Category: Gov Press Releases

The bill to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster has been published in draft today (18 October 2018) – implementing the decision taken by Parliament to move forward with a full programme of work.

The Draft Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill establishes the statutory bodies responsible for the work to ensure value for money for the taxpayer, whilst securing the Palace of Westminster as the home of the UK Parliament for future generations.

It also ensures Parliamentarians are consulted and given a vote on the design, cost and timing of the work.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, said:

I am pleased that the publication of this draft bill allows the programme to make progress. It marks the next step in Parliament’s efforts to protect the Palace of Westminster as the home of our democracy for future generations.

Following agreement by MPs across all parties, we are supporting Parliamentary Authorities to deliver on that decision, and press ahead with this work.

The government’s role is to ensure taxpayers’ money is protected, and the measures in this draft bill reflect our determination to ensure the delivery of the restoration and renewal programme runs to time and represents the best value for money. There can be no blank cheque for this work.

The draft bill gives effect to the resolutions voted for by Parliament earlier this year, to create a governance structure for the project by setting up a Sponsor Body, a Delivery Authority and an Estimates Commission.

These bodies will be able to make strategic decisions on the restoration and renewal programme.

The Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body will have overall responsibility for the restoration and renewal programme and is comprised of a mixture of Parliamentarians and external experts.

It will also be empowered to form a Delivery Authority – a non-profit company that will put forward proposals for the restoration works and ensure they are delivered on time and to specification.

This two-tier approach, as used in the successful London Olympics project, was approved by Parliament as the best structure to deliver a value for money programme.

The bill also establishes a Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission which will review and comment on the Sponsor Body’s cost estimates and lay them before Parliament.

This bill also gives the Treasury powers to scrutinise and comment on the annual estimates for the funding of the programme. The National Audit Office will also be able to undertake audits and value-for-money reviews.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, Leader of the House of Lords, said:

As an important parliamentary project, the publication of the draft bill will give members of both Houses, and other interested parties, an opportunity to scrutinise the approach being taken to the governance of the Restoration and Renewal Programme before the bill is introduced.

We welcome the forthcoming Parliamentary scrutiny to ensure that the draft bill achieves the aim of ensuring that the Restoration and Renewal Programme will be sufficiently independent, transparent and accountable to Parliament and to the public.

The decision to take forward these works was made by MPs across Parliament as a result of serious structural, mechanical and electrical, fire safety and asbestos issues in the Palace of Westminster, which cannot be resolved outside a major programme of refurbishment.

Unless significant restoration work takes place, major, irreversible damage may be done to the building, and the risk of a significant building failure is increasing every year.

Notes to editors

1. On 31 January 2018, the House of Commons approved a resolution that work should commence on the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster.
2. The resolution required that ‘immediate steps be taken’ to establish a Shadow Sponsor Board and Delivery Authority, and that their ‘statutory successors’ be established by legislation in due course.
3. A resolution in identical terms was approved by the House of Lords on 6 February 2018.
4. The UK Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal Programme was established to tackle the significant work that needs to be done to protect and preserve the heritage of the Palace of Westminster, and ensure it can continue to serve as home to the UK Parliament in the 21st century.
5. Both Houses of Parliament decided to create a Sponsor Board in shadow form in July, with the following members:
   • Elizabeth Peace CBE (Chair)
   • Lord Carter of Coles
   • Lord Deighton KBE
   • Rt Hon the Lord Geidt GCB GCVO OBE
   • Neil Gray MP
   • Brigid Janssen
   • Rt Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin MP
   • Marta Phillips OBE
   • Baroness Scott of Needham Market
   • Mark Tami MP
   • Simon Thurley CBE
   • Simon Wright OBE
6. For more information, please contact the House of Commons Media Relations Team on 0207 219 0969.

Dissolving seaweed sauce sachets and technology inspired by a suckerfish to remove plastics from rivers are among 11 innovative projects to win the backing of a £4 million government fund to clean up the environment.

To showcase the ground-breaking research being led by UK scientists and innovators during Green GB Week, the Business Secretary Greg Clark today announced the winners of a competition to develop new products or processes to end the scourge of plastic waste.

Moving to a greener, cleaner economy which helps protect the environment is a key part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.

Among the winners are Skipping Rocks Lab in London, whose state-of-the-art facility is working on a scheme which could make the sight of single-use condiment sachets on takeaway counters a thing of the past by replacing plastic packaging with seaweed. The material, which has successfully been used as an alternative to the plastic water bottle, biodegrades as fast as a piece of fruit and is cheaper than plastic.

Other successful companies to win government funding include:

• Ichthion: Filters out plastic clogging up the UK’s waterways with a boat-mounted vacuum which mimics the way remora fish feed.
• Axion: Recycles plastics like car bumpers and motorcycle helmets, currently sent to landfill, and turns them into plastic pellets for moulding into new products such as bins or cables.
• Polymateria: Makes biodegradable plastic which lets you put packaging straight into the compost with your food waste.
  Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark, said:

Companies are capitalising on the UK’s world leading research base to develop products that tackle the global scourge of plastic waste while grasping the business opportunities found in the green economy.

When you combine Britain’s leadership, innovation and determination it is an unbeatable combination – exactly what our Industrial Strategy and Green GB Week are supporting and encouraging.

Professor Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair, Natural Environment Research Council and PRIF lead for UKRI, said:

The Plastics Research Innovation Fund starts bringing the strength of UK Research and Innovation’s entire portfolio, from environment to technology to business to behaviour and regulation, to bear on the pressing and very widely recognised problem of plastic waste.

The innovative businesses awarded funding today have stepped up and are bringing their creativity and entrepreneurialism to bear in finding real-world solutions to problem plastics, while at the same time aiming to create cleaner economic growth.

The Industrial Strategy has research and innovation at its heart and as part of this, the Government has committed to boost spending on research and development to 2.4% of GDP by 2027 to ensure the UK takes advantage of the economic opportunities from the move towards a cleaner, greener economy.

The competition is supported by the £20 million Plastics Research and Innovation Fund which aims to build on the UK’s global leadership in the fight against waste plastic, ensuring the UK reaps the economic benefits from the transition to a low carbon economy while leaving the environment in a better place for future generations. This announcement builds on the Government’s world-leading Clean Growth Strategy which sets out more than £2.5 billion in low carbon innovation.

The announcement of the winners comes during the UK’s first ever Green GB Week, calling on governments, businesses and communities to renew their efforts to confront climate change head on while seizing one of the greatest industrial opportunities of our time.

Just last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report stating that more rapid action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emission to avoid devastating risks of climate change to health and global prosperity. Government support to tackle plastic waste will help the UK realise the economic benefits of this global move to tackle climate change.

The UK has already taken great strides to tackle plastic pollution with thirteen billion plastic bags taken out of circulation through our 5p carrier bag charge and a ban on microbeads in care products.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt will call on the global aid community to take action today, saying “enough is enough”, as the Department for International Development (DFID) and the international aid sector clamps down on sexual predators abusing the most vulnerable people around the world.

Speaking ahead of the International Safeguarding Summit in London today (Thursday 18 October) Ms Mordaunt said:

This is a pivotal moment. The entire international aid community is in one place, as it looks to change for the better the way the aid sector works.

Our message to sexual predators using the sector as a cover for their crimes is ‘Your time is up’.

This summit will consolidate the work we have done to date to tackle exploitation and abuse and we will be announcing concrete practical actions and new law enforcement tools, which will bring about significant changes. We are demanding tough commitments from donors, NGOs and other aid organisations.

We are not complacent. We realise there is much work still to do, but this a moment to say: ‘No more’. We have to give the people that we are here to help the protection that they need.

At the summit Ms Mordaunt will announce that DFID and Interpol are launching a pilot to help stop sexual predators from being able to move between aid organisations without being caught.

In addition, the UK will support NGOs, particularly small organisations, to strengthen their systems and processes via a new platform, which will include access to specialist investigators.

The UK is supporting NGOs to test a new passport for aid workers to prove an individual’s identity, provide background information and vetting status. This will make it easier for employers to gather up to date information on applicants.

DFID will also support the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate to establish a Victims Statement of Rights. This will provide clear, guidance to organisations on how to put victims and survivors first and improve support.

Ms Mordaunt will announce the new Interpol project, named Operation Soteria after the Greek goddess of safety, will include deploying teams of specialists to two regional hubs in Africa and Asia to strengthen criminal record checks and information sharing between all 192 members, including high risk countries, and help ensure a more robust law enforcement response against individuals.

Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

A critical part of Interpol’s mission is to protect the most vulnerable members of society from the most dangerous.

This is all the more important when sexual predators attempt to exploit the very people – be it men, women or children – they are supposed to be safeguarding from harm.

International donors, who collectively provide over 90 per cent of global official aid, the UN and International Financial Institutions and will make concrete commitments at the summit.

The summit follows an event in March co-hosted by DFID and the Charity Commission where Ms Mordaunt challenged UK-based international development charities, regulatory bodies and independent experts to drive up standards to ensure the aid sector protects the people it serves. As part of this, DFID put in place new, enhanced safeguarding standards for the organisations the department works with. Today’s event will focus on the international community.

Notes to editors:

• The pilot will be led by Interpol, ACRO (The Association of Chief Police Officers’ Criminal Records Office) and Save the Children who are coordinating NGO’s participating in the project.
• This is a five-year project with an initial one-year phase focused on testing the online platform, which will build on existing Interpol systems. This is a £10 million project, in which the UK has taken a leading role. It will commit £2 million, subject to approvals for the inception phase.
• For more information on the previous safeguarding summit in March visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/safeguarding-summit-statements-by-the-international-development-secretary-and-dfids-permanent-secretary

Speaking at the 13th Annual Lecture organised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in London tonight, Sir Harpal Kumar, the former CEO of Cancer Research UK outlined his vision for cancer care in the future.

He said earlier diagnosis would enable the UK to catch-up with its international counterparts in terms of survival rates and would also make the NHS more efficient.

Sir Harpal said he would like to see an end to the unacceptable variation in cancer treatment that exists in the UK, whereby some patients have long waits for appointments or tests, depending on where they live.

He also wants to see an improvement in the relationship between research and the NHS so patients receive new treatments much quicker.

Citing recent Cancer UK Research, Sir Harpal said the evidence showed around 60% of doctors felt they’d experienced a barrier to adopting a new treatment, rising to 83% amongst oncologists, with money being the most frequent barrier.

In his speech to an audience of clinicians and healthcare leaders, he made reference to the ageing population meaning in the next decade, there is likely to be an increase in the total number of deaths from cancer in the UK. Last year, more than 162,000 deaths were cancer-related, representing 28% of all deaths in the UK.

Sir Harpal Kumar said:

We have the potential to transform outcomes for many thousands of cancer patients, based on what we know now, even if there were no more research.

We have to think and act differently. If we cracked earlier diagnosis, it wouldn’t just enable us to catch up with our international counterparts, through the thousands of lives saved. It would also mean a huge increase in NHS efficiency.

Dr Ian Hudson, MHRA’s Chief Executive, said:

As a regulator, we know the important role that research and development plays in bringing new treatments to patients.

Given the ageing population, our work is even more vital to help transform outcomes for many thousands of patients – including cancer patients – to help make sure new and innovative treatments are made available to patients at the earliest, safest opportunity.

Notes to Editor

1. The MHRA Annual Lecture is the Agency’s flagship event bringing together more than 200 senior domestic and international leaders from medicine, government, industry, academia, third sector and world health institutions. This year’s event took place on 17 October at the Royal Institution, in London.
2. Each year the lecture is delivered by internationally renowned experts to bring their perspective on topics of global importance. This year, Sir Harpal Kumar, ex-CEO of Cancer Research UK delivered a lecture titled “Medical Innovation and the battle against cancer: is the health system keeping pace?” His lecture follows those by Dr Jeremy Farrar, Wellcome Trust, in 2017, Dr Margaret Chan, World Health Organisation, in 2016, and Dr Dan Hartman, Gates Foundation, in 2015.

Today, Tuesday 16 October 2018, Adam David Orsler from Solihull, West Midlands appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court, for illegally depositing 26 tonnes of general household waste on disused land in Smethwick Birmingham, on 10 July 2016. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order and he is required to complete 220 hours of unpaid work. He is also required to pay compensation to the land owner of £2,974, in addition to £2,000 prosecution costs and victim surcharge of £85.

Earlier this year, Mr Orsler entered a guilty plea to the charge of unlawfully depositing the waste. He then failed to attend the subsequent hearing, where the Magistrates found that he had committed the offence deliberately and with a flagrant disregard for the law. The illegal waste deposit had an adverse impact on the amenity value of the area and the defendant benefited financially.

The Environment Agency investigated the incident after a local business owner photographed the defendant depositing the waste. When Environment Agency officers interviewed Mr Orsler, he admitted that he was paid £650 to collect the waste from a site in Dudley, but he received no formal paperwork.

In sentencing Mr Orsler, the Judge took into consideration the absence of any similar previous convictions and Mr Orsler’s personal circumstances.

An Environment Agency Officer in charge of the investigation said:

Waste crime is serious offence as it can damage the environment, blight local communities and undermine those who operate illegally.

This successful outcome shows that the courts take such incidents actions very seriously. In this case, the defendant showed a total disregard for the law as it would have been obvious to him that the site where he tipped the waste, was not a legitimate one.

The Environment Agency provides advice about how to responsibly manage any waste a business produces. If you need advice about waste at your premises, please call us on 0370 850 6506 or visit our web page.

Everyone can play a part in helping to prevent waste getting into the hands of criminals. If members of the public suspect that a company is doing something wrong, they can call the Environment Agency on 24/7 on 0800 80 70 60 or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The ex-coach of a Windermere under-12s football team who sexually assaulted 7 of his players has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it to the Court of Appeal for being too low.

Anthony Pickering, 56, who was between 17 and 20 years old at the time, carried out his campaign of sexual abuse over a 3 year period during the late 70s and early 80s. He coached boys aged 8 to 12, travelled to their matches, and also went on tour with them to Dumfries; opportunities he would use to carry out his abuse.

Pickering was originally sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court in August, where he was given 5 years imprisonment. This was on top of 10 years he was already serving for similar charges in 2012. Today, after the Solicitor General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 9 years imprisonment, on top of his previous sentence.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

“To abuse a position of power and subject vulnerable children to such horrific sexual assaults is an abhorrent crime. Pickering robbed multiple victims of their childhood, and I am pleased the Court of Appeal has agreed that his sentence deserved to be higher.”

Seven more faith and belief groups are to be permanently represented during the National Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph from this year Faith Minister Lord Bourne announced today (17 October 2018).

Jains, Zoroastrians and Copts are among those faiths and beliefs that will now take part in this country’s greatest service to remember and honour the heroes of our past – making the National Service of Remembrance more reflective of modern Britain.

The addition of several smaller faith communities like Mormons, Baha’ís and Spiritualists, will reflect the significant but little-known contribution made by minority ethnic communities to Britain’s war efforts.

It also sends a strong signal throughout Britain and the world that this country values the contribution of its diverse communities.

Minister for Faith Lord Bourne said:

One hundred years ago, men and women of all faiths and beliefs made huge sacrifices for our freedom in the First World War.

It’s absolutely right as a modern, multi-faith society that we step up our efforts to honour those people of other faiths for their contribution. It’s because of their bravery and selflessness that we are afforded the privileges and luxuries we enjoy today. Their sacrifices should be honoured through the ages.

Currently, the list of 15 faiths represented at the service does not reflect the diversity of those who gave their lives so that others could live in peace. Those faiths and beliefs selected have a long and proud link to Britain’s Armed Forces. Their inclusion will ensure that the National Remembrance Service is now truly reflective of the diverse faiths and beliefs who help to make Britain the great country we are today.

His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London said:

While Christianity focuses on peace and reconciliation, war has been a regrettable part of the reality of our world, as a result of which many have paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. It is for this reason that we honour their memory and pray for their families and colleagues who still mourn their loss, while also praying for those who follow their selfless example today.

While we remember our fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate price to keep us safe, we give thanks that this year’s Centenary anniversary, marking the end of the First World War, is a reassuring reminder that even the ugliness and destruction of war has an end.

Malcolm M Deboo, President of Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe said:

For a tiny faith community, the Zoroastrians have punched well above their weight and contributed immensely to Britain in both World Wars.

At the outbreak of the First World War, thousands volunteered from Britain and India to serve as soldiers and doctors and many were decorated for their bravery and sacrifice. Sadly, many also lost their lives and a Zoroastrian War Memorial was erected in their memory in South Bombay in 1926 where they are remembered annually.

The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe is extremely delighted to be invited to the National Remembrance Ceremony for Armistice 100 and is honoured to be a part of remembering those that sacrificed so much 100 years ago.

Following an open nomination process, run by Faiths Forum for London on MHCLG’s behalf, the following list of faiths and beliefs have been selected to be included in the annual National Remembrance Service both for this and future years:

The Zoroastrians

The contribution of the Zoroastrian community to Britain’s war effort greatly exceeds their small size. There have been notable Zoroastrian servicemen in both World Wars and the Falklands conflict, including Col Phirozshah Byramji Bharucha of the 14th Ferozepore Sikhs who was the first Indian to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The loss of the lives of Zoroastrian servicemen in World War one also came at great cost to the faith, which relies on the male line to continue the faith, from which it never fully recovered.

The Coptic Christians

The Coptic Christians are the most persecuted Christian community in the world and if any community is a symbol of extending the hand of peace despite facing regular violent attacks, it is this one. The Coptic Christians have also played their part in supporting Britain in the two World Wars, especially in the Egyptian campaigns.

The Jains

Although the Jain faith focuses on non-violence, the Jain community has a long history of serving in the military, including Britain’s armed forces. For Jains, it is their duty to stand up to tyranny and violence to bring peace. Jains have been an active force in both World Wars.

The Baha’ís

The Baha’í faith owes its very existence to the Indian cavalrymen, fighting for Britain, who rescued the Baha’í spiritual leader from Ottoman captivity in September 1918, in the last major cavalry campaign in military history. Without this action, the fledgling Bahá’í faith may not have survived. To that end, the Baha’ís honour the sacrifices made for their faith by these servicemen both through remembrance and through military service in Britain and abroad.

The Humanists

A significant number of people serving in Britain’s military do not ascribe to a particular faith, but many of these will associate with Humanist beliefs. It is important that in our quest to create a National Remembrance Service which is reflective of modern Britain, that major belief systems are recognised as well as faiths, including the Humanists.

The Spiritualists

The number of Spiritualists grew dramatically over the course of the First World War. In 1914, there were 145 societies affiliated to the Spiritualists National Union. By the end of the War, it had more than doubled to 309. Spiritualism provided an important source of faith and comfort for many soldiers dealing with the effects of war.

The Mormons

The First World War was hugely influential on the Mormon faith and its followers. For many, it was an opportunity to change the way that others viewed the Church and the valiant actions of these men often caused other soldiers to rethink the way they felt about the Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a long history and tradition of military service and continue to support the military.

Case study: Abdul Baha’

Immediately prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Abdul Baha’, son of the Founder-Prophet of the Baha’i faith and steward of the nascent Baha’i community, was nearly 70 and being held as a prisoner of conscience in Haifa, Israel – the spiritual centre of the Baha’i faith. With his life under threat from the Ottoman authorities, the War Office hatched a plan to rescue him following lobbying from the British Baha’i community.

In September of 1918, men of the Jodhpur Lancers and the Mysore Lancers supported by the Sherwood Forester Yeomanry, rode to Haifa to secure the life of the figure known to Baha’is as “the Centre of the Covenant”.

In dramatic scenes, troops of the Jodhpur Lancers took Turkish forces by surprise, launching an audacious charge up the slopes of Mount Carmel. Despite early setbacks, the Indian cavalry charged in the face of artillery and heavy machine-gun fire, capturing two machine gun positions, 1,350 prisoners and opening the route to Haifa.

A detachment of Mysore Lancers rode immediately to secure the house of Abdul Baha and Baha’i shrines were protected from destruction – today they remain the primary site of pilgrimage for the Baha’i community across the world.

Overseeing the operation, General Allenby sent a cable to London: “Notify the world that Abdul Baha is safe.”
The legacy of the courage and sacrifice witnessed that day has been the flowering of a worldwide Baha’i community, including perhaps close to 2 million Baha’is in India today.

About the National Remembrance Service

The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London has played host to the Remembrance Service for the past nine decades. On the Sunday nearest to 11 November at 11am each year, a Remembrance Service is held at the Cenotaph to commemorate British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who died in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

The monarch, religious leaders, politicians, representatives of state and the armed and auxiliary forces, gather to pay respect to those who gave their lives defending others. The service has changed little since it was first introduced in 1921, hymns are sung, prayers are said and a two-minute silence is observed. Official wreaths are laid on the steps of The Cenotaph. The ceremony ends with a march past of war veterans as a gesture of respect for their fallen comrades.

Faiths currently invited to the National Remembrance Service

At present, 15 faith and belief denominations are represented at the Remembrance Service. These are:

• The Roman Catholic Church
• Churches in Communities International representing Free Churches
• Methodist Conference
• United Reform Church
• Baptist Union
• Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
• Salvation Army
• Chief Rabbi
• Reform Judaism
• Muslim Representative
• Hindu Representative
• Buddhist Representative
• Director of the Sikh Network UK
• Greek Orthodox Church Representative
• Church of Scotland

A device built in the UK by Honeywell, which will form a vital part of the mission to make the first global survey of the world’s surface waters and oceans, has been delivered to Thales Alenia Space in France.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, mission is led by CNES (the French Space Agency) and NASA with support from the UK Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The UK Space Agency and CNES signed a joint statement in January 2018 during the UK-France Summit in Sandhurst to step up co-operation in space, building on 2014’s Brize-Norton framework arrangement.

The warming of Earth’s climate may profoundly alter the movement of freshwater resources from lakes to rivers to reservoirs, resulting in significant societal impact. The SWOT satellite will use radar technology to measure the features of oceans, coastlines, rivers and lakes across the globe to improve understanding of changes over time and their impact on farming, industry and human populations.

The UK-built device, known as a duplexer, is a vital component that routes radar signals around the satellite and can transmit at a power of 1,500W – a level never before seen in this kind of device.

Speaking in Brussels at the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Plenary, UK Space Agency Director of Growth Catherine Mealing-Jones said:

Satellites play a major role in understanding our home – planet Earth. Using great British technology, the SWOT mission is a great example of how satellites can take measurements of our environment from the unique vantage point of space, in this case, giving us the first global survey of one of our most precious resources – water. The UK and France are leading space powers in Europe and the delivery of the duplexer for the SWOT mission is a significant milestone in our partnership, which continues to go from strength to strength.

It will now be integrated into a Radio-Frequency Unit by Thales Alenia Space before NASA engineers add it to their KaRin instrument developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The satellite is due to launch 2021.

CNES is supplying the RFU (Radio-Frequency Unit), which is co-funded with the UK Space Agency UKSA. As well as the duplexer, Thales Alenia Space is developing the ‘hyperbox’ in Toulouse which will create the radar pulse and receive radar echoes.

Hailing this new milestone, CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall said:

This new step forward for the SWOT mission is a product of the close relationship between our space agencies and industries. The joint statement signed by CNES and UKSA in 2018 during the UK-France Summit in Sandhurst is being effectively applied and France and the United Kingdom are pursuing their successful space cooperation.

The UK and France are also teaming up on the MicroCarb programme to monitor and map sources and sinks of carbon gases, as well as supporting the implementation of a Space Climate Observatory, which was set out in the Paris Declaration on Climate Change.

This week is Green Great Britain Week, which is showcasing the leading role of the UK’s academic and business communities in tackling climate change while generating economic growth.

Green GB Week celebrates the tenth anniversary of the UK’s ground-breaking Climate Change Act. The UK has played a leading role in delivering clean growth – growing the economy by more than two thirds while reducing emissions by over 40% since 1990.

Clean growth is central to the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy, and Green GB Week includes 100 events across the country promoting the opportunities from clean growth and raising awareness of how businesses and the public can contribute to tackling climate change.

The UK and France are also teaming up on the MicroCarb programme to monitor and map sources and sinks of carbon gases, as well as supporting the implementation of a Space Climate Observatory, which was set out in the Paris Declaration on Climate Change.