Link:
Source: Legislation .gov.uk
Link:
Source: Legislation .gov.uk
Off-the-shelf manual handling training should become a thing of the past, according to new advice released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Link: HSE urges employers to think again before investing in off-the-shelf manual handling training
Source: Health and Safety
Foreign Affairs Committee questions Boris Johnson MP on foreign and commonwealth affairs
Link: Committee questions the Foreign Secretary on his responsibilities
Source: Parliamentary News
Data Protection Bill [HL]: Committee Debate: 5th sitting
Link: Publication: Committee Debate: 5th sitting
Source: Data Protection Bill
Data Protection Bill [HL]: Committee Debate: 6th sitting
Link: Publication: Committee Debate: 6th sitting
Source: Data Protection Bill
In February:
The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,632,969 applications in February compared with 1,782,088 in January and 1,516,596 last February, of which:
| Region/country | December applications | January applications | February applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 287,649 | 403,526 | 376,385 |
| Greater London | 250,636 | 339,286 | 313,340 |
| North West | 139,168 | 222,150 | 185,253 |
| South West | 124,681 | 173,058 | 158,433 |
| West Midlands | 107,079 | 150,292 | 143,338 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 98,017 | 139,207 | 122,513 |
| East Midlands | 90,239 | 122,812 | 115,725 |
| Wales | 58,854 | 80,315 | 74,301 |
| North | 56,648 | 77,912 | 71,772 |
| East Anglia | 53,549 | 73,345 | 71,764 |
| Isles of Scilly | 79 | 110 | 75 |
| England and Wales (not assigned) | 42 | 75 | 70 |
| Total | 1,266,641 | 1,782,088 | 1,632,969 |
| Top 5 local authority areas | December applications | Top 5 local authority areas | January applications | Top 5 local authority areas | February applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 19,714 | Birmingham | 27,561 | Birmingham | 26,256 |
| City of Westminster | 17,977 | City of Westminster | 25,488 | City of Westminster | 21,991 |
| Leeds | 14,262 | Leeds | 20,256 | Leeds | 18,730 |
| Manchester | 13,384 | Manchester | 19,350 | Manchester | 16,972 |
| Cornwall | 13,332 | Cornwall | 18,367 | Cornwall | 16,606 |
| Top 5 customers | December applications | Top 5 customers | January applications | Top 5 customers | February applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enact | 36,313 | Enact | 50,327 | Enact | 50,488 |
| Optima Legal Services | 19,826 | Nationwide Building Society | 31,589 | Optima Legal Services | 27,904 |
| O’Neill Patient | 19,764 | Optima Legal Services | 27,284 | O’Neill Patient | 23,851 |
| HBOS PLC | 16,649 | O’Neill Patient | 26,073 | Devonshires | 20,684 |
| TM Group (UK) Ltd | 16,444 | My Home Move Limited | 19,103 | TM Group (UK) Ltd | 19,558 |
Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk.
Marion Shelley
Trafalgar House
1 Bedford Park
Croydon
CR0 2AQ
Paula Dorman
Head Office
Trafalgar House
1 Bedford Park
Croydon
CR0 2AQ
Email
paula.dorman@landregistry.gov.uk
Telephone
0300 0063349
Link: Press release: February 2018 Transaction Data
Source: Gov Press Releases
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that 402,000 more people have moved into employment in the last year.
The unemployment rate (4.3%) has not been lower since 1975, and the number of people out of work is down by 127,000 compared to a year ago.
The number of people not working and not looking for work fell by 158,000 on the year. The rate has not been lower since records began.

Since 2010, over 70% of employment growth has been in permanent roles, with around 70% in higher skilled work.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey said:
Getting a job means securing an income for a family and the chance to build a better future. That’s why up and down the country we are doing all we can to help people into work.
And from next month, we’ll be taking thousands more people out of paying tax and also increasing the National Living Wage, benefiting those on the lowest pay and making sure they keep more of what they earn.
In fact by raising the National Living Wage we have ensured that the lowest earners have seen their wages grow by almost 7% above inflation since 2015.”
The amount of money people can earn before they start paying income tax will rise in April 2018 from £11,500 to £11,850. From 1 April 2018, the National Living Wage – the minimum paid to employees aged over 25 – will rise from £7.50 an hour to £7.83, equating to a £600 annual pay rise for full-time workers on basic pay.
This comes as we have reformed welfare to make work pay, backed businesses to take more people on, and built a stronger, fairer economy.
But we want to help even more people benefit from a well-paid job. That’s why we are:
Today’s figures also show:
Separate figures out today showed that 770,000 people are now on Universal Credit as the rollout of the new benefit continues. Of these, 39% were in employment (300,000). Through Universal Credit, people are keeping more of their earnings as their Universal Credit payment gradually adjusts when their income climbs.
Read the Labour Market Statistics – March 2018 from the Office for National Statistics.
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London Press Office (national media and London area enquiries only – not questions about personal claims)
020 3267 5144
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Link: Press release: Employment rate reaches joint record high
Source: Gov Press Releases
Data Protection Bill [HL]: Written Evidence: Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (DPB49)
Link: Publication: Written Evidence: Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (DPB49)
Source: Data Protection Bill
A new service which allows people to get forecasts for river levels to help them plan for flooding is available for two locations in the North East.
It is being provided by the Environment Agency on the gov.uk website for the River Tyne at Hexham, Northumberland, and Lustrum Beck at Stockton-on-Tees.
All communities can see observed data for river levels for the past five days. Now people living in these two areas can also see their future flood risk in a 36-hour river level forecast.
The aim is to help communities be more aware of their flood risk and be able to plan for potential flooding incidents. The new river forecasts are calculated by computer models that take into account data like current flows and expected rainfall.
Forecast information can change quickly so people are still advised to sign up for the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service to ensure they are notified if a warning is issued for their community.
And residents and businesses can still get the most up-to-date and accurate situation from the live online map which updates every 15 minutes and details the current Severe Flood Warnings, Flood Warnings and Alerts in place.
Phil Taylor, from the Environment Agency’s Flood Resilience Team in the North East, said:
We are always looking at ways to use technology to better share information with people, and residents have told us that they would find it really useful to see these forecasts to help them manage their flood risk.
We want people to know if they are at risk of flooding, be prepared, and take action to protect themselves and their families. A wealth of information is available on our website for people to find out if they are at risk and understand how to prepare.
Everything residents and businesses need to know about how to check their risk and prepare for flooding is online on the Floods Destroy website.
The new 36-hour river forecasting for Hexham and Stockton can be found online at:
Lustrum Beck, Stockton-On-Tees
and
River Tyne at Hexham
The plan is to continue to refine the service based on feedback from users before rolling it out to other areas in the future.
People who live in areas where the 36-hour forecast is not available can still view data on river levels from the previous five days.
Link: Press release: New river forecasts for North East communities
Source: Environment Agency
Data Protection Bill [HL]: Written Evidence: Evening Standard and Independent (DPB48)
Link: Publication: Written Evidence: Evening Standard and Independent (DPB48)
Source: Data Protection Bill