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The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has today announced that Helen MacNamara, currently the Director General for Housing in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will be appointed to the role of Director General, Propriety and Ethics Team in the Cabinet Office.

The role oversees the provision of advice to all government departments on standards and ethics issues, corporate governance in public bodies, and manages public appointments. The purpose of the role is to ensure the highest standards of propriety, integrity and governance within government.

Helen will take on the role in May when Sue Gray, the current Director General for the Propriety and Ethics Team, moves to the Northern Ireland Civil Service to begin her role as Permanent Secretary.

Speaking about the appointment, Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary said:

I am delighted to announce Helen’s appointment to the role of Director General of the Propriety and Ethics Team. She is a highly experienced civil servant who has worked in many senior roles across government. Her appointment will bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how government works, that will assist her in this crucial role.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sue Gray for her outstanding contribution. She has shown extraordinary commitment and integrity in this challenging role. She has earned huge respect and admiration across government for her wise counsel, strong leadership and excellent judgement. I wish her all the best in her next position.

Helen MacNamara said:

I am delighted to be returning to the Cabinet Office to take on this important role. I’m looking forward to building on the excellent work of Sue Gray, and supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary in upholding the highest standards of integrity and propriety within government.

This appointment has been agreed by the Prime Minister, and follows an extensive recruitment competition.

Helen MacNamara has been Director General, Housing in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since July 2016.

The UK’s Special Envoy for post-Holocaust Issues, the Rt Hon Sir Eric Pickles and the former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the Rt Hon Ed Balls, have today (18 April 2018) been appointed by the Prime Minister as co-chairs of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation Advisory Board. They replace Sir Peter Bazalgette chairman of the Board since 2015.

The advisory board is supporting the delivery of the UK’s new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre that is proposed for Victoria Tower Gardens beside the Houses of Parliament.

Co-chair Sir Eric Pickles said:

It is an honour to follow Sir Peter, who has done outstanding work with the Foundation. I am very much looking forward to working alongside Ed. Together we will work to produce a memorial and a learning space that will enhance and complement existing work by government and organisations supporting Holocaust remembrance. Its location next to Parliament emphasises the importance the UK places in remembering mass murder that defined the twentieth century.

Co-chair Ed Balls said:

We all share a great responsibility across society to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten, and over the last 4 years, as a member of the Holocaust Commission and then the Foundation, I have been inspired by the survivors I have met and deeply moved by their testimonies. I’m therefore honoured to be appointed co-chair of the Foundation with Sir Eric.

It is our task to ensure that Britain’s national memorial and learning centre serves both as a permanent record of the past and a clear warning for the future. There is much excellent work already going on in the UK, which we will build on, and around the world, which we can learn from, and like Eric, I am hugely grateful to Sir Peter Bazalgette for all he has done to date, and to the Prime Minister for putting her trust in us to see this vital project through to completion.

Welcoming their appointment, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Congratulations to Sir Eric and Ed Balls on becoming co-chairs of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Advisory Board. They will both bring their valuable insight to building the vision for this vital project. I look forward to working with them to deliver a world class memorial and learning centre. It will not only honour and remember all victims and survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, but educate future generations on the importance of fighting prejudice and persecution in all its forms.

Under the chairmanship of Sir Eric and Ed Balls, the advisory board will help define the overall vision for the Memorial and Learning Centre and deepen understanding of the facts and lessons to be learnt from the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

They will work with the Housing and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government which has overall responsibility for the completion, design and build of the Memorial and Centre.

In October last year, Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and the landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman were announced as the winning team to design the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. They were selected by a jury that included the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Mayor of London, the Chief Rabbi, experts from architecture, art and design, and both first and second generation Holocaust survivors.

With cross-party support, the government has committed £50 million for the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre which will be supplemented through fundraising.

The other members of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation advisory board are:

• The Rt Hon Alex Salmond
• Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
• Natasha Kaplinsky OBE
• Gerald Ronson CBE
• Alice Greenwald
• The Rt Hon the Lord Feldman of Elstree
• Lord David Alliance
• Baroness Dido Harding
• Peter Freeman

On 16 April 2018, Telford Magistrates’ Court fined the 55 year-old £16,000 and ordered him to pay £20,000 in costs, along with a £170 victim surcharge.

The charges were brought by the Environment Agency under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 and Sections 24(1) and (4) of the Water Resources Act 1991.

The Environment Agency discovered that between May 2015 and April 2017, the Defendant had abstracted on average over 20,000 litres of water per day from a borehole on the farmland without an abstraction licence.

Between October 2016 and April 2017, Mr Fair was abstracting an average of 67,000 litres of water per day, more than three times the legal limit. This water was being used in farming activities but was also being supplied to eight nearby tenanted properties.

Evidence gathered by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council between December 2014 and May 2016 revealed that the water supplied to these properties was failing quality standards for nitrates.

A formal notice was served on Mr Fair on 13 October 2015, requiring him to notify the residents of the supplied properties advising them that the water was not fit for consumption due to high nitrate levels. The notice was withdrawn in May 2016, as a result of improvements made to the supply infrastructure by Mr Fair, including installation of a chlorination dosing pump.

Mr Fair’s farm lies in an area designated a nitrate vulnerable zone. Farmers practising within these zones are required to plan and record their farming activities, including the application of manures and fertilisers, in a manner prescribed under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008. The purpose of these Regulations is to protect the environment by reducing nitrate pollution.

In April 2015, the Environment Agency carried out an inspection of farming activities at Peatswood Farm. Mr Fair failed to produce records showing that in 2014 he had carried out the necessary planning and recording of his farming activities under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008.

As a result of his failure to comply with the Regulations, Mr Fair was reported to the Rural Payments Agency and received a 28% reduction in his Single Farm Payment for the year 2014. The Single Farm Payment is a subsidy designed to help farmers to meet their environmental, public, animal and plant health standards.

In mitigation, Mr Fair’s barrister stated that Mr Fair had no previous convictions and was a man of previous good character. He admitted that Mr Fair had failed in his obligations under the legislation but that he had sought out new professional advice and was working to improve his farming practices. Mr Fair’s barrister stated that the high nitrate levels in drinking water had been caused in-part by his tenants removing nitrate filters installed within the properties because they caused a reduction in water pressure. He further stated that Mr Fair had suffered family bereavements in 2015 and 2016.

Both nations benefit from vibrant digital economies and will design, create and manufacture technologies that will help protect citizens and businesses against malicious cyber attacks.

The agreement will enable collaboration on internet governance, promoting international cyber stability, tackling online crime and developing cyber security sectors.

Minister for Armed Forces, Mark Lancaster, said:

Defence and security are at the centre of our friendship with India. By working together to combat terrorism, tackle cyber threats, and build regional security, we are keeping both our countries safe.

Discussions have also been held on how the Royal Navy can work more closely with their Indian counterparts to ensure the safety and prosperity of the Indian Ocean region – tackling piracy and drug trafficking, as well as protecting freedom of navigation rights. The UK already plays an active role in maritime security in this region through counter terrorism, counter piracy and maritime security operations because a free and open Indo-Pacific area is in the interests of the UK, India and the international community.

In addition, work is underway on building a long-term approach to the UK and India’s defence industry-to-industry relations, allowing our Armed Forces to share technologies and learn skills from each other.

These new military links are among several ways the UK and India are working closer together across several departments, announced during an inward visit by Prime Minister Narenda Modi.

The armies of the UK and India already enjoy a close bond and work together on Exercise Ajeya Warrior every two years, sharing battle tactics and pool together ideas.

The FCO was one of 74 organisations to take part in Mind’s second annual Workplace Wellbeing Index, receiving a Silver accreditation at the awards ceremony last night.

The FCO was recognised for its continuing work and development of wellbeing practices, both in the UK and overseas.

Highlights over the past year include developing a Wellbeing Strategy, first-hand articles from senior leaders, and expanding the network of mental health first aiders.

Mind’s Workplace Wellbeing Index is a benchmark of best policy and practice, celebrating the good work employers are doing to promote and support positive mental health, and providing key recommendations on the specific areas where there is room to improve.

Sir Simon McDonald, FCO Permanent Under-Secretary, said:

FCO staff do phenomenal work around the world, often in difficult circumstances: looking after their health and wellbeing is a priority. I am proud that our commitment to wellbeing has been recognised. I hope the work we are doing will mean that in the future we can aspire to a Gold award.

Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind, said:

Employers are increasingly acknowledging the importance of tackling stress and supporting the mental wellbeing of the entire workforce, including employees that might be struggling with their mental health. We’re delighted to recognise and celebrate employers making mental health a priority for their organisation through our Workplace Wellbeing Index.

This year, we’ve been overwhelmed to see so much good practice right across the board, from each and every one of the 74 diverse employers to take part. The Awards event provided an opportunity to recognise those forward-thinking employers who are at the cutting edge when it comes to investing in their staff wellbeing, and in turn getting the best outcomes for their business.

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will visit the UK today (Wednesday 18 April) as an official guest of government at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM).

The Indian Prime Minister’s visit comes with a huge boost for the UK economy as a range of new Indian investments worth more than £1 billion will create or safeguard 5,750 British jobs for the economy.

Alongside the investment, the Department for International Trade (DIT) has agreed to forge a new India-UK Trade Partnership which builds on the recommendations that followed the Joint Trade Review (JTR) between the 2 countries earlier this year.

The new partnership will seek to improve the accessibility of trade for businesses in both countries as the UK assumes responsibility for its independent trade policy for the first time in 40 years. Focusing on the 3 key sectors of life sciences, IT and food and drink, the partnership will seek to reduce barriers to trade, making it easier for trade in these sectors to continue to flourish as well as developing an even stronger trading ties.

The UK also intends to recruit a UK cyber security industry expert to be based at the High Commission in New Delhi. Their role would involve sharing British expertise and connecting Indian private and public sector organisations with cutting-edge UK companies who can supply their specific requirements.

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was £18 billion in 2017, a 15% increase from 2016. UK exports to India, led by innovative machinery and mechanical appliances, form a large part of this and also increased significantly by 14.9%.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said:

Removing barriers to trade is a key way in which the UK can capitalise on the predicted growth in world markets and so I’m delighted we have come to this new trade partnership with India.

It is clear that that the opportunities for growth in trade with India are plenty, and as an international economic department we will continue to use tools such as trade missions not only to boost UK exports, but also to help businesses of all sizes forge ties and build cultivate relationships with potential buyers and investors.

The visit of Prime Minister Modi will see the launch of a package of technical assistance to help India climb further up the rankings for ease of doing business, benefitting UK companies and the Indian economy alike. Additionally, the 2 countries have also agreed to strengthen ties between their respective agriculture industries.

Trading relations between the UK and India have received a boost recently after a series of visits and trade missions between the 2 countries. Earlier this year Baroness Fairhead visited Mumbai and Bangalore with a large group of technology businesses to strengthen ties between the industries in the 2 countries. This follows more than 100 UK businesses from different sectors visiting in January and February this year alone.

Further information

Contact the DIT Media and Digital Team on 020 7008 3333.

Follow us: @tradegovuk and gov.uk/dit.