more about Highways England’s work in the area, email A30ChivertontoCarlandCross@highwaysengland.co.uk

View more information on the roles and responsibilities of a Highways England traffic officer.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Link: Press release: Traffic officers go back to school for road safety education
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Agriculture

A Bill To authorise new expenditure for certain agricultural and other purposes; to make provision about direct payments during an agricultural transition period following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union; to make provision about the acquisition and use of information connected with food supply chains; to confer power to respond to exceptional market conditions affecting agricultural markets; to confer power to modify retained direct EU legislation relating to agricultural and rural development payments and public market intervention and private storage aid; to make provision about marketing standards and the classification of carcasses; to make provision for the recognition of associations of agricultural producers which may benefit from certain exemptions from competition law; to confer power to make regulations about contracts for the purchase of agricultural products from agricultural producers and securing compliance with the WTO Agreement on Agriculture; and for connected purposes.

Link: Agriculture
Source: Public Bills

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Press release: Memorial Commission to honour victims of Grenfell Tower fire

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, made up of representatives of the bereaved, survivors and local residents, will decide on the most fitting and appropriate way to remember those who lost their lives in the Grenfell tragedy.

The community-led Commission will develop a proposal for what happens to the Grenfell Tower site in the future, and decide how the memorial site will be owned and managed in the long term.

Adel Chaoui of Grenfell United said:

Creating a fitting memorial on the Grenfell tower site is a momentous task. For bereaved families it is the final resting place of the loved ones that we lost in the fire. For the survivors, Grenfell tower was our home, where we were brought up and raised our families. And for our community it is a part of our shared history.

We have faith that bereaved families and survivors, working together with the local community will be able to create a fitting memorial to remember the lives lost, ensure what happened is never forgotten and be something this community can hold in their hearts for generations to come.

The Secretary of State for Communities, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

The government has always been committed to working with the community to create a fitting memorial, with the Prime Minister giving her personal commitment that the bereaved, survivors and community will decide what happens to the future of the Grenfell Tower site.

This is an important step forward in honouring that commitment and it is only right that the community determine the most appropriate way of honouring those who lost their lives.

The Minister for Grenfell Victims, Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP, said:

One of the things we must get right is a fitting memorial at the site of the Grenfell disaster. This must be led by the community with the voice of the bereaved carrying the most weight.

I am very grateful to the community representatives who I have worked closely with to reach agreement on the role of the Commission

The Commission will comprise of 10 community representatives, with 5 from the bereaved families, and will seek the views of the local North Kensington community through its consultations. Over the coming months the community will be asked to nominate their representatives and an independent Chairperson will be confirmed.

Further information

You can read the full Terms of Reference for the Commission.

The Commission will have no executive authority and will operate in accordance with the Terms of Reference.

Administrative support to the Commission will be provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Further developments on this will be announced in the autumn.

Please see the government’s written principles governing consultations on the future of the site, agreed with the community, for further information.

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Link: Press release: Memorial Commission to honour victims of Grenfell Tower fire
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: New centre opens to search for next generation of diabetes treatment

  • Business Secretary Greg Clark alongside the Danish Minister Tommy Ahlers today attended the opening of a research centre developing the next generation of treatment for people with diabetes
  • the new centre in Oxford, owned by global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, demonstrates a vote of confidence in UK talent and the quality of our research in the UK
  • the Life Sciences Sector Deal as part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy is securing investment to maintain the UK’s place as a world leader in developing innovative research into future treatments and pioneering medicines

A new centre for research to develop a new generation of medicines that will transform the lives of people living with diabetes opened in Oxford today (12 September 2018).

Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, attended the opening of the Novo Nordisk Research Centre, along with Danish Science Minister Tommy Ahlers.

The number of people with diabetes is expected to increase in the next 2 decades from 3.9 million people in 2017, to 4.9 million in 2035, according to Public Health England statistics. The centre will collaborate with the University of Oxford using its scientific excellence to conduct new research, including on:

  • new medicines to treat diabetes
  • understanding the relationship between insulin resistance and other health conditions
  • analysing complex data to earlier detect type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk will invest around £115 million over a period of 10 years and the new centre will mean up to 100 research jobs in the coming years.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

This centre has the potential to transform the way diabetes is treated in the future and improve the lives of people around the world. Our universities and research institutes are world beating and this international investment in the UK is a vote of confidence in both the talent we have and the quality of research and products our scientists develop.

This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action as we strive towards more public and private research and development investment to upgrade our economy and build a Britain fit for the future.

Professor Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CSO and EVP at Novo Nordisk, said:

I am very excited to see the strategic alliance between Novo Nordisk and the University of Oxford flourish and set the bar for international collaborative cutting edge scientific research to spearhead collaboration on new treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and other serious chronic diseases.

In the modern Industrial Strategy the government has set the ambitious target to reach 2.4% of gross domestic product investment in research and development by 2027. In December 2017, the Life Sciences Sector Deal was announced to maintain the UK’s place as a world leader in developing innovative research into future treatments and pioneering medicines.

Link: Press release: New centre opens to search for next generation of diabetes treatment
Source: Gov Press Releases