Category: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Statement by International Development Secretary on Save the Children

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

Following the launch of a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission, Save the Children UK has decided to withdraw from bidding for new UK Government funding until DFID is satisfied that they can meet the high standards we expect of all our partners.

I am committed to driving up standards across the aid sector and I expect every organisation that we work with to have rigorous reporting and complaints mechanisms in place to protect beneficiaries and employees alike.

General media queries

Follow the DFID Media office on Twitter – @DFID_Press

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Link: Press release: Statement by International Development Secretary on Save the Children
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: ‘Smart’ safety advice for commercial drivers

In a pioneering move, the government company responsible for the country’s motorways and major A roads has joined forces with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to offer bespoke safety training for drivers who travel on smart motorways.

Aimed at commercial and haulage drivers, the course has been designed to provide practical, relevant training.

The eight hour, single day course covers the past, present and future of smart motorways, the different signals on the network, driver behaviour and the role of traffic officers.

A key aspect of the course is that it now integrates into the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC), the standard qualification for which all professional bus, coach and lorry drivers must complete 35 hours of training every five years.

Senior Partnership Manager at Highways England, Wayne Carey said:

Hauliers are among the most frequent users of smart motorways so we want to ensure we are providing as much support as we can to ensure those journeys are as safe as possible.

Smart motorways reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability and add much needed capacity to some of the most congested sections of motorway and we are delighted with the take up to date of this course.

We urge any haulier who wants to sharpen up their skills to sign up.

Pertemps, one of the leading training providers has agreed to offer the training, and Müller is one of the first organisations to take it on.

Jen Cowie, Logistic Support and Development Manager at Müller said:

It’s essential that our drivers are fully equipped to deal with their surroundings. We are delighted to be working with Highways England on this training, from concept to delivery, and we continue to work together closely, which not only benefits the business, but the overall road network.

National Trainer Manager at Pertemps Driver Training, Andy Smart said:

It is clear to us that smart motorways are the future in the UK and their use has undoubtedly reduced congestion and improved safety on some of the busiest roads.

As an employer of over 7000 drivers nationwide we are actively working with and supporting Highways England to promote the benefits of smart motorways within the haulage industry.

Malcolm Bingham, Head of Road Network Management Policy at the Freight Transport Association (FTA) said:

FTA is conscious that hauliers would appreciate more advice about driving on smart motorways. That is why FTA has worked in partnership with Highways England to produce the training module which is now approved for use on the Driver CPC course programme.

This is the right way forward – providing drivers with true guidance on how to use the network and not adding confusion about which parts of the road they can use and when. That has been borne out by driver feedback on the pilot courses we have run.

It also demonstrates the need to respect the Red X signs set up when there is a problem on the network and provides assurance that these lanes are vital tool in keeping drivers safe in emergency situations.

Any company which wishes to enrol their drivers on the training should email: SPTC_Driver_Education_Course@highwaysengland.co.uk

Highways England’s call to hauliers comes alongside a number of other initiatives related to commercial vehicle safety launched at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show.

One of these is the commercial vehicle incident prevention programme, which focuses on safer people and aims to reduce the number of commercial vehicle related incidents.

As part of this comes the use of virtual reality to reduce the risk of commercial vehicle drivers being involved in incidents as they travel up and down the country.

Other examples include:

  • a joint initiative with police using HGV cabs to target dangerously driven vehicles (one of the cabs with police representatives will be at the Show);
  • the installation of sophisticated tyre/vehicle measurement (tyre pressure, tyre tread depth, vehicle weight, axles heat) technology at key locations;
  • initiatives with the Health & Safety Executive and the police to improve load security; and interventions to reduce diesel spillages which damage the carriageway and cause long delays.
  • development of truck stop apps in Polish and Romanian (they can also be seen at the Commercial Vehicle Show).

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Link: Press release: ‘Smart’ safety advice for commercial drivers
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Almost ¾ of insider frauds at charities enabled by excessive trust and lack of challenge from others within the charity

The Charity Commission, the regulator of charities in England and Wales, has published the findings of a study which has found that cultural factors, such as placing excessive trust or responsibility in individuals, or the lack of internal challenge and oversight, contributed to 70% of insider frauds within a sample of charities analysed by the Commission.

The Commission is therefore urging all charities to foster a culture where staff, trustees and volunteers are reminded of the need to challenge any concerning behaviour and not turn a blind eye when internal processes aren’t followed.

The findings follow a number of high profile cases of insider fraud in charities recently, including Birmingham Dogs Home, where the former chief-executive stole £900,000 from the charity. The head of finance at NSA Afan was jailed earlier this week for spending almost £54,000 of the charity’s money for her own personal gain.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Charity Commission, said:

Today’s report has confirmed what we already suspected from our casework in this area. The crucial lesson for charities isn’t about introducing lengthy counter-fraud policies. It’s about changing people’s behaviours and encouraging staff and all those involved in charities to be vigilant and speak out when things don’t seem right. This must be demonstrated by everyone in an organisation to be truly effective.

The vast majority of charity workers do incredible work but, as we’ve seen in some troubling cases recently, sadly charities aren’t immune to fraud. A dangerous combination of a lack of accountability and controls not being consistently applied can make any charity – big or small – vulnerable, and create opportunities for fraudsters that will have devastating effects.

Everybody has a part to play in the fight against charity fraud to ensure the public’s generous donations reach those who need them most.

The Commission issued a 6 week long call for information to help charities better understand the risks and causes of insider fraud, and therefore how to better protect their valuable assets. The Commission received over 50 responses, with a third of responding charities having an income of over £1million. The study also identified that 19% of frauds reported to the authorities resulted in a prosecution, 38% recovered part or all of the money/assets taken, and 76% of the frauds prompted media coverage.

The Commission has published advice for charities on improving their resilience to fraud, as well as a number of anonymised case studies alongside the report. These demonstrate cases of poor or non-application of financial controls, low fraud awareness, and excessive trust or lack of challenge.

Previous analysis by the Commission found that a third of frauds committed at charities and reported to the Commission were suspected to have been committed by charity staff, trustees or volunteers.

Anyone who suspects fraud in a charity, should make a report to the police, the charity in question and to the Commission, via RSI@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk.

Ends

Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see the about us page on GOV.UK.
  2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.

Press office

Link: Press release: Almost ¾ of insider frauds at charities enabled by excessive trust and lack of challenge from others within the charity
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Tech sector backs British AI industry with multi million pound investment

  • More than 50 leading technology companies and organisations have contributed to the development of an AI deal worth almost £1 billion, including almost £300m of private sector investment into UK sector
  • 1,000 new government funded AI PhDs will keep the UK at the forefront of innovation and build UK status as AI research hotspot

More than 50 leading businesses and organisations have contributed to the development of a £1 billion deal to put the nation at the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry, featuring almost £300 million of new private sector investment.

The deal between government and industry, announced by Business Secretary Greg Clark and Digital Secretary Matt Hancock today (Thursday 26 April 2018), also includes more than £300 million of newly allocated government funding for AI research to make the UK a global leader in this technology.

Building on the commitment made in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy and its AI Grand Challenge, the deal marks the first phase of a major innovation-focused investment drive in AI which aims to help the UK seize the £232 billion opportunity AI offers the UK economy by 2030 (10% of GDP).

The AI Sector Deal follows record levels of investments into UK tech in 2017 and today’s deal includes new investments such as:

  • Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain opening its first European HQ in the UK and investing £35 million in UK deep-tech start-ups
  • The University of Cambridge opening a new £10 million AI supercomputer and making its infrastructure available to businesses
  • Top-ranking Vancouver-based venture capital firm Chrysalix, is also going to establish a European HQ in the UK and use it to invest up to £110 million in AI and robotics
  • The Alan Turing Institute and Rolls-Royce will jointly-run research projects exploring: how data science can be applied at scale, the application of AI across supply chains, data-centric engineering and predictive maintenance, and the role of data analytics and AI in science.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said:

The UK must be at the forefront of emerging technologies, pushing boundaries and harnessing innovation to change people’s lives for the better.

Artificial Intelligence is at the centre of our plans to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business. We have a great track record and are home to some of the world’s biggest names in AI like Deepmind, Swiftkey and Babylon, but there is so much more we can do.

By boosting AI skills and data driven technologies we will make sure that we continue to build a Britain that is shaping the future.

Developing AI Skills

The deal will help establish the UK as a research hotspot, with measures to ensure the innovators and tech entrepreneurs of tomorrow are based in the UK, with investment in the high-level post-graduate skills needed to capitalise on technology’s huge potential.

It includes money for training for 8,000 specialist computer science teachers, 1,000 government-funded AI PhDs by 2025 and a commitment to develop a prestigious global Turing Fellowship programme to attract and retain the best research talent in AI to the UK.

This will make sure every secondary school has a fully qualified computer science GCSE teacher to give the next generation the skills they need to develop and capitalise on future technology.

As part of the deal, the accountancy firm Sage have also committed to delivering an AI pilot programme for 150 young people across the UK.

Regional Tech Hubs

The Government will build on its reputation as an international hub for AI innovation and provide £20 million of funding to help the UK’s service industries, including law and insurance, with new pilot projects to identify how AI can transform and enhance their operations.
The Government has also pledged £21m of funding to create Tech Nation, a new UK-wide organisation working across the country to create a high-growth tech network for ambitious entrepreneurs. One of Tech Nation’s new goals will be to establish an internationally-respected programme for mid-stage AI companies to help bring them to scale.

World’s first Centre for Data Ethics

The deal highlights government work to ensure all AI developments in Britain are conducted to the highest ethical standards by establishing a world-leading Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
The £9 million Centre will be an important part of plans to make the UK the best place in the world for businesses developing AI to grow and thrive. It will address the challenges posed by the adoption of AI and advise on the measures needed to enable and ensure safe, ethical and innovative uses of data-driven technologies, while helping protect consumers.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

Artificial intelligence provides limitless opportunities to develop new, efficient and accessible products and services which transform the way we live and work. Today’s new deal with industry will ensure we have the right investment, infrastructure and highly-skilled workforce to establish the UK as a driving force in the development and commercial use of artificial intelligence technologies.

As with all innovation there is also the potential for misuse which puts the whole sector under scrutiny and undermines public confidence. That is why we are establishing a new world-leading body, to ensure the ethical use of data in AI applications for the benefit of all.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

Today’s announcement reaffirms the UK’s place as a world leader in artificial intelligence. This government is determined that British businesses should now take the next steps to build on the growing global opportunities provided by the advancement of AI, changing the lives of millions of people.

As an international economic department, we will help UK companies in the AI sector to forge new trading ties that will boost exports, investment and provide jobs to every part of the country.

AI Grand Challenge

The new sector deal is the focal point of the government’s Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenge, a key part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy which sets out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. The AI Grand Challenge aims to put the UK at the forefront of the AI and data revolution ensuring the vast social and economic benefits of this technology are felt in every corner of Britain.

The Industrial Strategy set out four Grand Challenges to put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future. AI and Data is one of these and this sector deal provides the blueprint for delivery.

The government’s modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building an economy fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.

Dame Wendy Hall said:

It is very exciting to see the recommendations in the AI Review turned into reality through this bold and ambitious Sector Deal for AI. We are at a pivotal point in the application of AI across many different sectors of industry and I truly believe the U.K. can take a leadership role in developing the use of AI in industry in a safe and ethical way that will be of benefit to everyone.

The AI sector deal will make Britain the go to place for AI and make sure this technology is used as a force for good to benefit people, from government’s investment in early diagnostics and precision medicines projects that will use AI to help diagnose chronic illnesses, to a commitment to establishing Data Trusts between government, industry and academia to ensure data sharing is safe and secure.

To better understand the ethical and security implications of data sharing and privacy breaches, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is investing £11 million in eleven new research projects, led by universities, to analyse the important challenges for people and businesses that use data and those that allow access to their data.

Neil Crockett, Chief Digital Officer, Rolls-Royce, said:

At Rolls-Royce, we believe that AI is central to unleashing huge value for our customers and from within our own business, and in achieving our goal of pioneering the power that matters.

This MoU signals an exciting new phase in Rolls-Royce’s relationship with The Alan Turing Institute. We believe this collaboration will further strengthen Rolls-Royce’s reputation as a world-leading adopter of AI technologies in an industrial context. At the same time, it will support the institute’s position, and thus the UK’s position, as a global centre of excellence for data science and AI.

Marc Waters, Managing Director (UK & Ireland), Hewlett Packard Enterprise said:

Artificial intelligence presents a significant opportunity to create competitive advantage for the UK economy with benefits for companies, workers and consumers.

The opportunity exists not only to harness the power of AI for innovation and scientific discovery but to improve productivity and provide economic growth.

Notes to editors

AI in the UK

The AI sector deal will not only support new adopters of AI, it will help the UK’s trailblazing companies who are already embracing this tech and using it to create clusters of expertise, high-skill jobs and investing in developing this technology.
Companies and bodies in the UK actively embracing AI in what they do include:

  • UK Space Agency investing £3 million through Harwell-based Satellite Applications Catapult in a project that will use artificial intelligence and satellite technology to help detect illegal jungle gold miners in Colombia
  • As part of a partnership with CodeBase, Barclays PLC has launched its first Scottish ‘Eagle Lab’ in Edinburgh. *The lab provides businesses with access to the tools they need to rapidly produce and test prototypes, and Scottish communities with the skills and training they need to thrive.
  • IQE, a specialist in semiconductors, is investing £38 million alongside Cardiff University to develop a new state-of-the-art facility that will manufacture components used in AI applications.
  • Cleo, a hyper-intelligent AI financial assistant that’s simplifying money, is being fully automated so it can learn from users’ data, helping and advising on finances with a voice and intelligence in tune with a user’s preferences.
  • Heralding a new era of defending against today’s advanced and novel cyber-threats, Darktrace has been deployed over 5,000 times across 97 countries, defending against some of the most complex corporate and critical national infrastructure environments in the world.
  • BT is collaborating with Ulster University by investing in a new £29 million AI research and development cluster that aims to attract and retain industrial engineers and university researchers to the area.
  • Exscientia is the first company to use pioneering AI for drug discovery and design, enabling critical breakthroughs to improve productivity and drug efficacy.
  • To help lawyers do legal searches and draft the best standard documents, the law firm Pinsent Masons has developed its own team of computer scientists and legal engineers to put AI into practical context for its lawyers.
  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) recently announced new offerings to help its customers ramp up, optimize and scale AI usage across business functions to drive outcomes such as better demand forecasting, improved operational efficiency and increased sales.
  • Using the most advanced Artificial Intelligence, Your.MD has built the world’s first AI personal health guide that provides users immediate trustworthy healthcare advice from the NHS to anyone with access to a mobile phone
  • With technology that records patterns of behaviour, including what learning style works for each student, CENTURY, an AI platform, is helping children learn and teachers provide more personalised education programmes, with feedback and suggestions to help fill knowledge gaps.

This comes as UK start-up backer Founders Factory welcomes four new AI firms to its London accelerator centre. They’ve also launched the first AI business in its business incubator – Chosen.AI which has developed a process to replicate the expensive and inefficient process of talent recruitment.

Their four new AI firms are:

  • Orbo.AI – a computer vision software company which uses AI to create face filters, virtual make up, image retouching and can understand context in photos.
  • UQuant – a spin-out from Imperial College using AI to help engineers analyse data to improve how they do test simulations and avoid manufacturing errors even at early production stages. Pilot clients included NASA, Rolls Royce and McLaren.
  • Peptone – uses AI to develop and improve proteins which can lead to improved drug performance and reduced costs for drug companies, helping to make better drugs available to patients.
  • Reps.Ai – an Israeli firm from Tel Aviv, using AI to support companies customer service efforts by learning from their best customer service agents.

Additional quotes:

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick said:

Artificial intelligence will enable us to work smarter, boost our productivity and make the country richer.
“From search engines to self-driving cars, this technology will be at the heart of our new economy. That’s why we continue to back our AI innovators in order to cement the UK’s position as a world-leader in this cutting-edge technology.

Marc Waters, Managing Director (UK & Ireland), Hewlett Packard Enterprise said:

Artificial intelligence presents a significant opportunity to create competitive advantage for the UK economy with benefits for companies, workers and consumers.

The opportunity exists not only to harness the power of AI for innovation and scientific discovery but to improve productivity and provide economic growth.

However, many UK enterprises are still struggling to find viable use cases for their business and take tangible, near-term steps toward making these a reality. To help fill this gap, HPE is investing in and providing these organisations with the specialised AI expertise and supercomputing infrastructure needed to support AI applications.

Professor Michael Denham, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Mindtrace Ltd said:

Just as computing technology has served us well by allowing us to make complex computations which are far beyond human capabilities, AI technology will increasingly support us in our ability to make complex and timely decisions, in healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, security, and many other areas, with super-human levels of accuracy, speed and efficiency, enhancing our lives in ways which we are only beginning to understand.

Antony Walker, deputy CEO, techUK said:

The UK has an impressive track-record on AI. But we must keep pace and as the scale of innovation continues to accelerate, we need to ensure that the UK stays at the forefront in the development and application of these powerful new technologies.

The Government’s AI Sector Deal provides a clear blueprint for how the UK can become a world-leader in innovative, responsible and ethical AI. The sector deal focuses on the key issues of maintaining leadership and driving uptake, building the skills pipeline and ethics. Success will depend upon AI companies being deeply engaged in the process.

Gerard Grech, CEO Tech Nation, said:

One of the biggest changes the UK faces over the next 10 years is technological
and the development of Artificial Intelligence will be at the forefront of it. The UK needs to embrace it and shape it. As a recognised global centre of AI expertise with companies like DeepMind, Improbable and 5AI, the UK is in a great position, and by building strong networks of shared knowledge and expertise, we can make it even stronger.

Tech Nation cannot wait to get started on shaping its first programme for the UK’s fastest-growing AI companies next year, which will help those who have proven their potential to reach the next level.

Hugh Milward, Senior Director, Corporate External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft UK, said:
>
> The UK is poised to do great things in the field of AI. If the Sector Deal can ensure that the development of AI is ethical, inclusive and responsible then the UK, as the home of the father of AI Alan Turing, will have a bright future as a world leading centre for AI.

Further notes to editors:

  1. AI holds transformative implications for every aspect of our lives and every sector of the economy. The economic prize is clear: potentially adding 10% to UK GDP by 2030 if adoption is widespread (PWC), and a productivity boost of up to 30% (Bank of America).
  2. The Industrial Strategy, published in 2017 , following the independent review of AI in the UK in 2017, ‘Growing the Artificial Intelligence Industry in the UK’, commits to the Grand Challenge of putting the UK at the forefront of the AI and data revolution, helping sectors boost their productivity through new technologies, helping people develop the skills they need and leading the world in the safe, ethical use of data.
  3. The Sector Deal is the first major initiative under the grand challenge, that outlined proposals for how government could work with industry to stay ahead of the competition and grow the UK’s use of AI right across the economy in a safe and ethical way, for the benefit of all in society.
  4. The interim Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation will start work on key issues straight away and its findings will be used to inform the final design and work programme of the permanent Centre, which will be established on a statutory footing in due course. A public consultation on the permanent Centre will be launched soon.
  5. We are announcing new challenges where we will work with industry to develop innovative uses of AI and advanced analytic technologies through the£1.7 billion Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. These include ‘Next-Generation Services’ , ‘Early Diagnostics and Precision Medicine’, and ‘Transforming Food Production’.

Trailblazing UK AI companies and projects:

Accurate fruit farming

Berry Gardens Growers Ltd based in Lincoln

The company is working with the University of Lincoln at the cutting edge of agri-food to use advanced autonomous systems in the production of fruit. The project will deploy novel digital technologies including vision systems, robotics and autonomous systems in order to detect, locate and measure the size and colour of fruit in real time, and aims to directly stimulate new markets and supply chains in the production of systems to support agricultural producers.

Turning customer feedback into tangible insights

Hertizan based in Cornwall

Hertzian are a technology company founded in 2015 as part of the Falmouth University Launchpad programme. Since their launch they have become a key player in Cornwall’s diverse and thriving tech community. Hertzian have built their own artificial intelligence (AI) powered free-text analysis platform and their software helps businesses around the world find actionable insights inside large amounts of customer feedback. Through the use of Hertzian’s AI technology, businesses are able to identify consistent issues affecting their customers, monitor the impact of their marketing material and lead data-driven product improvements.

UK AI tracking illegal gold mining in Colombia

UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult based at Harwell

The UK Space Agency is investing £3 million in a project that uses satellite technology and artificial intelligence to help detect illegal jungle gold miners in Colombia. Working with the Satellite Applications Catapult, a non-profit research company based at Harwell in Oxfordshire, the project will feed data pulled from a pair of European Union Sentinel-1 satellites into a computer algorithm that can automatically spot the characteristic patterns of deforestation that are linked to illegal gold mining. The project is one of 10 that will use space technology and satellite data to deliver innovative solutions to problems facing developing countries.

Using AI to verify identity

Onifido based in Covent Garden, London

Onifido uses a machine-learning system to compare facial biometrics of the user, which then gets cross- referenced against an identity document like a drivers licence. One the users identity is verified and the document is checked for tampering the user is machine searched against global databases for any issues, this system operates over 132 countries.

GP at Hand

Babylon Health, London

Babylon Health technology allows users to have virtual consultations with a GP via video messaging and text. By February 2018, their Fulham health centre partnership was providing about 2,000 10 minute video consultations a week, 30% outside normal 8am-8pm GP.

Link: Press release: Tech sector backs British AI industry with multi million pound investment
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Lord Chancellor announces drive to increase judicial diversity

  • government to fund new judicial education programme
  • support from Judiciary, Judicial College and legal professional bodies
  • online education platform for potential candidates
  • targeted support for underrepresented groups

Talented people from all backgrounds across the legal profession will be given greater support to apply to become a judge, Lord Chancellor David Gauke announced today (25 April 2018).

A new online learning platform will enable candidates from all legal backgrounds to develop their understanding of the role and skills required of a judge, and how their legal experience has prepared them for judicial office, prior to making an application.

The Pre-Application Judicial Education (PAJE) programme is a joint initiative from the Judicial Diversity Forum, which is made up of MOJ, Judiciary, Judicial Appointments Commission, Bar Council, Law Society and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and coordinates action to remove barriers to candidates from underrepresented groups applying to be judges.

Additional, targeted support will be available to those applicants from groups that are underrepresented in the judiciary via discussion sessions led by judges. This will give potential candidates insight into the realities of the role and offer an opportunity to address any perceptions they may have on barriers to judicial office.

Development of the programme will be funded by the MOJ, with Forum partners contributing to further running costs.

PAJE is the first initiative delivered jointly by all members of the Judicial Diversity Forum and partners will continue to work together on actions to drive diversity.

Lord Chancellor, David Gauke said:

Becoming a judge is a crucial form of public service at the very heart of our society.

From my time as a solicitor I know there are excellent candidates from right across the legal profession, and we want to make it easier for people from all backgrounds to aspire to these roles.

We have seen improvement in diversity in recent years, and it is clear that widening the talent pool from which judges are drawn can only make our world-renowned justice system even stronger.

Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon said:

I am committed to working to further improve judicial diversity. This programme of work is an important opportunity to offer practical assistance to underrepresented groups.

I hope that this scheme, which the judiciary and particularly the Judicial College is taking a leading role in devising and delivering, will widen the pool of applicants to ensure that the best candidates, from a wide range of backgrounds, apply for judicial posts.

Lord Kakkar, Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission and the Judicial Diversity Forum, said:

The Commission warmly welcomes this initiative which will give candidates from the widest range of backgrounds the opportunity to better understand, prepare and develop themselves for a future judicial role.

We look forward to reporting on its impact in future years and hope that it will encourage talented candidates from underrepresented groups to consider applying for judicial appointment at the right stage in their career.

The online education programme will be available from early 2019, with the discussion groups to follow and MOJ will work with partners to increase awareness amongst practising legal professionals.

The initiative builds on our £1 billion investment to reform our courts service, to modernise processes and improving the environment and working conditions for those who work within it, including judges.

Notes to editors

  1. MOJ funding will amount to an estimate of £152,000 over three years. The total cost of the programme will be approximately £300,000 including contributory costs from partners.
  2. Places on the discussion sessions will be available by application, details will be available in early 2019. Preference will be given to applicants from underrepresented groups; women lawyers, BAME lawyers, lawyers with disabilities and those from a non-barrister professional background (including solicitors and chartered legal executives).
  3. For more information contact the MOJ press office on 02033340185

Link: Press release: Lord Chancellor announces drive to increase judicial diversity
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: New space contracts for UK companies as Sentinel satellite lifts off

The Sentinel-3B satellite, which features systems built in the UK, will join six other satellites monitoring and measuring the Earth’s environment from space.

The majority of information they collect is freely available to anyone in the world so it can be used for anything from agriculture to urban planning, as well as tackling global issues like climate change.

Ahead of the satellite’s launch from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome due just before 7pm today (25 April), the European Space Agency announced the UK has secured a number of contracts for future work in the Copernicus programme.

Between Airbus UK and Thales Alenia Space, the UK has secured more than €12 million worth of contracts, including important work on two missions, Land Surface Temperature and the Polar Microwave Imaging.

Sam Gyimah, Science Minister, said:

“The UK space sector is a success story and our capabilities in Earth observation satellite technology are second to none. These latest contracts confirm the vital role of British research, innovation and industry to Copernicus.

“We’ve been clear that we want our companies and universities to continue participating in key EU space programmes, as long as they can take part on a fair and open basis. Our leading role in the European Space Agency will not change as we leave the EU, and this Government will ensure the UK thrives in the commercial space age through our modern Industrial Strategy.”

The UK is also involved in three other missions; the L-band SAR mission, which measures soil moisture and crops for food security and precision farming, the Polar Ice and Snow Topographic Mission and the Anthropogenic CO2 Monitoring Mission.

George Eustice, Agricultural Minister, said:

“I am delighted about today’s launch of Sentinel-3B, which will further increase the ability of Copernicus to monitor changes in sea level, marine pollution, and biological productivity. This closely follows the launch of the British-built Sentinel-5P in October, and reflects the growing success of the programme as the world’s leading Earth Observation satellite system.

“The UK has one of the largest concentrations of Copernicus data users in Europe. The satellite data is increasingly used by the UK Government, especially the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to monitor water and air quality, support flood recovery efforts, and deliver farming support, for example. It could also prove to be an immensely valuable tool in the delivery of our 25 year Environment Plan – a strategic priority for the UK Government.

“As the programme looks to the future, it is great to see UK companies and users successfully driving the development of Copernicus as it continues to grow in importance.”

Sentinel-3B is the seventh satellite in the Copernicus programme and features several instruments, measuring colour and surface temperature over the land and ocean. It will measure the temperature, colour and height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice. These measurements are used to monitor changes in sea level, marine pollution and biological productivity.

Ben Olivier, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in the UK, said:

“The importance of the Copernicus missions in securing our ability to understand and help manage the impacts of the climate on our environment, economy and sustainable development cannot be over-stated.

“Thales Alenia Space in the UK is pleased to have secured the lead role in the next expansion mission such as CO2 monitoring. This reflects the engineering and scientific skills that the UK contributes to collective progress and security.”

Over land, this innovative mission provides information to monitor wildfires, map the way land is used, observe vegetation state and measure the height of rivers and lakes – complementing the high-resolution measurements of its Sentinel-2 sister mission.

The satellite features systems built in the UK, including the battery and propulsion system, and draws on UK scientific expertise and experience in helping to calibrate and analyse the data obtained.

Completing the constellation of the first set of Sentinel missions, it follows the launch of Sentinel-5P in October 2017, which was built by Airbus UK, and features state of the art sensors from Teledyne E2V in Chelmsford at the core of the Dutch-built TROPOMI instrument.

Andy Stroomer, UK Business Development Director for space at Airbus, said:

“The Copernicus programme provides a hugely important contribution towards global monitoring of the environment. Airbus in the UK has been a major player in the development of satellites, ground systems and services supporting Copernicus. Contributions include: leadership of the Sentinel-5P atmospheric chemistry mission; the cornerstone radar instrument electronics for Sentinel 1; and cryogenic coolers underpinning the performance of this Sentinel 3 mission. We look forward to continuing to play key roles in future Copernicus missions.”

In orbit Sentinel-3B will join its twin, Sentinel-3A, which was launched in 2016. This pairing of satellites provides the best coverage and data delivery for Copernicus. The two Sentinel-1 radar satellites and two Sentinel-2 optical satellites operate in a similar way. Sentinel-5P is unique in the Copernicus constellation in that it is a single-satellite mission, but its extremely wide swath covers Earth every 24 hours.

Link: Press release: New space contracts for UK companies as Sentinel satellite lifts off
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: UK and Welsh governments reach agreement on EU Withdrawal Bill

The UK Government and the Welsh government today confirmed that they have reached an agreement on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill that will be tabled in the UK Parliament tomorrow and that means the Welsh Government will now recommend that the National Assembly for Wales pass a Legislative Consent Motion for the Bill.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Lidington MP welcomed the agreement saying it was a ‘significant achievement that will provide legal certainty, increase the powers of the devolved legislatures and also respect the devolution settlements.’ The Minister said that the Government would now table amendments to the Bill on Wednesday along with the publication of a related Inter Government Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding.

The EU Withdrawal Bill will significantly increase the powers of the devolved administrations in the UK as powers currently controlled by the EU are returned to the UK. The UK Government has been in detailed discussions with the devolved administrations for some time now about putting in place the necessary arrangements for the 153 policy areas returning from the EU to Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast in a way that strengthens and respects the devolution settlement but also protects the vital UK internal market.

The deadline for tabling changes to Clause 11 of the Bill at the House of Lords Report stage is tomorrow (Wednesday). No agreement has been reached with the Scottish Government.

The UK Government had already proposed changes to the Bill that mean the vast majority of EU powers that intersect with devolved competences will go directly to the devolved parliaments and assemblies when we leave the EU. There would also be a provision for the UK Government to maintain a temporary status quo arrangement over a small number of returning policy areas where a new UK framework had not been implemented in time for EU Exit. This is to protect the UK internal market and ensure no new barriers are created within the UK for consumers and businesses.

David Lidington said:

I am very pleased that the many months of detailed negotiation have got us to a point where we have now reached an agreement with the Welsh Government on changes to the Bill. This is a significant achievement that will provide legal certainty, increase the powers of the devolved governments and also respect the devolution settlements. The UK Government has made considerable changes to the EU Withdrawal Bill to address issues that have been raised in Parliament and by the devolved administrations

It is disappointing that the Scottish Government have not yet felt able to add their agreement to the new amendments that Ministers and officials on all sides have been working on very hard over recent weeks. I thank them for that effort and hope that they may still reconsider their position. All governments agree that it would be best for all parts of the UK if we had an agreed way forward on the EU Withdrawal Bill.

Link: Press release: UK and Welsh governments reach agreement on EU Withdrawal Bill
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: New figures show large numbers of businesses and charities suffer at least one cyber attack in the past year

  • Over four in ten of all UK businesses suffered a breach or attack in the past 12 months.
  • Most common attacks were fraudulent emails followed by cyber criminals impersonating an organisation online.
  • Strong reminder to bosses to act ahead of new data protection laws coming into force on 25 May.

With one month to go until new data protection laws come into force, UK businesses are being urged to protect themselves against cyber crime after new statistics show over four in ten (43%) of businesses and two in ten charities (19%) suffered a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months.

This figure rises to more than two thirds for large businesses, 72% of which identified a breach or attack. For the average large business the financial cost of all attacks over the past 12 months was £9,260 with some attacks costing significantly more.

The most common breaches or attacks were via fraudulent emails – for example, attempting to coax staff into revealing passwords or financial information, or opening dangerous attachments – followed by instances of cyber criminals impersonating the organisation online, then malware and viruses.

Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James, said:

We are strengthening the UK’s data protection laws to make them fit for the digital age but these new figures show many organisations need to act now to make sure the personal data they hold is safe and secure.

We are investing £1.9 billion to protect the nation from cyber threats and I would urge organisations to make the most of the free help and guidance available for organisations from the Information Commissioner’s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre.

As part of the Government’s Data Protection Bill, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will be given more power to defend consumer interests and issue higher fines to organisations, of up to £17 million or 4 per cent of global turnover for the most serious data breaches. The new Bill requires organisations to have appropriate cyber security measures in place to protect personal data.

The Government is introducing new regulations to improve cyber security in the UK’s critical service providers in sectors such as health, energy and transport, and we have established the world-leading National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as part of plans to make the UK one of the safest places in the world to live and do business online.

Ciaran Martin, CEO of the NCSC, said:

Cyber attacks can inflict serious commercial damage and reputational harm, but most campaigns are not highly sophisticated.

Companies can significantly reduce their chances of falling victim by following simple cyber security steps to remove basic weaknesses. Our advice has been set out in an easy-to-understand manner in the NCSC’s small charities and business guides.

The new statistics also show, among those experiencing breaches, large firms identify an average of 12 attacks a year and medium-sized firms an average of six attacks a year.
Smaller firms are still experiencing a significant number of cyber attacks, with two in five micro and small businesses (42 per cent) identifying at least one breach or attack in the past 12 months, which could impact profits and reduce consumer confidence.

However, the survey shows more businesses are now using the Government-backed, industry-supported Cyber Essentials scheme, a source of expert guidance showing how to protect against cyber threats.

It shows three quarters of businesses (74 per cent) and more than half of all charities (53 per cent) say cyber security is a high priority for their organisation’s senior management.

Organisations have an important role to play to protect customer data. Small businesses and charities are urged to take up tailored advice from the National Cyber Security Centre. Larger businesses and organisations can follow the Ten Steps to Cyber Security for a comprehensive approach to managing cyber risks and preventing attacks and data breaches.

Organisations can also raise their basic defences and significantly reduce the return on investment for attackers by enrolling on the Cyber Essentials initiative and following the regularly updated technical guidance on Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership and the NCSC website.

Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said:

“Data protection and cyber-security go hand in hand: privacy depends on security.

“With the new data protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect in just a few weeks, it’s more important than ever that organisations focus on cyber-security. That’s why we’ve been working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to offer practical security steps that organisations can consider to keep data safe.

“We understand that there will be attempts to breach systems. We fully accept that cyberattacks are a criminal act. But we also believe organisations need to take steps to protect themselves against the criminals. I’d encourage organisations to use the new regulations as an opportunity to focus on data protection and data security.

“Increasing the public’s trust and confidence in the way people’s data is handled is our priority and good data protection practice will go some way to making the UK the safest place to be online.”

Organisations which hold and process personal data are urged to prepare and follow the [guidance and sector FAQS](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/resources-and-support/getting-ready-for-the-gdpr-resources/ freely available from the Information Commissioner’s Office. Its dedicated advice line for small organisations has received more than 8000 calls since it opened in November 2017, and the Guide to the GDPR has had over one million views. The regulator also has a GDPR checklist, and 12 steps to take now to prepare for GDPR.

The survey also revealed:

*Larger businesses and charities are more likely than the average to identify cyber attacks. Breaches were more likely to be found in organisations that hold personal data and where employees use their own personal devices for work.

*A huge proportion of all organisations are still failing to get the basics right. A quarter (25 per cent) of charities are not updating software or malware protections (27 per cent) and a third of businesses (33%) do not provide staff with guidance on passwords.

*More than one in 10 (11 per cent) of large firms are still not taking any action to identify cyber risks, such as health checks, risk assessments, audits or investing in threat intelligence.

Notes to editors:

*Media enquiries – please contact the DCMS News and Communications team on 020 7211 2210.
Read the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018.

*The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018 was carried out for DCMS by Ipsos MORI, in partnership with the Institute for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Portsmouth. A telephone survey of 1,519 UK businesses (excluding agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses) and 569 UK registered charities was undertaken from 9 October 2017 to 14 December 2017. The business sample included 1.004 micro and small firms (with 1 to 49 staff), 263 medium firms (with 50 to 249 staff) and 252 large firms (with 250 or more staff). The data have been weighted to be statistically representative of these two populations.

*Full survey findings and technical details can be found on this page.

*The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is an Official Statistic and has been produced to the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

*The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018 was carried out for DCMS by Ipsos MORI, in partnership with the Institute for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Portsmouth. A telephone survey of 1,519 UK businesses (excluding agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses) and 569 UK registered charities was undertaken from 9 October 2017 to 14 December 2017. The business sample included 1,004 micro and small firms (with 1 to 49 staff), 263 medium firms (with 50 to 249 staff) and 252 large firms (with 250 or more staff). The data have been weighted to be statistically representative of these two populations.

*The Cyber Security Breaches Survey comes on the back of recent Government action to boost cyber security, including:

*Announcing a new £13.5 million cyber innovation centre, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in the growing cyber security sector.

*The Government is encouraging all firms to act: the 10 Steps to Cyber Security provides advice to large businesses, and the Cyber Essentials scheme is available to all UK firms and charities. The Cyber Aware campaign aims to drive behaviour change amongst small businesses and individuals, so that they adopt simple secure online behaviours to help protect themselves from cyber criminals.

*Ipsos MORI surveyed 1,519 UK businesses and 569 UK registered charities by telephone from 9 October 2017 to 14 December 2017.

*The proportions of medium and large businesses achieving the Cyber Essentials standards have risen steadily since 2016 – up from 4 per cent to 13 per cent of medium businesses and from 10 per cent to 25 per cent of large businesses.

*The survey found 38% of businesses and 44% of charities (surveyed between October and December 2017) had heard of the new incoming data protection laws. Of those aware, 27% of businesses and 26% of charities had made changes to their operations as a result. Of these, just under half of those businesses and over one third of charities, made changes to their cyber security practices.

Link: Press release: New figures show large numbers of businesses and charities suffer at least one cyber attack in the past year
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: High-Tech headgear helps promote safer driving

The Government company, responsible for the country’s motorways and major A roads, has developed a free app to raise drivers’ awareness of their blind spots.

What Highways England's Virtual Reality App looks like
What Highways England’s Virtual Reality App looks like

The app can be accessed on a smart phone attached to a simple pair of cardboard goggles so drivers can use it before they get behind the wheel.

John Walford Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team Leader said:

We have set ourselves the long term vision that no-one should be harmed while travelling or working on our roads, and within that it is doing all we can to help reduce collisions involving lorries because they tend to have a greater impact when they do occur.

They most commonly occur when trucks change lanes or attempt to overtake and using this technology allows us to provide a realistic environment for commercial vehicle drivers so that they can experience the impact of not using their mirrors to check blind spots. It’s just one of the steps we’re taking to help improve safety for this valuable group of drivers and ultimately everyone who uses our network.

The app includes 5 road safety scenarios for both left and right hand drive vehicles and has been developed to stress the importance of adjusting mirrors to cater for driving in a different way when in the UK. The blind spot app has 5 scenarios:

  • mirror adjustment
  • identifying vehicles in blind spots
  • joining a motorway from a slip road
  • overtaking
  • tailgating

It is on show at this week’s Commercial Vehicle Show taking place at the NEC in Birmingham, with Highways England giving the free headsets to visitors.

Although developed for commercial vehicle drivers, the app could also benefit private motorists by giving them a sense of what commercial vehicle drivers experience every day. For example, helping them to understand the location of commercial vehicle blind spots and hence reduce the potential for unnecessary accidents.

The virtual reality app is just an example of the safety initiatives that Highways England has developed as part of its commercial vehicle incident prevention programme. The programme includes initiatives to improve the design and maintenance of commercial vehicles and initiatives to assist operators and drivers.

Examples include:

  • a joint initiative with police using HGV cabs to target dangerously driven vehicles (one of the cabs with police representatives will be at the Show);
  • the installation of sophisticated tyre/vehicle measurement (tyre pressure, tyre tread depth, vehicle weight, axles heat) technology at key locations;
  • initiatives with the Health & Safety Executive and the police to improve load security; and interventions to reduce diesel spillages which damage the carriageway and cause long delays.
  • development of truck stop apps in Polish and Romanian (they can also be seen at the Commercial Vehicle Show).

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.


Link: Press release: High-Tech headgear helps promote safer driving
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: UK astronomers open new window on the Universe

The detailed information of this census of over one billion stars, which comes from the Gaia mission, allows their positions and distances to be mapped to unprecedented precision giving us a 3-dimensional map of our Milky Way Galaxy.

This new release of information shows us 600 times more stars than previously available, covering a volume 1,000 times larger than Gaia’s own first data release two years ago, with precision some one hundred times improved. These results allow improved study of almost all branches of astronomy: from traces of the formation of the Solar System; through how stars evolve; through the current structure, the assembly and evolutionary history of the Milky Way; to mapping the distribution of Dark Matter in the Galaxy; to establishing the distance scale in the Universe; to discovery of rare objects.

This second data release allows progress in all these studies by providing not only distances and apparent motions across the sky for 1.3billion sources, but also very precise measurements of brightness and colour for an even larger catalogue of 1.7billion sources. Seven million stars have their line of sight velocities measured, providing full 6-dimensional – three space positions, 3 space motions – information, determining full orbits for those stars in the Milky Way. This is the information needed to weigh the Galaxy, and determine the distribution – and perhaps the properties – of Dark Matter, the mysterious substance which dominates the mass of the Galaxy and the Universe.

The image shows the rotation pattern of stars in the Galaxy: stars shown in blue are moving towards the Sun, while stars shown in red are moving away.
Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

The mission is reliant on the work of UK teams at the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leicester, Bristol, the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) at UCL London and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) RAL Space facility, all of whom are contributing to the processing of the vast amounts of data from Gaia, in collaboration with industrial and academic partners from across Europe.

Professor Gerry Gilmore from the University of Cambridge, UK Principal Investigator for the UK participation in the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium, and one of the original proposers of the mission to ESA, said:

“The combination of all these unprecedented measures provides the information for astronomers to take the next big steps in mapping the formation history and evolutions of stars and our Milky Way Galaxy. There is hardly a branch of astrophysics which will not be revolutionised by Gaia data. The global community will advance our understanding of what we see, where it came from, what it is made from, how it is changing. All this is made freely available to everyone, based on the dedicated efforts of hundreds of people. There are so many exciting things to do better with the exquisite Gaia data we anticipate new science papers appearing every day after this release.”

UK participation in the European Space Agency mission itself has been funded by the UK Space Agency and scientists and engineers from around the UK played key roles in the design and build of Gaia.

The UK Space Agency has already contributed £15 million to Gaia and is committed to spending a further £4 million on processing and analysing the data.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

“We’re working with industry and academia to support cutting-edge science that will lead to new discoveries about our Galaxy.

“The UK involvement in this exciting mission shows that our academics and engineers are world leaders in the space sector. As part of ESA we will continue to be at the forefront of research and deeply involved in missions such as ExoMars, with its Airbus-built rover, and the BepiColombo mission to Mercury.”

One of the new aspects of the Gaia data released today are radial velocities derived from Gaia spectra. Gaia releases radial velocities for some 7million stars, many times more than have been measured in the history of astronomy up to now, with vastly more to come in future releases.

Professor Mark Cropper leads the team at Mullard Space Science Laboratory/UCL that made the UK contribution to this spectroscopic processing effort and said:

“Spectra provide the critical information to complement Gaia’s astrometry, providing line of sight (radial, Doppler-shift) velocities and precise measures of stellar chemical element abundances. Gaia measures huge numbers of individually low-signal spectra – nearly 20 billion separate spectra to date – which must be carefully combined to deliver their full value. This demanding process is worth the effort! The remarkable map of the changing average radial velocity as we look around the sky is direct evidence of the rotation of our Galaxy.”

Dr Floor van Leeuwen from the University of Cambridge has been Project Manager for the UK and European photometric processing work, and is a leading co-author on the example science papers illustrating Gaia’s impact on our knowledge of star clusters and satellite galaxies in the outer Milky Way. Speaking of the new findings he said “Groups of dwarf galaxies, including the Magellanic Clouds, can now be observed to be moving around in very similar orbits, hinting at a shared formation history. The accurate observed motions and positions of the globular clusters and dwarf galaxies provide tracers of the overall mass distribution of our galaxy in a way that has not been possible with this level of accuracy before.”

STFC helped the set-up of the data applications centre for the project and STFC’s current support involves the UK exploitation of the scientific data that is now being yielded from the mission. In addition the photometric data processing software to which STFC contributed, as part of the UK-led team, offers the ability to precisely measure the brightness of the billion objects that Gaia is observing, while contributions from the rest of Europe are charting the positions, distances and movements of those one billion stars.

Professor Ian McCrea, Space Physics and Operations Division Head at STFC’s RAL Space said:

“Four years into the Gaia mission and it is incredible to see that our work in the UK on developing the photometric data processing software, that precisely measures the brightness of the billion objects that Gaia is seeing, is now successfully giving us comprehensive and detailed information that helps us better understand our true place in the Milky Way, our home galaxy. With this new data release and those that will follow, I am excited to see what new celestial objects, such as extra-solar planets, brown dwarfs, supernovae, asteroids, and of course, things that we have not even imagined have now been recorded.”

Gaia orbits the sun at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the earth and was launched by the European Space Agency in December 2013 with the aim of observing a billion stars and revolutionising our understanding of the Milky Way. During its expected five-year lifespan, Gaia will observe each of a billion stars about 70 times.

A special aspect of the Gaia mission is that the teams involved do not keep the results for their own science interests. Instead the Gaia data is released with free access to everyone for analysis and discovery.


Link: Press release: UK astronomers open new window on the Universe
Source: Gov Press Releases