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Organisations that wish to become or grow as Public Service Mutuals can now apply for a share of up to £1.7 million in funding, Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, announced today.

A total of £1.2 million will be available to create new Mutuals, or strengthen existing ones, by providing access to advice across areas including legal, financial, marketing, human resources and business planning.

The remaining £500,000 will be used to pilot support programmes such as partnership working to help Mutuals collaborate with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and others to broaden the service they offer. A mentoring scheme will also allow newly-formed Mutuals to benefit from one-to-one experienced advice and support, as well as a peer support network which will bring aspiring Mutuals together to share their experiences, challenges and successes.

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

Mutuals are run under the influence of employees to support the delivery of public services and we want to help them thrive.

This £1.7m funding will deliver training, support programmes and mentoring to expand the high quality services Mutuals provide to communities across the country.

This round of funding will be available until March 2020 and follows the £572k that was awarded in 2017 to support Mutuals.

Organisations can check if they are eligible for funding by contacting the Mutuals Team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on: mutuals@culture.gov.uk.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

*To apply for support from this programme you must currently, or intend to, fulfil our definition of a Public Service Mutual, which is an organisation that:
i) has left the public sector (also known as ‘spinning out’)
ii) continues to deliver public services and aims to have a positive social impact
iii) has a significant degree of staff influence or control in the way it is run

*If you’re an existing mutual, you must be in your first five years of operation, or delivering your original or extended contract which has not been retendered, or both.

*You must be able to demonstrate how support from this programme will help your organisation grow or diversify its operations

*All applicants will be required to demonstrate their commitment to their project and the mutual model by providing matched funding, in cash, towards the support needed

*For more information on eligibility and support expectations, please contact mutuals@culture.gov.uk.

British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik was visiting Papua and West Papua as part of his regular provincial visits in Indonesia. The Ambassador visited Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura for meetings with key Government interlocutors at the local and provincial levels, businesses, civil society groups, and universities.

Ambassador Moazzam Malik said:

I am pleased to be making my third visit to the region since becoming Ambassador. I am here to discuss issues of mutual interest such as climate change, education and development. I am particularly excited to return to UNIPA University so I can encourage more Papuans to consider studying in the UK, including through the UK funded Chevening Scholarships.

The UK fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Indonesia. We regard Papua as an integral part of Indonesia. We also support the efforts the Government and civil society organisations to address the challenges in Papua and hope to see it enjoy the same level of peace, stability, and prosperity as other parts of this nation.

Notes to Editors:

• Chevening scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisation. Indonesia is the fourth largest countries for the Chevening scholarship programme and around 80 awards will be available. Find out more at www.chevening.org
• We want the brightest and best Papuans to come to the UK to study, including through Chevening and LPDP scholarships, to help Papua achieve its full potential
• For more information on the visit please contact Embassy’s Spokesperson Faye Belnis at +62 (0) 811 87777 62

Vice Mayor of Liverpool Gary Millar met with the Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini to follow up on Sister City agreement between Surabaya and Liverpool. He also discussed the International Business Festival in Liverpool on 2018 and encourages Indonesian businesses to take part.

During the visit Mr Millar was also scheduled to visit Surabaya Creative Centre to learn more about initiatives on E-commerce and offer UK expertise to develop coaching skills in football schools in Surabaya.

Gary Millar said:

I am very pleased to be making my first visit to Surabaya and to identify areas of collaboration with our partners at provincial level. Surabaya and Liverpool have similar characteristics as second cities that rely very much on ports and the maritime sector. I look forward to discussing partnerships and supporting both cities’ development programmes.

Notes to Editors:

1. A Letter of Intent (LoI) of Sister City Agreement was signed by both parties on 17 May 2017 in Liverpool covering 5 areas of cooperation including port and maritime management, economics, human resources and capacity building management, smart cities and creative industries
2. The 2018 International Business Festival is one of the world’s biggest trade and investment expos. The Festival will be held in Liverpool next June and aims to give businesses from all over the world the space, support and expertise they need to grow and explore new international markets. The Festival will focus on high-growth industries such as sustainable energy, global logistics and shipping and manufacturing.
3. With total Indonesian exports to the UK of £1,545 million in 2016 (a 16.4% increase from 2015), Indonesia enjoyed a trade surplus of £578 million. This was lower than the previous year’s surplus of £443 million.
4. The majority of UK exports to Indonesia are in machinery and transport equipment (36.2%), chemicals and related products (25.8%), and crude materials that are inedible (14.4%). By contrast, UK imports from Indonesia are mainly manufactured goods (61.5%).
5. For further information on the visit please contact British Embassy’s Spokesperson Faye Belnis at +62 (0) 811 87777 62.

The checks will be done against the details of known illegal migrants which the Home Office is sharing with Cifas, an anti-fraud organisation.

Once a bank or building society has found a personal current account that is being operated by an illegal migrant, the Home Office will double check the details before instructing the bank or building society on action to take, which may include closing the account.

In cases where criminality is suspected, the Home Office may apply to the courts for an order instructing the bank or building society to freeze the individual’s accounts.

We are only sharing details of illegal migrants who are liable for removal or deportation from the UK or who have absconded from immigration control. We consider these individuals should be denied access to banking services.

Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes said:

These new measures are part of our commitment to make it more difficult for people with no right to live or work in the UK to remain here.

This will not affect those who are in the UK legally but we must be firm with those who break the rules as illegal immigration impacts the whole of society. Those living and working in the UK illegally can drive down the wages of lawful workers, allow rogue employers to undercut legitimate businesses and put pressure on taxpayer-funded public services.

By tackling abuse in this way, we can build an immigration system which works in the best interests of the country and prevents vulnerable people from finding themselves at risk of exploitation.

Powers to stop illegal migrants opening new current accounts were introduced 3 years ago and these new measures – which were agreed by Parliament – build on that.

They are part of wide-ranging legislative efforts to encourage those who are living and working in the UK illegally to leave. Other measures prevent illegal migrants from working in the UK, renting accommodation, obtaining driving licences and working as private hire vehicle and taxi drivers and operators.

The UK is already the second largest investor into the country and the Trade Secretary’s visit will promote further opportunities for British companies in Turkey whilst also encouraging inward investment.

The visit will build on the strong foundations laid by the Prime Minister and President Erdoğan in January 2017 when they established the UK-Turkey Trade Working Group.

During Dr Fox’s visit he is scheduled to meet President Erdoğan to discuss how to ensure the strong trade relationship continues to thrive post Brexit. Dr Fox will also attend a number of high level meetings with key members of the Turkish government including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers as well as Ministers for Economy and Defence.

Turkey is a key market for the UK with total trade in goods and services accounting for £14.5 billion in 2016. The UK is Turkey’s second largest export market, receiving 5% of all Turkish exports, whilst some of the UK’s biggest businesses including Vodafone, Rolls Royce and Diageo are all present in the country.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

The UK and Turkey enjoy a strong trading relationship, but we must seek to build on this, deepening our partnership to boost prosperity and increase security throughout the region.

As an international economic department, we will continue to promote British companies all around the world, strengthening our trade and investment relationships and providing continuity and certainty for businesses and consumers alike as we leave the EU.

During the visit Dr Fox will also see how the partnership between BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is helping to deliver Turkey’s TF-X indigenous fighter programme. The contract for the initial design phase of the fifth generation fighter aircraft was concluded in August 2017 and is worth around £100 million.

This partnership with TAI will involve significant technology and skills transfer, and is the first phase in a long term relationship between the UK and Turkish defence industries.

Notes to editors

UK trade and investment work in Turkey is growing, helped by the appointment of Lord Janvrin as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy.

The most recent UK-Turkey Trade Working Group meeting was held in London on 9 November 2017 with the second scheduled to take place in Ankara on 22 February 2018.

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said:

The UK strongly condemns the advancement by the Israeli authorities of plans and tenders for settlement units across the West Bank. We call on Israel to reconsider these proposals. Settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the physical viability of the two-state solution.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt @AlistairBurtUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Overseas buyers of UK exports can now access UK government-backed finance in 62 pre-approved local currencies, Minister for Investment Graham Stuart MP announced today.

The support is available through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, and will help UK exporters compete for major overseas contracts, by allowing overseas buyers to access long-term finance in their local currency when they buy from the UK.

Graham Stuart MP said:

By giving UK exporters the flexibility to offer government-backed finance to their international customers in the currency of their choice, we are increasing the appeal of sourcing from the UK.

This world-leading offer from UK Export Finance gives buyers all over the world – from Bulgaria to Vietnam – the ability to ‘buy British, pay local.

The announcement builds on the expansion of UKEF’s local currency offering to 43 currencies in the Autumn Statement 2016, compared to fewer than 15 available in 2010.

Being able to access long-term finance is particularly beneficial for overseas buyers whose revenue and accounts are in their local currency, thereby helping to increase the competitiveness of a UK exporter’s offering.

UKEF can now offer pre-approved local currency financing in:

• Bulgarian Lev
• Colombian Peso*
• Croatian Kuna*
• Dominican Peso*
• Ghanaian Cedi*
• Jordanian Dinar*
• Kazakhstani Tenge*
• Mongolian Togrog*
• Moroccan Dirham*
• Nigerian Naira
• Pakistani Rupee*
• Panamanian Balboa
• Philippine Peso
• Romanian Leu
• Serbian Dinar*
• Sri Lankan Rupee*
• New Taiwan Dollar
• Trinidad & Tobago Dollar
• Vietnamese Dong

*Support will be approved on a case-by-case basis

Image credit: UK Parliament/CC 3.0