Category: Gov Press Releases

More than 1,200 troublemakers with a history of football-related disorder have been blocked from going to the World Cup after a joint operation by police and the Home Office.

The Football Banning Orders Authority (FBOA) – part of the Home Office – ordered 1,312 banned individuals who hold a passport to surrender it to police on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 June.

The latest figures released today (Wednesday 13 June) show that forces in England and Wales have accounted for 1,254 passports.

This represents 96% of the people currently subject to football banning orders who hold a passport. Police will continue to root out the small number of outstanding passports throughout the tournament.

Police will hold the passports until the World Cup final on 15 July.

Forces throughout England and Wales have carried out enforcement action against banned individuals who failed to surrender their passports. This will continue throughout the tournament.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd said:

The World Cup is a festival of football and is no place for violence or disorder.
The UK’s system of football banning orders is unique and means that people intent on causing trouble in Russia will instead be staying at home.
I’m grateful to police forces for taking the necessary enforcement action to ensure that these thugs won’t be able to ruin the tournament for real fans.

Football-related arrests have fallen to an all-time low since the introduction of football banning orders in 2000.

Football banning orders are imposed by courts and can last for up to 10 years. Breaching a banning order is a criminal offence and can result in a fine of up to £5,000 and a six-month prison sentence.

In addition to the banning orders, police will be deployed at major UK ports during the World Cup to stop known troublemakers from travelling to Russia before and during the tournament. Officers will identify people likely to become involved in football-related disorder and stop them from travelling to Russia.

A UK policing delegation will travel to Russia, at the host country’s request, to work with their local counterparts to assist in ensuring a safe and trouble-free tournament for England fans.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Lead for football policing, said:

Over the past 30 years the UK has made steady progress in eradicating the behaviour of those intent on engaging in football-related violence and disorder.
Ahead of the World Cup, a comprehensive policing operation has been in place across the country to account for passports of those on banning orders, which has once again seen only a handful of those outstanding.
The legislation used for banning orders is the most effective of its kind, and affords us the ability to ensure the vast majority of England supporters travelling to Russia are genuine fans who simply want to enjoy the tournament.

Around 10,000 people are expected to travel from the UK to Russia to attend the World Cup.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will be providing up-to-date advice for fans in Russia throughout the tournament. The latest information can be found at the FCO’s Be on the Ball website.

Notes to editors

• For media enquiries, contact the Home Office Press Office – 0207 035 3535
• Read the latest FCO travel advice for Russia
• 327 banned individuals do not hold passports. They are not required to report to police

Background on football banning orders

• The Football Spectators (2018 World Cup Control Period) Order 2017 establishes a control period for the tournament that commences on 4 June (10 days before the first match) and concludes on 15 July (when the last match in the tournament is played)
• The control period empowers the FBOA to issue reporting notices to individuals subject to banning orders requiring them to surrender their passports ten days before the first match in the tournament. Passports can be collected on the last day of the tournament
• Failure to comply with a reporting notice is an offence. The maximum sentence on conviction is a six-month custodial sentence, or a fine of up to £5,000, or both. The court may also impose a further preventative football banning order
• The control period empowers police to intercept, detain and, where appropriate, prevent from travelling, any individual who has previously caused or contributed to violence and disorder provided the individual is assessed by the police as continuing to pose a risk. This prompts a banning order court hearing within 24 hours

The Queen has approved that the Reverend Dr James Douglas Thomas Hawkey, MA, MPhil, PhD, Dean and Director of Studies in Theology at Clare College, Cambridge in the diocese of Ely, and Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen, be appointed as a Residentiary Canon at Westminster Abbey. This is in succession to the Reverend Canon Vernon Philip White, MA, MLitt, on his resignation on 30 September 2018.

Background information

The Reverend Dr James Hawkey (aged 38) read Theology at Cambridge, graduating with First Class honours and prizes, before completing an MPhil on the seventeenth century poet Richard Crashaw, and a PhD in ecclesiology under the supervision of Professors Daniel W. Hardy and Eamon Duffy.

He trained for the ministry at Westcott House, spent a semester at the Angelicum University in Rome whilst an exchange student at the Venerable English College, served his title at St Mary’s Portsea (2007-2010) in the Portsmouth Diocese, was a Minor Canon of Westminster Abbey (2010-2015) and has been Dean of Clare College since 2015, where he also teaches for the Cambridge Divinity Faculty and Theological Federation.

He is assistant DDO for the Diocese of Ely, and was appointed a Chaplain to The Queen in 2017. Much of his research and teaching is in ecclesiology and ecumenism – he is currently a member of the International Reformed/Anglican Dialogue, and of the Malines Conversations Group. His commentary on the latest agreed statement of the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission will be published by SPCK later this year, and he is currently working on The Heart and Heat of Pentecost: Renewing Anglican Ecclesiology.

He recently represented the Anglican Communion at the 8th International Conference of Orthodox Theology in Thessaloniki, and gave the 2018 Lyttleton Lectures at Eton College on Church and State. Dr Hawkey is a trustee of the Cambridge Institute for Religion and International Studies, an Adviser to the Center for Empathy in International Affairs and a member of the Church of England’s Estates Theology Group.

England

In England, the April data shows on average, house prices have risen by 1.1% since March 2018.

The annual price rise of 3.7% takes the average property value to £243,639.

The regional data for England indicates that:

• the North East experienced the greatest monthly price rise, up by 4.2%
• the East of England saw the most significant monthly price fall, down by 0.8%
• London saw the lowest annual price increase, up by 1%

Price change by region for England

Region	Average price April 2018	Monthly change % since March 2018
East Midlands	£186,480	1.3
East of England	£286,447	-0.8
London	£484,584	2.4
North East	£130,489	4.2
North West	£155,868	0.0
South East	£324,530	0.9
South West	£255,207	1.8
West Midlands	£192,090	0.8
Yorkshire and the Humber	£158,545	1.4

Repossession sales by volume for England

The lowest number of repossession sales in February 2018 was in the East of England.

The highest number of repossession sales in February 2018 was in the North West.

Repossession sales	February 2018
East Midlands	42
East of England	13
London	32
North East	59
North West	138
South East	46
South West	50
West Midlands	61
Yorkshire and the Humber	89
England	530

Average price by property type for England

Property type	April 2018	April 2017	Difference %
Detached	£367,142	£354,228	3.6
Semi-detached	£227,912	£216,485	5.3
Terraced	£197,349	£188,856	4.5
Flat/maisonette	£224,951	£224,125	0.4
All	£243,639	£235,021	3.7

Funding and buyer status for England

Transaction type	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
Cash	£228,934	3.4	0.9
Mortgage	£251,053	3.8	1.1
First-time buyer	£204,667	3.5	1.2
Former owner occupier	£276,213	3.8	1.0

Building status for England

Building status*	Average price February 2018	Annual price change % since February 2017	Monthly price change % since January 2018
New build	£314,179	9.3	5.2
Existing resold property	£237,655	3.8	0.3

*Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for England

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for England show:

• the number of completed house sales in February 2018 fell by 15.4% to 51,340 compared with 60,662 in February 2017

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
January	53,777	57,498	-6.5
February	51,340	60,662	-15.4

London

London shows, on average, house prices have risen by 2.4% since March 2018. An annual price rise of 1% takes the average property value to £484,584.

Average price by property type for London

Property type	April 2018	April 2017	Difference %
Detached	£895,301	£899,133	-0.4
Semi-detached	£592,142	£567,701	4.3
Terraced	£504,596	£488,136	3.4
Flat/maisonette	£425,045	£428,541	-0.8
All	£484,584	£479,790	1.0

Funding and buyer status for London

Transaction type	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
Cash	£511,195	0.3	2.7
Mortgage	£476,438	1.2	2.3
First-time buyer	£424,029	0.8	2.3
Former owner occupier	£546,563	1.2	2.5

Building status for London

Building status*	Average price February 2018	Annual price change % since February 2017	Monthly price change % since January 2018
New build	£514,619	2.9	4.7
Existing resold property	£473,538	-0.3	-0.8

*Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for London

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for London show;

• the number of completed house sales in February 2018 fell by 23.9% to 5,411 compared with 7,108 in February 2017

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
January	6,092	6,931	-12.1
February	5,411	7,108	-23.9

Wales

Wales shows, on average, house prices have risen by 1.6% since March 2018. An annual price rise of 4.4% takes the average property value to £156,495.

Average price by property type for Wales

Property type	April 2018	April 2017	Difference %
Detached	£233,124	£226,558	2.9
Semi-detached	£151,096	£143,544	5.3
Terraced	£122,904	£115,920	6.0
Flat/maisonette	£110,388	£109,399	0.9
All	£156,495	£149,900	4.4

Funding and buyer status for Wales

Transaction type	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
Cash	£151,696	3.8	1.3
Mortgage	£159,345	4.8	1.8
First-time buyer	£135,641	4.7	2.2
Former owner occupier	£180,660	4.1	0.9

Building status for Wales

Building status*	Average price February 2018	Annual price change % since February 2017	Monthly price change % since January 2018
New build	£211,726	11.3	5.1
Existing resold property	£149,937	4.8	0.3

*Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for Wales

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for Wales show:

• the number of completed house sales in February 2018 fell by 8.6% to 2,947 compared with 3,225 in February 2017
• there were 60 repossession sales in February 2018

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
January	3,014	3,056	-1.4
February	2,947	3,225	-8.6

Access the full UK HPI

UK house prices rose by 3.9% in the year to April 2018, down from 4.2% in the year to March 2018.

The UK Property Transaction Statistics for April 2018 showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of transactions on residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 100,190. This is 2.7% lower compared to a year ago. Between March and April 2018, transactions increased by 3.5%.

Looking at the country and English regional level, the South West was the fastest growing region with an annual growth rate of 6.1%, up from 5.3% in the previous month. This was closely followed by the West Midlands at 5.9%. London was the slowest growing region at 1%, up from -0.5% in the previous month. This is the 6th consecutive month that London has the lowest annual growth rate of any UK country or English region.

See the economic statement.

Notes to editors

1. The UK House Price Index (HPI) is published on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. The May 2018 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 18 July 2018. See calendar of release dates.
2. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
4. Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
5. Revision tables have been introduced for England and Wales within the downloadable data. Tables will be available in csv format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
6. Data for the UK HPI is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
7. The UK HPI is calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) andLand & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, in particular HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
8. The UK Property Transaction statisticsare taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series so HMRC also presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Adjustments are made for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
11. Work has been taking place since 2014 to develop a single, official HPI that reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property in the UK. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
12. Information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process, is provided by HM Land Registry for properties that are sold for full market value.
13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
14. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
15. For England, this is shown as volumes of repossession sales recorded by Government Office Region. For Wales, there is a headline figure for the number of repossession sales recorded in Wales.
16. The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. Repossession sales data prior to April 2016 is not available. Find out more information about repossession sales.
17. Background tables of the raw and cleansed aggregated data, in Excel and CSV formats, are also published monthly although Northern Ireland is on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
18. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
22. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook

The new route, announced during London Tech Week, will widen the applicant pool of talented entrepreneurs and make the visa process faster and smoother for entrepreneurs coming to the UK. It will replace a visa route which was exclusively for graduates, opening it up to a wider pool of talented business founders.

It will require applicants to have acquired an endorsement from a university or approved business sponsor, including accelerators.

Entrepreneurs play a key role in creating jobs and driving economic growth in the UK and the changes announced today will ensure the UK remains a world-leading destination for the best global talent.

The visa route has been designed following advice from the Migration Advisory Committee and feedback from the tech sector and other stakeholders.

The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, said:

The UK can be proud that we are a leading nation when it comes to tech and innovation, but we want to do more to attract businesses to the UK and our migration system plays a key part in that.

That’s why I am pleased to announce a new visa for people wanting to start a business in the UK. This will help to ensure we continue to attract the best global talent and maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading destination for innovation and entrepreneurs.

This initiative builds on other recent reforms to the visa system – including doubling the number of visas available on the Exceptional Talent route to 2,000 per year – and shows the government’s commitment to making the UK a dynamic, open, globally-trading nation.

The expanded route will launch in Spring 2019, further details will be announced in due course.

Venntro Media Group Ltd (Venntro), which has over 55 million users worldwide and supplies online dating services through just under 3,500 websites, has been investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over concerns about misleading claims and how it used people’s personal data.

Venntro operates dating sites on behalf of major media outlets and other organisations, including both general and specialist sites that were marketed to people looking for a partner with a specific hobby, interest, ethnicity, locality or religion.

The CMA discovered that people who signed up to Venntro’s websites were often unaware their information would be stored in a central database and that their profiles might be visible on the company’s other dating sites. It also saw complaints from people who said they had signed up for sites featuring explicit adult content without realising that they were doing so.

The CMA was therefore concerned people could have signed up for a specialist site, yet some of the profiles they saw and people they paid to interact with were not actually subscribers to that site and did not necessarily share their interests. It was also worried that in certain circumstances messages sent between these people would not be received.

As a result of the CMA’s investigation, Venntro has made legally binding commitments to make it clear to people before they sign up that it will share their information on other sites and obtain their full agreement to do this. It must provide a list of these sites and will not place members’ profiles on sites containing explicit adult material without their additional active consent.

Venntro must also make it easier for people to delete their profile when their subscription ends and not make misleading claims about the number of members on its sites, or the number of messages sent through those sites.

George Lusty, Senior Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA, said:

With millions of people trusting dating sites to find their perfect match, it’s important they fully understand how personal information will be used, before they sign up, and that sites tell the truth about what they can offer.

We took action against Venntro because we were concerned people’s profiles were being placed on sites without their knowledge or permission, and that they were being misled about how likely they were to meet someone with common ground. As a result of our investigation, Venntro has now pledged to be more upfront with its customers in future.

In addition to this action against Venntro, the CMA has sent warning letters to 14 other leading dating websites and app providers demanding they review their terms and practices to ensure they are fair and comply with consumer protection law.

Together with the UK’s privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the CMA has published advice for online dating businesses to explain how to fully comply with both consumer and data protection laws. It has also published advice about what people should watch out for when using online dating services.

Notes for Editors

1. Venntro also trades under the names ‘Global Personals’ and ‘White Label Dating.’ Most of Venntro’s websites are managed on a ‘white label’ basis, which means that Venntro provides the basic infrastructure and its commercial partners provide their own branding to the customer-facing webpage. A large number of Venntro’s dating websites are aimed at people with particular interests (like cycling or music) or characteristics (such as ethnicity or religion). The full changes that Venntro will be making are available on the CMA’s case page.
2. The key pieces of consumer protection legislation relevant to the CMA’s investigation are the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) and Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA). The CPRs contain a general prohibition against unfair commercial practices and specific prohibitions against misleading actions, misleading omissions and aggressive commercial practices. Part 2 of the CRA aims to protect consumers against unfair contract terms and notices, and requires contract terms to be fair and transparent. Ultimately, only a court can rule that a particular term or practice infringes the law.
3. Companies that control and process personal data in the UK, including companies that operate dating websites, also have obligations under the new Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The laws are regulated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
4. Media enquiries should be directed to the CMA Press Office (press@cma.gsi.gov.uk, 020 3738 6191).

A new Tree Champion to drive forward planting rates and prevent the unnecessary felling of street trees has been appointed today by Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

Sir William Worsley, current Chair of the National Forest Company, has been tasked with setting a bold direction for the country’s forests and woodlands over the next 25 years and supporting the Government’s manifesto commitments to plant 11 million trees, plus a further one million in our towns and cities.

Alongside the Government’s recently-launched review into National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Champion will help to improve the environment for the next generation and make the ambitions of our 25 Year Environment Plan a reality.

He will bring together mayors, city leaders and other key players across local government to prevent the unnecessary felling of street trees – alongside supporting the introduction of a new duty for councils to properly consult with communities before they cut down trees.

With a number of grant schemes already in place to help landowners grow woodland cover, the Tree Champion will support the development of a future scheme outside the EU – one that encourages large-scale tree planting, reduces carbon and rewards landowners for enhancing the environment.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

We have a responsibility to make sure the next generation inherit the woodlands, forests and trees they deserve. We are beginning to see good progress in growing tree cover, but we need to go further – and faster.

I’m confident Sir William Worsley will bring the expertise and vision required to rapidly drive forward planting rates and prevent street trees being felled.

As Chair of the National Forest Company, Sir William Worsley currently oversees the successful National Forest – which has transformed 200 square miles of industrial land in the heart of England and now attracts over eight million visitors a year – helping wildlife like otters, water voles and dragonflies to flourish.

Sir William Worsley said:

I am delighted to be appointed as the Government’s Tree Champion. Trees and woods are an important part of my life, as they are to local communities. They transform our landscapes, improve our health and wellbeing and help grow the economy.

I look forward to working with stakeholders and local authorities to promote these benefits and grow the country’s woodland cover.

The appointment of a Tree Champion is a key commitment of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. The plan, launched in January this year, sets out how we will improve the environment over a generation, including through growing woodland cover.

Since the launch of this plan, Government has committed to providing almost £6 million to kick-start the creation of an ambitious Northern Forest along the M62 corridor. We want to see 50 million trees planted over the next 25 years from Liverpool to Hull – boosting habitats for woodland birds and bats and protecting iconic species like the red squirrel.

The Government has also made it easier to apply for its woodland creation grant schemes, recently approving two large-scale woodland creation projects. More than 600,000 trees are being planted at Doddington North Moor in Northumberland, while Lowther Park in the Lake District is planting more than 200,000 trees thanks to government funding.

Sir William Worsley will be appointed in the role for one year, and his responsibilities will include:

• Promoting the Government’s woodland creation schemes to landowners and other stakeholders and encouraging the right trees to be planted in the right places.
• Driving forward the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant 11 million trees.
• Working with Defra and Forestry Commission on the design of future environmental land management outside the EU.
• Identifying and promoting best practice across local government to prevent the unnecessary felling of street trees – supporting the introduction of a new duty for local councils to consult before felling.
• Working across local government to ensure ancient woodland is more strongly protected.
• Supporting the planting of one million urban trees, and influencing decision-makers to generate ideas and buy-in locally.
• Working with Defra’s Chief Plant Health Officer to drive the protection of tree health across England, raising awareness of the impact pests and diseases have on our environment and economy.

Tree Champion – Terms of Reference

• The appointment of a Tree Champion is a commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan. The stated objective is to promote the benefits of trees and forests, support manifesto commitments and targets, and drive a step change in tree planting.
• The Tree Champion will promote the government’s woodland creation schemes to landowners and other stakeholders, to encourage take-up. The Tree Champion will also support Defra and Forestry Commission with the development of a future grant scheme outside the EU to encourage woodland creation.
• The Tree Champion will bring together Mayors, city leaders and other key players across government to promote the value of trees in urban and rural environments and promote local authorities’ development of comprehensive Tree and Woodland Strategies for their areas.
• The Tree Champion will explore how local authorities can improve their reporting on tree felling and re-planting, as well as encourage more effective approaches to tree management that promote and preserve the benefits of existing street trees, while at the same time managing the health and safety risks associated with diseased trees.
• The Tree Champion will do this by challenging the forestry sector and other stakeholders to develop new ideas and ways of working and by listening to their concerns and aspirations for the development of future policy.
• This role will report to Defra Ministers responsible for Forestry Policy and Plant Health & Biosecurity

Objectives

• The advice and recommendations of the Tree Champion will help contribute to the achievement of Defra’s objectives. In particular, the Tree Champion will support a number of manifesto commitments:
  • The 11 million trees commitment, by promoting the government’s woodland creation schemes to landowners and other stakeholders, to encourage take-up
  • The 1 million urban trees commitment by influencing decision-makers to generate ideas
  • The commitment to strengthen the protection of ancient woodlands through the planning system
  • Supporting the introduction of a new duty for local councils to consult before felling
• The Secretary of State is keen that the Tree Champion supports other objectives, as follows:
  • Explore how local authorities can improve their reporting on tree felling and replanting.
  • Convene and marshall forestry and other stakeholder views to support Defra and Forestry Commission in their design of a future environmental land management scheme
  • Work with Defra’s Chief Plant Health Officer to strengthen the protection of trees from pest and disease threats and improve resilience of trees in England, this includes raising awareness of the impact pests and diseases have on our environment and economy.

Outcomes

• The Tree Champion will make recommendations to the Defra Forestry Minister and the Plant Health Minister who will then consider how best to take these forward. These will need to be:
  • Clear and concise cost-effective options to achieve the stated objectives, which take into account the needs of relevant stakeholder forestry bodies and industry interests
  • Aligned with Defra policies including those in the 25 Year Environment Plan, manifesto commitments, the Tree Health Resilience Strategy and the BEIS Clean Growth Strategy
  • Consistent with other Ministerial priorities
• A further anticipated outcome of the Tree Champion’s work will be strengthened cooperation and partnership working between the Tree Champion, Defra, Forestry Commission, Natural England and key forestry stakeholders

Working Group

• The Tree Champion will work closely with a Defra officials Working Group, which will meet as required. This will comprise policy leads from Defra Forestry Policy Team, Plant Health Team and delivery leads from the Forestry Commission and Natural England. This group will help the Tree Champion to develop any outputs or other reports for Ministers.
• The Tree Champion will need draw on expertise as required. To be effective the Tree Champion will need a clear mandate from Defra Ministers and to secure time and resource from across the Defra Group to contribute meaningfully and to engage constructively with his role.

Defra Forestry Policy Team

June 2018

Pak Supermarket Washwood Heath Ltd, known as Pak Supermarket, was incorporated on 3 August 2010 and operated in Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

However, the company went into Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation in January 2015 with an estimated deficiency of more than £2.8 million.

Following the company’s liquidation, an investigation by the Insolvency Service found that the company had provided misleading information to Birmingham City Council as to the identity and potential liability of the occupants of the supermarket between August 2010 and 13 October 2014.

Over the four years of trading, the company submitted to the council documents relating to eight third-party companies, suggesting these eight companies were, at separate times, the occupants responsible for business rates. As a result, this information hid that the fact that the true occupant was Pak Supermarket and it was the supermarket that was liable to pay business rates.

Prepared accounts and bank analysis showed a turnover for the company in excess of £35million and the company only made a single payment of £5,000 towards a business rates bill of at least £680,000.

Investigators then spoke to Mohammed Younis as he was the sole appointed director of Pak Supermarket between August 2010 and January 2014.

However, he told investigators from the Insolvency Service that from November 2010 he took no part in the management of the company and left it under the control of Zahir Rasul, who was only formally appointed on 15 January 2014.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has since accepted disqualification undertakings of eight years from Zahir Rasul and three years from Mohammed Younis, effective from 10 April and 3 May respectively.

This means that they cannot be directors of a company whether directly or indirectly, or be involved in the management of a company in any way for the duration of their disqualifications.

Martin Gitner, Deputy Head of Investigations at the Insolvency Service, said:

Directors have a duty to provide their local council with complete and accurate information with regard to the occupants of trading premises in order to ensure that liability is properly attributed.

Where information provided is found to be false and/or misleading, resulting in a loss of funds to the Council, directors can expect to be investigated by the Insolvency Service and enforcement action taken to remove them from the market place.

Notes to editors

Mr Younis was born in April 1971 and he resides in Bradford. He was appointed director on 3 August 2010 and resigned on 15 January 2014

Mr Rasul’s date of birth is December 1979 and he resides in Birmingham. He was appointed director on 15 January 2014.

Pak Supermarket Washwood Heath Ltd (CRO No. 07333282) was incorporated on 3 August 2010 and latterly traded from Washwood Heath Road, Washwood Heath, Birmingham B8 2XJ as a supermarket

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7637 6498

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Ulhaque Ahtamad was the sole director of Masstech Ltd, a carbon emissions allowance and metals trader based in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.

The Insolvency Service started to investigate Ulhaque Ahtamad after Masstech Ltd was wound up for debts owed to HMRC.

The investigation uncovered that between June and September 2009, Masstech Ltd, made sales of more than £38 million in the wholesale trade of carbon emission allowances and metals with little initial finance in place.

The company then filed quarterly returns with HMRC attempting to fraudulently reclaim UK VAT that ‘missing traders’ earlier in supply chains had failed to pay to HMRC. This was part of a Missing Trader Intracommunity (MTIC) fraudulent scheme.

In the MTIC fraud trading chain, Masstech Ltd acted as a ‘buffer’ trader. The buffer is an intermediate trader between at one end the ‘missing trader’, importing goods and not paying over VAT due to HMRC, and at the other end, the exporter seeking to reclaim VAT that had not been paid.

Buffers serve to increase the distance between the ends of the chain so that the exporter can deny knowledge of the default.

However, it was found that Ulhaque Ahtamad obstructed HMRC and repeatedly stalled their investigations into the company’s trading. The court heard that Masstech Ltd entered into trading arrangements which were “too good to be true”, and against which the company had been expressly and repeatedly warned by HMRC.

And Ulhaque Ahtamad made payments to unconnected third parties totalling at least £7.38 million, despite having been warned on more than one occasion by HMRC officers of the risks of third party payments in the context of MTIC fraud.

The VAT fraud, including wrongful VAT reclaims against HMRC, resulted in tax losses of over £7.1 million.

The court also heard that as the sole director with responsibility for all aspects of the company’s trading, Ulhaque Ahtamad was involved in pricing decisions which ran against any commercial logic and could only be explained in terms of this fraudulent scheme.

And VAT registration and other due diligence checks on trading partners were superficial and inadequate and Ulhaque Ahtamad failed to act on standard commercial risk negative indicators and continued to trade regardless.

The court concluded that Ulhaque Ahtamad must have been a knowing participant in this scheme and that a 15 year ban, the maximum period of disqualification, was appropriate.

Justin Dionne, Official Receiver for the Insolvency Service, said:

“Masstech Ltd was involved in trading and making wrongful reclaims in a fraudulent VAT scheme which had been costing the UK Exchequer significant amounts of money at the time the fraud was perpetrated.

“This is not a victimless crime, the main impact being on honest tax payers and their families who as a result suffered the effects of funding shortages in healthcare, education and other front line services.

“Regulatory changes, investigative action and legal proceedings have reduced the scale of this fraud from 2007 onwards.”

“The Insolvency Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers to investigate and disqualify directors whose companies defraud the public purse.”

Ulhaque Ahtamad’s disqualification effective from 3 May 2018 means that he cannot promote, manage, or be a director of a limited company until 2033.

Notes to editors

Masstech Ltd (CRO No. 02737217) was incorporated on 4 August 1992 as Masstech Ltd. Its trading address was at Bishops House Market Place, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 9EA.

The petition to wind up the company was presented by HMRC on 11 February 2013 for £7,484,940 in respect of unpaid VAT. The winding up order was made against Masstech Ltd on 25 March 2013.

On 12 April 2018 a 15 year Disqualification Order was made at the High Court against UlHaque Lone Ahtamad.
All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit (London), The Insolvency Service, 2nd Floor, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London WC1B 3SS. Tel: 020 7637 6230 Email: piu.or@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

The order was pronounced by Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Barber in the High Court of Justice .
Tiran Nersessian, of 4 Stone Buildings appeared for the Insolvency Service and no one appearing for or on behalf of the defendant.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7637 6498

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube