Category: Gov Press Releases

Mark Field, Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, arrives in Sri Lanka today (5 October) for a visit that will include meetings with government and opposition figures, civil society and trade organisations.

The Minister will hold discussions with government representatives including President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana.

He will also meet Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan and Joint Opposition Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena, with members of civil society and the Commissioners of the Office on Missing Persons, and visit the London Stock Exchange Group.

The Minister will discuss the UK’s continued support for Sri Lanka in delivering meaningful and lasting reconciliation, as well as celebrating people-to-people links with the England Cricket Team.

Minister of State Mark Field said:

I am looking forward to visiting Sri Lanka for talks with the government across the full range of our bilateral issues.

I will offer the UK’s continued support to help Sri Lanka make progress on its human rights and reconciliation agenda ahead of Geneva next March, and highlight our cooperation on areas such as bilateral trade and wildlife protection.

My visit coincides with that of the England Cricket Team – and offers the opportunity to celebrate our two countries’ shared love for the sport and the qualities it represents, such as fair play and respect.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

As part of Black History month, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has today published a new booklet which for the first time provides an insight into the history of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff in the department over the last 70 years.

The booklet, entitled ‘Black skin, Whitehall: Race and the Foreign Office, 1945 – 2018’ reveals the challenges to ensure equal representation for non-white people in the British diplomatic service in the context of decades of political debates about Empire, immigration and racism and pressure from campaign groups.

The document, written by FCO Historian James Southern, also highlights the progress achieved in recent years, including this year’s appointment of the first black female career diplomat being appointed into an Ambassadorial Post and in 2017, over 23% of the FCO graduate entry scheme intake coming from a BAME background, one of the highest levels across Whitehall.

The publication, part of a series of FCO historical notes, which included a document published last July entitled ‘Homosexuality at the Foreign Office 1967 to 1991’ shows how attitudes can change and these documents can be used to support the work of British diplomats around the world to promote inclusion and end discrimination.

Sir Simon McDonald, the FCO’s Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of HM Diplomatic Service said:

The diversity of our staff and their heritage is a prime source of our strength. This historical note sets out the challenges faced by BAME staff working at the FCO over the last 70 years, but also the important progress achieved. It is essential we make further progress to ensure our modern Diplomatic Service reflects the best of the diversity of the UK.

James Southern, FCO Historian and author of the publication said:

This publication tells the story of non-white people at the Foreign Office. Like many similar British institutions, the FCO has a difficult history when it comes to race; it is hoped that this History Note serves as a basis for the beginning of a long overdue conversation aimed at building a more inclusive organisation.

Muna Shamsuddin and Fouzia Younis-Suleman of the FCO’s network for BAME Staff and authors of the afterword, said:

We are more diverse on ethnicity than we have ever been, with a number of BAME Ambassadors, the first black career diplomat appointed into an Ambassadorial post, and one of the highest BAME Fast Stream intakes across Whitehall. Yet, as this report also shows, there is still a long way to go to ensure that we are bringing up the best of British diverse talent and supporting all staff to meet their aspirations.

The report is available online here

Further Information:

• The publication of today’s booklet was launched at an event hosted at the FCO today (4 October) for civil servants across Whitehall. This was the first in a series of internal events the FCO’s network for BAME Staff have organised to celebrate Black History Month throughout October.
• FCO staff who come from a BAME background now represent the UK all around the world and at all grades. We have our first black career diplomat in Mozambique (Nnenne Iwuji-Eme), and over 23% of our graduate entry scheme intake came from a BAME background, one of the highest levels across Whitehall.
• Further information on the FCO Historians and their publications can be found here or on Twitter @FCOHistorians.

International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has today (Thursday, 4 October) announced that the UK will provide further assistance to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, by aid matching the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal.

During a visit to the headquarters of DEC, Ms Mordaunt announced that the UK Government will match pound-for-pound the first £2 million raised by the generous British public to the Indonesia Tsunami Appeal.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The British public have been very moved by the plight of so many people hit by these terrible events.

Aid Match is a chance for the British public to help directly to support people in desperate need. As well as our support through UK aid, the UK government will match pound for pound all public donations up to £2 million.

Your help will make a genuine difference, ensuring that lifesaving aid reaches those in dire need in Indonesia right now.

This new support will double the impact of the public’s own donations and will ensure that charities working on the ground can reach the men, women and children who have been left homeless and are in urgent need of food, water and temporary shelter.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said:

We are delighted that the next £2 million donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government.

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of people in the UK and we hope that this announcement will inspire even more people to give, knowing that whatever they donate will be matched pound for pound.

The situation in Indonesia is truly desperate. People have now gone several days without food, many are still believed to be trapped under the rubble, and we have heard stories of children becoming separated from their families.

DEC member charities are on the ground doing everything they can to help, but more funds are urgently needed to ensure we can reach as many people as possible.

The UK has been swift to respond to this crisis and this latest package of support comes less than 24 hours after the Government increased its direct support by £1 million to a total of £3 million.

The Aid Match support to the DEC appeal takes the initial commitment to the disaster relief to-date to up to £5 million.

This is on top of substantial existing support that the UK is already providing through its core funding to partners on the ground, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

The Indonesia Tsunami Appeal brings together 14 leading UK aid charities all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly.

Notes to editors

Two charities under investigation by the Charity Commission, Save the Children and Oxfam, voluntarily withdrew from bidding for new funding for the duration of that investigation. The only circumstances where DFID would consider there to be an exception to this would be if due to the scale, remoteness and complexity of a humanitarian situation beneficiaries would suffer as a consequence of not using these organisations. Save The Children and Oxfam are members of DEC and have a considerable presence in Indonesia. Given the challenging nature of the relief effort following the tsunami the Secretary of State has granted an exception in this case. We have no concerns about either organisations’ ability to work to the standard we require in this crisis.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox is in South Korea this week to turbo charge talks on our future trading relationship after the UK leaves the EU – with or without a deal. As the 5th and 11th biggest economies in the world, he will also discuss with British businesses how the UK can boost its exports to South Korea, following the recent publication of the UK’s Export Strategy.

Dr Fox is meeting with his counterpart, Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong, to outline the UK’s commitment to maintaining a strong trading relationship and trade continuity for British and South Korean firms after we leave the EU.

As part of this ambition, the Secretary of State will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), reaffirming our ongoing partnership and committing to working closely together on mutually beneficial business opportunities.

The ministers will also discuss how to break down non-tariff barriers to trade, which could help to further boost our exports.

Dr Fox is also meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr Kim Dong Yeon, as well as with businesses including Hanwha, LG and Samsung.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the International Trade Secretary said:

The Asia-Pacific region will be a major engine of global growth in the 21st century and strengthening our established trading relationship with South Korea is high on our agenda.

I am delighted to continue discussions with Minister Kim Hyun-chong and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong Yeon and I want to see British and South Korean firms continue to trade as we do now after we leave the European Union.

The UK and South Korea are some of the best places to do business in the world. Trade between our 2 countries is growing rapidly and will grow stronger in the coming months and years.

Total trade between the UK and South Korea was worth £13.3 billion last year, up by 15.2% on 2016, and British firms exported more to South Korea than to India.

The World Bank has rated the UK the 7th easiest country to do business in in the world and South Korea has been rated 4th.

South Korea is one of more than 70 countries, party to more than 40 trade agreements, currently in discussions with the Department for International Trade to achieve continuity of our trading arrangements after we leave the EU.

The government of South Korea has already expressed its desire to continue these arrangements, providing certainty and stability for businesses and consumers.

A man found to be in possession of a gun while on bail and subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order has today had his sentence increased after the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP, referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

During a search of 29 year old Mafuta Capitao’s home, police discovered a semi-automatic pistol. In addition to this, they found mobile phones and sim cards that had not been disclosed to law enforcement, as required under restrictions placed on Capitao following previous imprisonment for robbery and conspiracy to blackmail. At this time Capitao was also on bail, having been arrested for carrying a lock knife earlier in the year.

Capitao was originally sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court in July, where he was given 5 years 5 months imprisonment. Today, after the Attorney General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 7 years 5 months.

Commenting on the increase, the Attorney General said:

“Capitao has an extensive history of offending, and failed to adhere to the restrictions put upon him. These restrictions are put in place to enable law enforcement to prevent reoffending and protect members of the public; the Court of Appeal’s decision today sends a clear message that such breaches will be punished severely.”

The work, a major milestone for the project, will help pave the way for the arrival of the specialist tunnelling teams on site next year.

At Euston, HS2 will deliver 11 new platforms in two phases. This will more than double capacity at the station, as well as providing a new concourse and expanded Underground station, linked for the first time, to the nearby Euston Square tube station.

Twin 13 mile (21 kilometre) long tunnels, the biggest tunnelling project since Crossrail, will take the 360 km/h trains out of London via a new station at Old Oak Common linked to Crossrail. At the southern end, a tunnel portal will be built on the site of the carriage sheds, just south of Mornington Street Bridge.

The demolition, which took 9 months to complete was managed by HS2’s London enabling works contractor, CSJV working with demolitions contractor Keltbray. Up to 70 people were employed on site during the painstaking demolition of the sheds, which are adjacent to the west coast mainline.

Timelapse of HS2’s Euston tunnel portal site clearance

Specialist teams used drones to survey the inside of the Victorian structure, before taking the fragile roof structure apart. In total, more than 7,000 glazing panels had to be removed from the 250 metre long building. The team then used a cranes to remove the 27 huge 50 metre long steel trusses which supported the ceiling.

Out of use since 2004, the sheds were built to house carriages and later used for Royal Mail trains. Surplus track, switches and points removed from the sheds have been donated to the Bluebell railway, a heritage line in Sussex.

Welcoming the progress, HS2’s London Programme Director, Rob Carr, said:

The demolition of the old carriage sheds marks an important step forward for the project, clearing the way for the start of construction works next year, and the delivery of one of the most exciting new stations on the HS2 route. I’d like to congratulate the team on a job well done and look forward to moving ahead to the next stage of the project.

Peter Jones, CSJV Programme Director, said:

The CSJV team, consisting of people employed from the local area and other experienced professionals, alongside Keltbray have worked carefully and efficiently to ensure that this structure has been demolished safely. It marks a great milestone in the construction of HS2 and shows the fantastic progress that we are making in Euston and across Area South.

Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech has announced that they are recalling one lot of faulty Clear & Simple Digital Pregnancy Tests following the tests producing a small number of false positive results. See the alert for more information.

People are advised to check if they have any of the affected tests, which are listed in the table below. The lot number can be found on the end of the box and is also printed on the sachet. Only this lot number is affected.

The manufacturer estimates more than 58,000 affected tests have been distributed in the UK.

Anyone who has purchased an affected test is advised to seek alternative testing methods and return affected tests to their pharmacy or shop.

Dr Duncan McPherson, MHRA’s Clinical Director of Medical Devices, said:

It is important people check the lot number of any Clear & Simple Digital Pregnancy Tests they have purchased to see if they have a product from an affected lot.

If you have any questions about using digital pregnancy tests, please speak to your healthcare professional.

Patient safety is our highest priority. We strongly encourage anyone to report any issues with this product, or more generally with any medical device, to our Yellow Card Scheme.

The affected lot number is listed below:

We have, with the operations exposed today, further shone a light on the unacceptable cyber activities of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. It has targeted institutions across the world, including the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.

This attempt, to access the secure systems of an international organisation working to rid the world of chemical weapons, demonstrates the GRU’s disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe.

The GRU’s reckless operations stretch from destructive cyber activity to the use of illegal nerve agents, as we saw in Salisbury. That attack left four people fighting for their lives and one woman dead.

Our action today reinforces the clear message from the international community: We will uphold the rules-based international system, and defend international institutions from those that seek to do them harm.

Brothers Grant and John Kay and the Hauliers Mark Luck from Mark Luck Limited and Robert Body from Robert Body Haulage Limited were prosecuted for the illegal deposit of waste at Great Chart Golf & Leisure, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent.

Mark Luck was fined £40,000 with £4,036 costs and £170 victim surcharge. Robert Body was fined £26,000 with £2,952 costs and £170 victim surcharge. Grant and John Kay were individually fined £325 with Grant Kay having to pay £4,723 costs and £32 victim surcharge and John Kay paying £2,724 costs and £32 victim surcharge.

Sevenoaks Magistrates heard that the brothers were paid by a number of hauliers to deposit waste soil to create bunds around their driving range, build a zorbing ramp and raise an area of ground outside the terms of 3 U1 exemptions that had been registered with the Environment Agency. Only one of these exemptions may be registered on a site in a 3 year period and allows the use of only up to 1,000 tonnes of clean waste soil in a small scale construction scheme.

To import more than 1,000 tonnes of soil the operators should have obtained an environmental permit from the Environment Agency. These permits require operators to put in place stringent measures to ensure the suitability of the waste that is deposited and minimise the impact from the activities on the land and the surrounding land users.

An Environment Agency investigation identified that 2,157 lorry loads of waste soil had been deposited on the site between 2012 and 2015, which could have equated to 42,000 tonnes, significantly exceeding the 1,000 tonne limit. The haulier Mark Luck Limited had deposited 1,292 loads and Robert Body Haulage Limited 715 loads during this timeframe.

The court heard that all 4 parties were fully cooperative with the Environment Agency’s investigation and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. The court accepted that the brothers had limited knowledge of the waste industry but that the hauliers, both of whom have a long history in the business, should have known better than to deposit large volumes of waste on the site.

Environment Manager Alan Cansdale said:

The Environment Agency support the use of U1 exemptions for those who wish to use small quantities of clean waste in construction projects. We will not tolerate however the deposit of excessive volumes or inappropriate waste for financial gain under the terms of this authorisation.

While we will work closely with businesses to help them comply with such legislation, in cases where individuals consistently operate illegally and in this case outside the terms of an exemption, we have no hesitation in prosecuting them.

Notes to editors

The charges brought by the Environment Agency were:

• Mr Grant Kay: Contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
• Mr John Kay: Contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
• Mr Mark Luck: Contrary to section 33(1)(a) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended
• Mr Robert Body: Contrary to section 33(1)(a) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended