This Order amends the African Development Fund (Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative) Order 2006 by increasing the amount that may be paid by the Secretary of State as additional contributions to the African Development Fund from £262.2 million to £329.03 million. The adjusted amount is in accordance with arrangements made with the Fund pursuant to Resolution F/BG/2006/12 adopted by the Board of Governors of the Fund on 18 May 2006.
This Order approves the making of payments on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom to the African Development Bank of sums not exceeding £460,100,000 as a further contribution to the resources of the African Development Fund. The payment approved by this Order will be made pursuant to Resolution No F/BG/2017/01 adopted by the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank on 27th April 2017. The Order also provides for the redemption of non-interest-bearing and non-negotiable notes issued by the Secretary of State pursuant to those arrangements.
These Regulations provide that members of the Ministry of Defence Police are persons of a specified description, and therefore law enforcement officers, for the purposes of sections 84(3)(g), 96(3)(e) and 107(3)(e) of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c.3). This ensures that they will be able to exercise the maritime enforcement powers given to law enforcement officers by Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Part 4 of that Act when those powers are brought into force.
People planning to add a four-legged friend to the family this Christmas need to be wary of unscrupulous breeders and sellers, animal welfare Minister Lord Gardiner has warned today.
The UK is a nation of animal lovers, and each year thousands of us consider welcoming a pet into the family at Christmas time to add to the UK’s 8.5 million pet dogs and 7.4 million cats. However, puppy smugglers and unlicensed sellers are ready to take advantage of the high demand by illegally importing them into the country, neglecting their health and welfare and not properly vaccinating them – leading to steep vets’ bills and heartbreak for buyers when the puppies fall ill or in some cases, sadly die.
Consequently, it’s now more important than ever that buyers are armed with the knowledge they need to buy responsibly and avoid inadvertently fuelling the illegal puppy smuggling trade.
Minister for animal welfare, Lord Gardiner, said:
We all know that a dog is for life, not just for Christmas. But that life could be cruelly cut short if they haven’t been properly looked after by the breeder, bringing heartbreak to the family.
We are a nation of animal lovers and buyers can do their bit to avoid the dishonest sellers by never buying a puppy younger than 8 weeks old, seeing the puppy interact with its mother and checking on its health history.
The government announced earlier this year that some of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group’s minimum standards will become mandatory for online sellers as part of a swathe of reforms to the animal licensing system. The reforms will make it illegal to sell puppies younger than eight weeks and require anyone breeding and selling three or more litters a year to apply for a formal licence. Anyone trading commercially in pets online will need to be properly licensed.
The plans will be laid in Parliament in the new year and will empower local authorities to take tough action on ‘backstreet breeders’ and help ensure the pets we buy are healthy, happy and from reputable sellers.
Minister for animal welfare Lord Gardiner recently hosted a roundtable with a number of animal charities and websites including Gumtree, Preloved and Vivastreet to discuss the progress made so far. The Minister has since written to those invited to the roundtable to praise their work in helping to stop illegal sellers and encouraging further action.
Lord Gardiner has also set out five simple tips to help anyone thinking of committing to a new pet to choose the right animal:
Always consider a rescue dog in the first instance.
If you are buying a puppy, only buy from reputable breeders and sellers – and make sure they’re licensed if buying from a business rather than private seller.
Never buy a puppy that’s younger than 8 weeks old.
Check the puppy’s health history – check vaccinations, make sure it’s microchipped, and consider asking the seller to complete the ‘Puppy Contract’.
See the puppy interact with its mother.
If something still doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to walk away and look elsewhere. You should also report suspect breeders and sellers to your local council or Trading Standards.
Paula Boyden, Dogs Trust Veterinary Director and Chair of PAAG said:
The ease and popularity of the internet means that the impulse buying of pets has increasingly become an appealing option for many prospective buyers. However, the lure of a quick sale also attracts many unscrupulous breeders and dealers to websites.
We urge buyers to be cautious when looking to buy an animal via an online advert and if they have any concerns, walk away and report the seller to Trading Standards.
John Fishwick, President of the British Veterinary Association, said:
Vets see first-hand the tragic consequences that can result from poorly bred and illegally imported puppies. We’ve heard awful stories of people buying puppies only for their puppy to be dead 24 hours later because of the way it was bred and cared for in its early days.
Owning a dog is a life-changing commitment and we’d advise anyone thinking about getting a dog to first speak to their local vet about the right breed for them and then use the free online Puppy Contract to ensure they get a happy, healthy and well-socialised puppy.
A dog should never be bought ‘for Christmas’ as it can be a stressful time of year for pets, with lots going on, so we’d recommend waiting until the new year to welcome a new dog into your home.
This announcement comes as the UK embarks on a package of reforms to make sure we are a leader in animal welfare once we leave the EU. From bringing in tougher prison sentences for those who abuse animals to mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses, the UK is leading the way with some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.
Mr Andrew Pearce OBE has been appointed Governor of Montserrat in succession to Ms Elizabeth Carriere who will be leaving the Diplomatic Service. Mr Pearce will take up his appointment during January 2018.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Full name: Andrew John Pearce OBE
Married to: Pornpun Pearce
Children: Two
2017 – present Vilnius, Chargé d’Affaires
2015 – 2016 FCO, Director of Security, FCO Services
2009 – 2015 FCO, Head of Security, Estates and Security Directorate
2004 – 2008 Bangkok, Deputy Head of Mission and Political Counsellor
2000 – 2003 Bucharest, Deputy Head of Mission and Political Counsellor
1996 – 2000 Pretoria, Head, Economic and Trade Policy Team
1992 – 1996 Tel Aviv, Head, Press and Political Section
1990 – 1992 FCO, Head, Gibraltar and Iberian Section, Southern European Department, Europe Directorate
1988 – 1990 FCO, Head, Chemical and Biological Weapons Negotiating Team, Arms Control and Disarmament Department
These Rules make provision for applications for adult protection and support orders under section 127 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The purpose of such orders, set out in section 127(2), is to enable an authorised officer (a person authorised for this purpose by a local authority in Wales) to speak in private to a person living in any premises within the local authority’s area who is thought to be an adult at risk (an adult who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, has needs for care and support and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the neglect or abuse or risk of it), so that the authorised officer can establish whether the person is making decisions freely, whether he or she is an adult at risk, whether any action should be taken, and if so what action.
Housing and Planning Minister Alok Sharma today (4 December 2017) announced that the Planning Delivery Fund is now open for bids and will support ambitious local authorities and third sector organisations in areas of high housing need to plan for new homes and infrastructure.
Initially opening up £11 million of the fund, councils will be able to apply to help gain the skills or capacity they need to deliver high quality housing growth at scale, pace and implement wider planning reforms. The fund is aimed at encouraging more innovation in the design quality of new housing developments, as well as provide design advice and support to local authorities.
As part of the government’s plans to raise housing supply to 300,000 per year on average by the mid-2020s, a package of measure has been announced to boost local authority planning capacity, support councils to take a proactive role in planning and encourage ambition and leadership in the delivery of new communities.
Others measures announced include:
a further £3 million funding to support the delivery of the 14 garden villages that are part of the government’s existing programme
publishing a consultation on plans to allow the creation of locally led New Town Development Corporations, and help speed up the delivery of new garden towns.
Housing and Planning Minister Alok Sharma said:
Locally-led developments have enormous potential to deliver the scale and quality of housing growth that we need. By supporting our local authorities, we will be able to unlock more homes where people want to live.
These measures including the £28 million of government support which will help develop new communities that will not only help deliver high-quality well-designed homes, but will also bring new jobs and facilities and a boost to local economies.
Across England, the government is currently supporting 24 locally-led garden cities, towns and villages, which have the potential to deliver around 220,000 homes.
Backed by £16 million funding, a further £3 million has been allocated to 14 garden villages in the programme to fund dedicated staff and studies and assessments that are vital to the delivery of garden villages that are key to successful delivery.
The government’s housing white paper in February 2017 committed to the creation of New Town Development Corporations, which would be overseen by the local authority or authorities covering the area proposed for a new garden community, rather than by Whitehall. Government is now seeking views on this proposal.
Further information
The first part of Planning Delivery Fund allocation of £11 million will be open to bids for the financial years 2017-18 to 2018-19.
A garden town is a development of more than 10,000 homes. Garden villages are smaller settlements of between 1,500 and 10,000 homes.
The 14 Garden Towns are: Long Marston, Oxfordshire Cotswold, Tresham, Culm, Welborne, West Carclaze, Dunton Hills, Spitalgate Heath, Halsnead, Longcross, Bailrigg, Infinity Garden Village, St Cuthberts and Handforth.
A Doncaster-based scrap car dismantling and salvage firm has been ordered to pay nearly £25,000 for breaking environmental laws at a site in Tyne & Wear.
Motorhog Ltd, which used the now-closed site on Wallsend Road in North Shields, to depollute and bale end of life vehicles, repeatedly broke the terms of its environmental permit. Yesterday (29 November 2017) the company, which continues to operate sites in Leeds, Doncaster and Hull, was fined £20,000 by North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two of three charges. It was also ordered to pay £4,936.88 costs.
The prosecution was brought by the Environment Agency after officers spent a significant amount of time attempting, unsuccessfully, to bring the site into compliance.
Environment Agency Officers visited the site on 1 December 2015 to assess permit compliance after several breaches were identified during a previous inspection. During the visit they identified further permit breaches, against which they issued two enforcement notices.
The first gave Motorhog Ltd until 8 February 2016 to carry out maintenance to the vehicle baler so it could operate without spilling or leaking potentially polluting materials. It also required the company to clean all observed spillages on site and keep appropriate records.
The second notice required Motorhog Ltd to either ensure the concrete surface where the vehicle baler operated was compliant with permit requirements or to move the baler to a more suitable area. The firm was given until 11 April 2016 to comply.
Environment Agency Officers visited the site again on 2 March and 12 April and noted failure to comply with each of the orders. They also noted unattended spills throughout the site, including fluids visibly leaking from the baler onto the surface below where there was no sealed drainage.
I hope that Motorhog Ltd takes a long hard look at its operations across the north to ensure that all its sites are compliant and its staff are properly trained.
The regulations exist to protect the environment and local communities from the risk of harm. Vehicles contain liquids that are harmful to the environment and they must be dealt with correctly.
We will not hesitate to take action against any operator that repeatedly breaks the law and disregards its environmental obligations.
The exercise will take place after 7:30pm and will involve activities that may be visible and audible to neighbouring communities.
The site siren may be sounded and the public and agency alert cascade system may be activated. This means that local residents who have registered to receive automated SMS text, email and telephone warnings from us, may be contacted.
Exercise umpires and safety marshalls wearing high visibility clothing might be visible to people off site.
The exercise scenario will require the use of blank firearms and low level pyrotechnics which might be audible to neighbouring communities.
At no time will live ammunition be carried by those involved in the exercise.
The exercise scenario may also include the use of simulated casualties and injuries, although this is unlikely to be visible outside of the site boundary.
Emergency exercises are held regularly at all nuclear licensed sites to test their readiness in the event of an emergency.
If you would like any further information please contact us:
Produced by the world’s leading commercial currency provider De La Rue in partnership with the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign
Fans will be supporting Together for Short Lives
From Thursday 7th December 2017 fans and collectors across the globe will get the chance to own an official commemorative note that has been specially created to celebrate the launch of the year’s most anticipated film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the follow up to the UK’s biggest film of all time.
The note will be available exclusively on online marketplace ebay.co.uk and has been created using the technological and design expertise of British company De La Rue, a company that provides currency to over two thirds of the world’s countries, including the United Kingdom. This forms part of a special initiative between Disney and the GREAT Britain Campaign to celebrate the 40 years of British creativity behind the Star Wars films.
This holiday season, Disney UK has combined forces to launch a broad campaign across its range of businesses and its partners’ platforms to raise money, awareness and to create magical memories for the children under hospice care. 100% of the money raised from the commemorative note will be donated to Together for Short Lives, on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change. Together for Short Lives, a UK-based charity, supports children’s hospices and all children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions and their families. Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney, harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world.
eBay will be the exclusive home to a limited run of 1,000 commemorative notes, available at a fixed price of £100 plus a further 50 unique premium notes up for auction. The notes are crafted with 100% cotton cylinder mould paper, securitised and printed in De La Rue’s high security proofing department based in Hampshire. They incorporate an original light side/dark side artwork composition and several special features including serial numbers; pattern work of the First Order and Resistance emblems; hidden scenes (discoverable under 365nm UV light); hidden messages in microtext (discoverable with an eye glass); a message in Aurebesh, one of the languages of the galaxy; and the signature of Director/Writer Rian Johnson. The 50 unique, premium notes will also include an intaglio (a raised, hand-engraving of Rey) and each will have a unique, sequenced serial number.
The film’s director Rian Johnson, whose signature appears on the official note, said:
It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this one of a kind initiative to mark the release of The Last Jedi and for such a fantastic cause.
It was a joy filming in the UK and working with a British crew and I’m delighted the GREAT Britain Campaign and De La Rue are celebrating this with the commemorative note.
The commemorative notes support the Star Wars: Made GREAT in Britain initiative which celebrates the special relationship between Great Britain and the Star Wars films. Over 40 years ago the incredible story between Great Britain and Star Wars began with the production of Star Wars: A New Hope at Elstree Studios. The imagination, inspiration and innovation of the filmmakers included the original lightsaber design by British set decorator Roger Christian – who fashioned it from spare camera parts and collected junk, Academy Award®-winning costume designs from British-born John Mollo – the man who brought Darth Vader’s iconic look to life; and the key roles of the London Symphony Orchestra and Abbey Road – the birthplace of one the most iconic themes in the galaxy. The story continues this year with Star Wars: The Last Jedi which was filmed in the UK using world-class British
talent in both the production team and amongst the on screen stars.
Creative Industries Minister Matt Hancock said:
We are thrilled the new Star Wars film will be celebrated with a commemorative note. The film proudly flies the flag for the UK’s creative industries.
Shot at the iconic Pinewood Studios, it features some of the best British talent in front and behind the cameras and bodes well for the future of UK film. Star Wars is part of the huge success of our film industry. Supported by the Government’s highly successful film tax relief, UK film contributes over £4 billion a year to the economy and supports nearly 70,000 full time jobs. We love film and support the film industry at every turn.
Barbara Gelb OBE, CEO of Together for Short Lives said:
We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Disney on this incredibly exciting campaign, celebrating the launch of the eagerly awaited Star Wars: The Last Jedi. These commemorative notes are sure to be a huge hit with Star Wars fans; such a fantastic way to raise some ‘real-world’ money to support seriously ill children and young people across the UK. Together for Short Lives will receive 100% of the income so please get bidding and be a Force for Change.
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of De La Rue, said:
As a huge Star Wars fan it has been incredibly exciting to be part of this fantastic collaboration with Disney and the GREAT campaign and for our talented design team to transfer the characters from the film onto the commemorative notes. As a great British business we were delighted to have this opportunity to bring together the talent in the British film industry, with the innovation and creative expertise of our design studio, for such a
worthwhile cause. De La Rue produces bank notes and passports which are icons of national pride, so
we are incredibly proud to be able to use our skills to celebrate Star Wars, an icon of intergalactic
pride.
Rob Hattrell, VP, eBay UK , said:
eBay partnered with The Walt Disney Company earlier this month to launch our first dedicated Star Wars shop (ebay.co.uk/StarWars), offering the most diverse range of Star Wars products and memorabilia for fans of the film. Now, we are giving people the opportunity to own a unique piece of Star Wars history with these limited edition commemorative notes, whilst also raising money for a fantastic cause. With 23 million shoppers on site every month, we are able to tap into the nation’s passions and create exciting retail moments like these. On eBay we see shoppers searching every three seconds for Star Wars merchandise and so we are confident that these limited edition notes will result in a buying frenzy that the galaxy has never seen before.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi releases in UK cinemas from 14th December 2017. On Thursday 7th December from 8pm GMT the 1,000 commemorative notes will become available to
buy at a fixed price on www.ebay.co.uk/starwars and the 50 premium notes will be up for auction for 10 days until Sunday 17th December 2017.
In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of the UK’s biggest film of all time, The Force Awakens, join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past. The film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman. J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin are the executive producers. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in U.K. cinemas on December 14, 2017.
CONTACT: ashleigh.richardson@disney.com
About the GREAT Britain campaign
The GREAT Britain Campaign is the UK Government’s most ambitious international marketing campaign ever and showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK. It is active in over 144 countries and has so far generated over £3bn in economic returns for Britain.
For questions about the UK’s creative industries including film please contact: joyce.omope@culture.gov.uk
About De La Rue
De La Rue is the world’s largest commercial producer of currency and passports, supplying two thirds of the world’s countries. We are a great British business, with 200 years of experience in international trade and export 80% of our products globally. De La Rue also creates security features that ensure banknotes are protected against counterfeiting and provides governments and commercial organisations with the tools they need to tackle illicit trade. In the last three years alone, De La Rue generating over 7 billion unique products and solutions annually – in the form of banknotes, passports and secure product identifiers. De La Rue is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LON-DLAR).
Contact Sinead.Keller@delarue.com
About Star Wars: Force for Change
Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney, harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Since 2014, it was inspired by Star Wars fans, and the countless hours they have dedicated to philanthropy over the past four decades. To date, over $16 million has been raised for charitable causes around the world on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change. With a bright future ahead, and new Star Wars stories to be told, Force for Change aims to continue collaborating with causes and encouraging others to be forces for change in their own community.
About eBay.co.uk
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a global commerce leader including the Marketplace, StubHub and Classifieds platforms. Collectively, we connect millions of buyers and sellers around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity through Connected Commerce. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay is one of the world’s largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. In 2016, eBay enabled $83 billion of gross merchandise volume
Contact: ahague@ebay.com
About Together for Short Lives
Together for Short Lives is a UK wide charity that, together with its members, speaks out for all children and young people who are expected to have short lives. The charity is there to help children and their families to access specialist children’s palliative care services when and where they need it. They provide information so families know where to go for support and have the help they need to make the right choices about their child’s care. Together for Short Lives supports all the professionals, children’s palliative care services and children’s hospices that deliver lifeline care to children and families across the UK. Together with everyone who provides care and support to these children and families, the charity is there to help them have as fulfilling lives as possible and the very best care at the end of life.
