Category: Gov Press Releases

In May:

• HM Land Registry completed more than 1,723,570 applications to change or query the Land Register
• the South East topped the table of regional applications with 398,029

HM Land Registry completed 1,723,578 applications in May compared with 1,625,098 in April and 1,620,802 last May, of which:

• 373,423 were applications for register updates compared with 346,788 in April
• 848,600 were applications for an official copy of a register compared with 804,157 in April
• 209,803 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 196,560 in April
• 26,695 were postal applications from non-account holders compared with 28,161 in April

Applications by region and country

Region/country	March applications	April applications	May applications
South East	384,760	373,677	398,029
Greater London	337,656	314,534	332,546
North West	193,405	184,504	194,722
South West	159,147	159,528	169,351
West Midlands	142,764	140,096	147,196
Yorkshire and the Humber	128,654	121,756	131,727
East Midlands	119,374	115,347	121,511
Wales	76,650	75,111	78,038
North	75,246	73,765	78,596
East Anglia	70,448	66,644	71,749
Isles of Scilly	79	69	41
England and Wales (not assigned)	61	67	72
Total	1,688,244	1,625,098	1,723,578

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	March applications	Top 5 local authority areas	April applications	Top 5 local authority areas	May applications
Birmingham	26,895	Birmingham	25,990	Birmingham	26,902
City of Westminster	24,562	City of Westminster	22,505	City of Westminster	24,121
Leeds	19,505	Leeds	18,630	Leeds	19,782
Manchester	17,708	Manchester	16,698	Cornwall	18,301
Cornwall	17,174	Cornwall	16,343	Manchester	17,347

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	March applications	Top 5 customers	April applications	Top 5 customers	May applications
Enact	50,160	Enact	48,943	Enact	53,314
Optima Legal Services	28,113	Optima Legal Services	26,741	Infotrack Limited	28,453
O’Neill Patient	26,056	O’Neill Patient	25,473	Optima Legal Services	28,173
Infotrack Limited	22,948	Infotrack Limited	24,411	O’Neill Patient	26,645
TM Group (UK) Ltd	19,320	TM Group (UK) Ltd	18,058	TM Group (UK) Ltd	22,706

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The June Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Friday 20 July 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.
2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and search and hold queries (official searches) were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.
3. We are challenging ourselves to reassess our language to make our terms understandable to both our commercial and our citizen customers. This is in line with our commitment set out in the Business Strategy 2017-2022 under the ‘simplicity’ element of our ambition.
4. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.
5. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register).
6. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in Transaction Data.
7. Most search and hold queries (official searches) carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search and hold query will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.
8. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.
9. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.
10. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2018. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
11. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
12. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
13. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
14. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
15. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP will be visiting the Ben Kinsella Trust today to see first-hand how the Trust is working to educate young people away from knife crime.

In 2012, the charity launched the Ben Kinsella Exhibition and workshops, which are designed to help young people appreciate and understand the lasting damage that knife crime can have on them and those around them.

The charity was awarded £11,437 of government funding in 2017 to deliver two holistic and hands on programmes to two groups of up to 20 parents who are concerned about knife crime.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland said:

Knife crime has truly devastating consequences for families and local communities.

To tackle it, we need to change young people’s attitudes so they are not tempted to carry a knife in the first place, and ensure they understand that they risk inflicting injury or even a loss of life if they do.

The government’s Serious Violence Strategy puts a greater focus on early intervention, so it’s great to see the work happening at the Ben Kinsella Trust to educate young people about the dangers of carrying knives.

In April, the government published its first Serious Violence Strategy. The Strategy strikes a balance between prevention and robust law enforcement with an £11 million Early Intervention Youth Fund for community projects to help young people live lives free from violence.

Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust said:

We were really pleased to see that the Government’s new Violent Crime Strategy recognised the important role that prevention and education has in reducing knife crime. No child is born with a knife in their hand, it is a learned behaviour. Through education we help young people learn positive ways to stay safe and turn away from knife crime.

As part of the 6 week global Operation Thunderstorm, Border Force officers made 276 seizures containing tens of thousands of products banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) at UK ports and airports.

Operation Thunderstorm (which ran from 1 to 31 May) involved police, customs, environment, wildlife and forestry agencies from 92 countries and was coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO). The international operation has targeted the networks behind global wildlife crime and resulted in millions of dollars-worth of seizures.

The worldwide effort saw 1,974 seizures including 43 tonnes of wild meat (including bear, elephant, crocodile, whale and zebra); 1.3 tonnes of raw and processed elephant ivory; 27,000 reptiles; almost 4,000 birds; several tonnes of wood and timber and 48 live primates.

Border Force officers at ports and airports across the country have intensified their activity to coincide with the international operation. UK seizures include:

• 7 kilos of banned ivory
• more than 120 live Orchid plants
• more than 2,000 Rosewood musical instruments and parts
• more than 3,000 Rosewood carved items
• more than 1,000 orchid extract tablets
• 7,600 cactus extract tablets and 4 live cactus plants
• 9 products derived from crocodile
• 10 large cat skulls
• 4 products derived from snake
• 2 live reptiles

As well as the co-ordinated effort to support Operation Thunderstorm, Border Force has also recently supported an ivory surrender, led by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The surrender ran from mid-July last year to the end of January but continues to receive support from the public. In April, Border Force officers from the Heathrow CITES team took receipt of more than 118kg of voluntarily-surrendered ivory which was subsequently destroyed at a secure location.

Grant Miller, head of the Border Force CITES enforcement team said:

Our participation in Operation Thunderstorm, as well as our support for the ivory surrender, underlines our commitment to tackle wildlife crime which has a devastating environmental impact.

Operation Thunderstorm is a crucial part of a global response to a global issue. The trade in endangered species is driven by organised crime groups and the movement of banned animal products is key to how they operate.

This is why our specialist CITES officers will continue their vital work at the border to prevent the importation of endangered animals and plants, as well as linking with enforcement partners such as the National Wildlife Crime Unit, to stamp out this cruel and exploitative trade.

Border Force is responsible for frontline detection and seizure of items covered by the CITES convention, which tackles the illegal trade in endangered animals and plants. The trade in ivory is strictly controlled under CITES and Border Force plays an important role in preventing the illegal importation and exportation of ivory.

The Heathrow-based Border Force CITES team are specialist officers who are recognised as world leaders in their field.

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling and trafficking of any kind should call the UK hotline on: 0800 59 5000.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox will travel to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva today (Thursday, 21 June) to call on the organisation to re-focus on its free trade agenda.

While there, Dr Fox will meet with a number of WTO Ambassadors. He will lead a panel discussion on global trade leadership alongside the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and an Executive Director at the International Trade Centre, which works to spread the benefits of free trade to developing economies.

In both of these forums Dr Fox will discuss recent global trade disputes and call for WTO members to work together more effectively in order to tackle these issues and support free trade and the multilateral trading system globally.

This follows a speech he made earlier this week at the Centre for Policy Studies where he called on China to open its markets and ensure compliance with global trade rules, as well as better global enforcement of intellectual property rules.

He will also reiterate the importance of reforming global trade rules for the modern age, focusing on e-commerce to make it easier to trade online, ensuring that the WTO is not left behind by businesses and consumers and that trade continues to grow.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said:

Organisations like the WTO and WIPO are at the heart of the global trade system that has helped lift millions out of abject poverty and supports countless jobs in the UK and around the world.

With free trade and multilateralism under threat, the UK will stand as a leading supporter of its benefits and as the head of Britain’s international economic department I’ll be in Geneva making that case to other countries today.

The visit comes after the WTO forecast global trade growth of 4.4% this year, and the UK itself saw exports increase 7.4% to £625.4 billion to the end of April 2018 compared to the same time last year.

The meetings also come as the UK prepares to take its independent seat at the WTO, outside the EU, and so Dr Fox will use this opportunity to reassure WTO trade ambassador’s that the UK is committed to maintain existing trade arrangements immediately after leaving the EU in order to avoid disruption.

But, long-term, once the UK leaves the EU we will be able to negotiate and sign new trade agreements, join existing agreements around the world, and more freely access fast-growing markets beyond the EU.

Dr Fox will look to explore the opportunities that this future could unlock, meeting with ambassadors from the US, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

• £1.3 billion boost to attract and retain world-class talent and guarantee the UK’s position at the forefront of innovation and discovery through the modern Industrial Strategy
• Business Secretary Greg Clark launches prestigious £900 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship Scheme – open to best researchers from around the world
• the investment will fund at least 550 new fellowships for the brightest and best from academia and business

Business Secretary Greg Clark today (21 June) unveiled a major new investment in UK talent and skills to grow and attract the best in science and innovation.

As part of his speech to the International Business Festival in Liverpool, Mr Clark outlined £1.3 billion of investment for British universities and businesses to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and scientific leaders who will ensure our future economic prosperity.

Previous investment in new talent has funded research into new cancer drugs and developed critical technology which will bring us driverless cars. Today’s announcement will build on this success and boost the pipeline of talent needed to build a Britain fit for the future. The money, part of the single biggest investment in science in 40 years, will help ensure the UK invests 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027 and becomes the most innovative economy by 2030.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

We are a nation of innovators, with some of the world’s greatest inventions created on British soil – from penicillin to the first computer programme. We want to retain our global reputation as a destination for world-class scientists and researchers, by providing opportunities to find and nurture the next Ada Lovelace and Isaac Newton’s.

International collaboration has been key to many of the most significant discoveries and breakthroughs and I want the UK to remain the go-to destination for the best scientists and innovators. We are investing in the rising stars of research and innovation to ensure the UK is where the products and technologies of tomorrow are developed.

The inaugural UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Scheme will receive £900 million over the next 11 years, with 6 funding competitions and at least 550 fellowships awarded over the next 3 years. The investment will provide up to 7 years of funding for early-career researchers and innovators, including support for part-time awards and career-breaks, providing flexibility to researchers to tackle ambitious and challenging areas. For the first time ever, this type of scheme will now be open to businesses as well as universities. The scheme aims to help the next generation of tech entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators get the support they need to develop their careers. It is open to best researchers from around the world, ensuring the UK continues to attract the most exceptional talent wherever they may come from.

Complementing the Future Leaders Fellowship Scheme, the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, British Academy, and Academy of Medical Sciences will collectively receive £350 million for the prestigious fellowships schemes. This funding will enhance the research talent pipeline and increase the number of fellowships on offer for high skilled researchers and innovators.

Over the next 5 years, £50 million has been allocated through the National Productivity Investment Fund for additional PhDs, including 100 PhDs to support research into AI, supporting one of the Grand Challenges within the Industrial Strategy and ensuring Britain is at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation Professor Sir Mark Walport said:

Talented people are the energy and engine of new knowledge, new ideas and new opportunities. The long-term investment announced today means the UK will continue to attract and grow the very best, supporting those who want to solve the most difficult questions whether they are in frontier science, our evolving society or our changing economy.

Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society said:

We are delighted by this crucial investment in science researchers from the UK government. This money will be used to support scientists during crucial stages of their careers, whether they have been identified as future leaders in their fields and are just starting an independent research career, or are well-established, world-leading talent that we want to retain in the UK. This investment in scientists at both stages of their careers is crucial to the continued success of UK science.

Professor David Cannadine, President of the British Academy, said:

We are delighted to be able to expand opportunities for international collaboration and early-career research in the humanities and social sciences.

The challenges that we face as a nation and as an international community – from the march of automation to improving productivity – will require collaboration from the very best minds, working across disciplines.

It is timely, therefore, that the national academies are working together to further the UK’s reputation as a destination for world-leading research.

We also look forward to supporting further early-career researchers closer to home through the Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme, which is often a vital stepping stone to establishing a successful academic career.

Professor Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said:

The finest science requires the finest researchers. If we are going to solve the biggest health challenges and harness opportunities, we need to attract and nurture the most talented researchers within our network of trailblazing scientists in the UK.

Excitingly, this funding from The Talent Fund allows the Academy to develop a unique cross-sector leadership scheme that will support today’s biomedical and health researchers to become tomorrow’s leaders of innovation. It will support talented researchers in the middle of their careers to understand academe, pharmaceutical and biotech industries, the NHS and government and forge new collaborations across these traditional boundaries and enhance their dynamic leadership skills.

The funds will also support 60 Springboard grants for biomedical researchers at the start of their independent careers and eight Rising Stars Professorships, establishing the research careers of talented researchers.

Together these programmes will support researchers to ensure their talent is recognised, supported and nourished throughout their career. These researchers will help further high quality, innovative research to improve the health of our society.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO, Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

Investment in engineering research and innovation is vital for the UK’s economic and social wellbeing. This funding will help the UK to continue to attract and retain the world-leading engineering talent needed to be at the forefront of developing and applying new technologies.

The government’s commitment to supporting highly skilled researchers and engineers is very welcome. Providing career-long support is essential if we are to establish the UK as the leading nation for engineering innovation.

UK Research Talent

Up and down the UK, government funding in research talent is already resulting in incredible results which are helping to build a greater understanding of the world we live in, as well as creating the next game-changing technologies and innovations.

Research includes:

Contributing to cancer drug development through studying cancer-causing proteins

Professor Victoria Cowling at the University of Dundee – Medical Research Council (MRC)

In 2007, Professor Victoria Cowling at the University of Dundee was awarded a MRC Career Development Award to study a cancer-causing protein called Myc. During her award, she had two periods of maternity leave and her fellowship was extended accordingly. In 2014, she successfully competed for a prestigious MRC senior fellowship. Her work focuses on identifying other proteins targeted by Myc in cancer cells, so that new targets for drug development can be identified.

Her fellowship provided the flexibility for her to build in collaboration with the Dundee Drug discovery unit to use cutting-edge technology. Since then Professor Cowling has received several million pounds’ worth of funding for her research work from the UK Government. In 2015 she won the British Society of Cell Biology Women in Cell Biology Early Career Medal, an award given to an outstanding female cell biologist who has started her own research group in the UK within the last 6 years.

Cutting-edge research into mobile autonomy

Professor Paul Newman, University of Oxford – The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

In 2010, Professor Paul Newman, at the University of Oxford, became an EPSRC Leadership Fellow. Paul leads the Oxford Mobile Robotics Group (MRG), which is at the cutting-edge of UK research into driverless technology. The fellowship gave him the opportunity to take projects forward on a number of levels from establishing essential industrial links with partners such as BAE Systems and Nissan to setting up a spin out company Oxbotica. It also gave Paul the chance to contribute to the Department for Transport’s review on driverless vehicle technology.

Developing theory about the history of our universe

Professor Gert Aarts, University of Swansea – Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

Gert Aarts held an STFC Advanced Fellowship from 2004-2009, working on the development of quantum field theory and its application to the matter in the early universe.

The STFC Advanced Fellowship offered an excellent opportunity to establish myself in the UK, after having carried out postgraduate and postdoctoral research in the Netherlands, Germany and the USA. The possibility to carry out independent research, while at the same time being embedded in the Particle Physics Theory group and the Physics Department, allowed me to mature as a researcher and ease the transition from postdoc to full-blown academic. The latter comes with additional teaching and admin tasks, but thanks to the Fellowship, this transition was manageable and enjoyable. Being mentored by a Departmental colleague played an important positive role in this.

At my University, an agreement about a permanent post was made early on in the Fellowship. Since this removes uncertainties about next positions, the focus can be on research and academic career, which is an important step-change. Being well-funded and prestigious, the Fellowship is also instrumental in achieving research-related promotion criteria; during the Fellowship I was promoted to Senior Lecturer, at the end to Reader and two years later to Professor. Hence, in my experience the combination of an RCUK funded Fellowship with a University position provides the best of both worlds, combining research independence and funding with progression through the academic ladder.

Burnout: a geo-history of contemporary exhaustion

Dr Thomas Jellis, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford

In 2016, Dr Thomas Jellis was awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the condition known as ‘burnout’. This increasingly ubiquitous term refers to the exhaustion of physical or emotional energy as a result of prolonged stress. The research project, which started in January 2017, examines the ways that burnout has come to be diagnosed and the entangled relations between mental health, society, and space. Dr Jellis hopes to trace the history of the term ‘burnout’ and examine how and where it is experienced and takes shape, and what spaces of care for such a condition exist.

Over the course of the Postdoctoral Fellowship, he plans to submit papers to leading journals both within the discipline and beyond (Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Environment and Planning A, and Theory, Culture and Society), convene a workshop on the spaces of care for mental health, and publish a research monograph. His work will be presented at various conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers and the Annual Conference of the Royal Geographical Society. Dr Jellis’ work will have significant implications for employers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

• Cultural Development Fund marks a new government approach to cultural investment in England.
• Fund is a commitment in the government’s Industrial Strategy.
• Towns and cities across the country will benefit from a new £20 million fund for culture, heritage and creative industries, launched by Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Michael Ellis today.

Areas will be able to bid for up to £7 million for a number of projects in a certain area to help regeneration, create jobs and maximise the impact of investment. This could be for new spaces for creative businesses, bringing historic buildings back into use or redeveloping museums and art galleries.

The investment will help to grow local economies and increase access to arts, heritage and the creative industries.

The Cultural Development Fund marks a new approach for government investment in culture and creative industries. Rather than investment going to a specific venue or artform, the funding will go to geographical locations, including cities or towns in rural areas.

The fund also supports the Government’s Industrial Strategy by aiming to boost productivity in towns and cities across England and use creativity as a catalyst to make places more attractive to live, work and visit.

Michael Ellis, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, said:

Cultural investment can have a transformative impact on communities. Creativity, culture and heritage is what makes places special for local people and visitors alike. But it also helps attract inward investment, with businesses drawn to vibrant, exciting towns and cities.

This fund gives more places the chance to harness the unique power of culture to regenerate communities, create jobs and boost tourism.

The initiative comes after the success of Hull 2017. Since Hull was awarded UK City of Culture in 2013, it attracted over £3 billion of investment and created 800 new jobs.

The Cultural Development Fund also builds on the success of creative hubs launched by the Government and developed through growth and city deals, such as Bristol’s Temple Quarter. This has delivered thousands of jobs in design, media and music businesses in the West Country city.

The Government anticipates that this approach will allow smaller towns and cities to replicate the huge success of Hull and other creative hubs established across the country.

The Cultural Development Fund comes one day before the Great Exhibition of the North launches in Newcastle-Gateshead. It is part of the landmark Creative Industries Sector Deal, which will see more than £150 million jointly invested by Government and industry to help the country’s world-leading cultural and creative businesses thrive.

The Fund will be administered through Arts Council England (ACE). Bids from local areas must maximise potential economic growth and productivity, strengthen local leadership in culture and the creative industries and help to enhance creative skills.

Details of successful projects will be released in due course.

Notes to editors

• Calls for expressions of interest will run from 3 July to 15 August, with full applications sought from 9 September to 19 October.
• For further details on the application process, including how to apply visit Arts Council England’s website
• Nine things to know about the Cultural Development Fund.

Darren Henley, Arts Council Chief Executive said:

Our world leading Creative Industries benefit from centres of production excellence up and down the country. The Cultural Development fund will help to build on the creativity that’s at the core of our arts, heritage and tech organisations in these towns and cities. We’re looking forward to working with DCMS to spark a real difference in people’s lives through this new investment.

Sir Peter Luff, Chair of HLF, said:

Culture, and heritage in particular, are central to a strong sense of identity and place. Our research has shown that tapping into that distinctiveness can provide a significant boost not just to tourism but also to broader local economic prosperity and all the jobs that means. So we welcome this new fund, which will open up opportunities to even more communities.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Author of the Independent Review of the Creative Industries, said:

This is one piece of a promising jigsaw envisioned in the Sector Deal: creative clusters taking root and growing, yielding both a cultural and an economic dividend.

• government intervened to push through the measures
• offenders will face up to two years in prison with the most serious placed on the sex offenders register

A new law making ‘upskirting’ a specific criminal offence will move a step closer today (21 June 2018), when a Government Bill is introduced in Parliament.

The move was confirmed by the Prime Minister earlier this week, after a government backed Private Members Bill (PMB) did not pass its second reading last Friday (15 June).

Theresa May made clear that the government will get the new law on the statute book, and ministers have acted decisively to bring through the changes as quickly as possible.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said:

The support for this new law from the public, campaigners, and across parliament shows just how seriously this crime is being taken.

Upskirting is a humiliating and degrading practice. We will ensure this Bill becomes law as soon as possible to protect more victims and properly punish offenders.

It follows the work of campaigner Gina Martin, whose tireless efforts contributed hugely to this action:

Gina Martin on ‘upskirting’ campaign

The highly intrusive practice – colloquially known as ‘upskirting ’ – typically involves offenders taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks.

Currently, this behaviour is being successfully prosecuted under the offence of Outraging Public Decency. However, following concerns that potentially not all instances of ‘upskirting’ are covered by existing criminal law, the government decided to act.

Initially, ministers supported legislation brought forward by Wera Hobhouse MP to create a specific ‘upskirting’ offence. However, that PMB failed to progress in Parliament, following objections raised Sir Christopher Chope MP.

Ministers therefore decided to intervene and adopted the measures as a Government Bill, in order to make sure there will be no delay in getting this new law onto the statute books.

The Government Bill will build on Wera Hobhouse’s proposals, by ensuing that the most serious offenders are placed on the sex offenders register. The new law would bring the punishment for ‘upskirting’ in line with other existing voyeurism offences, and will see offenders face a maximum of 2 years in prison.

The second reading of the Bill is expected to take place before Summer Recess.

Notes

• In recent years the government has made tackling sexual abuse and sexual violence a priority, and keeps laws in this area under constant review. After listening carefully to the concerns of victims, stakeholders, and MP’s from across the House, Ministers decided a change in the law is necessary.
• Currently, ‘upskirting’ does not go unpunished in England and Wales, and there have been successful prosecutions under the Outraging Public Decency (OPD) offence. Recent examples of successful prosecutions for ‘upskirting’ under OPD include someone who was convicted in January for taking photos up women’s skirts on trains and on a beach, and a student who was convicted in March for taking photos up women’s skirts in Oxford.
• However, existing criminal law does not necessarily cover every instance of ‘upskirting.’ Creating a specific ‘upskirting’ offence would strengthen the law in this area, as it doesn’t have the same limitations as existing offences. It would also allow this intrusive behaviour to be treated as a sexual offence and, ensure that the most serious offenders are made subject to notification requirements (commonly referred to as the ‘sex offenders register’).
• The Bill would insert a new offence under Section 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The changes will cover England and Wales; ‘upskirting’ is already a specific offence in Scotland.
• It would capture instances where the purpose is to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation, distress or alarm.
• A summary conviction would carry a sentence of up to one year in prison and/or a fine. And a more serious offence, tried in the Crown Court, would carry a sentence of up to 2 years in prison.
• Follow #UpskirtingBill on social media.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister hosted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha of Thailand for talks at Downing Street earlier today.

They welcomed the long history of friendship between the UK and Thailand, agreeing on the importance of reinvigorating our strategic partnership on issues of mutual interest, such as trade and security.

On trade, they agreed that as the UK leaves the EU our bilateral trade and investment relationship would continue to go from strength to strength. The PM welcomed the work of the UK-Thai Business Leadership Council in identifying areas where bilateral trade could be further liberalised.

They discussed the importance of continuing to cooperate on a range of shared international security challenges, including how we can work together to tackle the scourge of modern slavery, and how to strengthen the ability of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to attribute chemical weapons attacks. They also discussed the importance of the international community continuing to come together to counter violent extremism and enhance cyber security, and to take forward efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

The Prime Minister urged continued progress towards free and open elections in Thailand in line with international standards, including restrictions on political parties being lifted at an early stage.