Category: Gov Press Releases

On 4 April 2018 the regulator opened a statutory inquiry into the charity over concerns about its handling, reporting and response to serious allegations of misconduct and harassment involving senior staff members in 2012 and 2015.

Among the issues under inquiry is the extent to which the trustees have ensured that any misconduct allegations, complaints or incidents received by the charity since 1 January 2016 have been appropriately handled.

The Commission would like to hear from anyone with information which is relevant to the inquiry including misconduct allegations, complaints or incidents involving the charity and has set up a dedicated email address for anyone wishing to contact or submit evidence to the inquiry. The email address is savethechildreninquiry@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk.

The inquiry is confined to the issues of safeguarding in the context of misconduct and harassment of the charity’s staff; it is not examining safeguarding in the context of the charity’s programme delivery for beneficiaries.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

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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.

The British Royal Navy ship HMS Albion will be docked at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta for a three day visit, aimed to increase defence engagement with the Indonesian Armed Forces. During the visit, members of the ship crew will conduct bilateral talks with the Indonesian Navy, UK defence industry and visit a local orphanage.

British Ambassador Moazzam Malik, said:

We have a growing defence relationship with Indonesia that supports our joint security interests and promotes prosperity. The deployment of HMS Albion in Indonesia provides an opportunity to support our partners in delivering maritime security in the region. Like Indonesia, the UK has a strong maritime history. We share a naval trading heritage. We will both remain maritime nations. It is in both of our interests to enjoy secure, accessible and sustainable maritime domains.

Captain Tim Neild, HMS Albion’s Commanding Officer, said:

HMS Albion is a very capable warship, manned by a crew of highly trained and hugely professional sailors and Royal Marines and we are greatly looking forward to visiting Jakarta to help strengthen the bonds between the UK and Indonesia. The presence of the Royal Navy’s flagship in Asia-Pacific demonstrates that the UK is ready to work with our friends and allies to promote peace, security and prosperity throughout this vital region.

Notes to Editors

1. HMS Albion is a Landing Platform Dock – a type of amphibious operations vessel with a small force of embarked Royal Marines.
2. HMS Albion will be visiting Jakarta at the same time as the French Navy ship FS LHD Dixmude and Frigate Surcouf
3. Media are invited to attend the welcome ceremony and tour of HMS Albion at Tanjung Priok port on Sunday, 22 April at 1100hrs (JICT 2, Dermaga 203 Kaluku)
4. Crew of HMS Albion will also be visiting Nuruz Zahroh orphanage for social activities on Sunday, 22 April at 1330hrs. Logistics for media will be provided.
5. For further information please contact Embassy’s press officer Raras Tulandaru at raras.tulandaru@fco.gov.uk

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The leaders agreed that the Commonwealth was a unique and diverse institution, capable of delivering real change through practical action. They both noted the importance of the Commonwealth’s youth to its future success.

They agreed that the UK-Singapore trade and investment relationship was strong and would continue to grow, noting the potential for an even stronger future bilateral trade and investment partnership between our two countries as we leave the European Union. They welcomed the approach agreed at the March European Council to provide continuity during the implementation period for international agreements, which could be swiftly transitioned into new bilateral agreements once the implementation period ends.

They agreed the attack in Salisbury had been an outrageous act, and agreed on the importance of upholding the global norm against chemical weapons use, including in the context of Syria. They discussed the importance of tackling Russian disinformation and of preserving the rules-based international system.

They also discussed evolving challenges on cyber security and noted increasing UK-Singapore co-operation in this area. The leaders agreed that they were looking forward to working together more closely in this area after the two governments signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the matter earlier this week.

The new investments were announced as Pakistan and Nigeria joined 53 nations in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), with the benefits of intra-Commonwealth trade high on the agenda.

New investment

Global consumer brand Unilever will invest £86 million in new manufacturing capacity at its 4 factories in Pakistan. Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell will also invest up to £13 million by 2020 in around 100 new fuelling stations along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. This will allow trucks carrying goods between the countries to refuel, driving increased trade.

Meanwhile Dorset-based renewable energy firm Low Energy Designs Limited UK is launching ‘Light up Lagos’, a £38 million investment to deliver 40,000 low energy LED streetlights in the Nigerian capital over the next 4 years.

The lights will improve safety and help tackle pollution and crime in Africa’s largest city, and create over 500 local jobs.

Trade Minister Greg Hands said:

As the Prime Minister has made clear, the Commonwealth has a unique opportunity to boost its trade links and drive prosperity and growth among its members. Pakistan and Nigeria are prime examples of this, with their growing trade with the UK and overseas investment powering economic growth.

Unilever, Shell, and Low Energy Designs are showing what UK companies can achieve in the Commonwealth’s growing market of 2.3 billion customers, and my department is ready to help.

Ministers commit to trade

UK Trade Minister Greg Hands met with Pakistan’s Minister of Commerce, Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, and opened the London Stock Exchange this morning with Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah.

It follows Hands’ visit to Pakistan in September last year where the UK and Pakistan confirmed their ambition to increase bilateral trade. The UK also confirmed its intention to maintain the preferential access Pakistan receives to UK markets to support Pakistan’s economic growth after the UK leaves the EU.

The UK is Pakistan’s biggest trade partner in the EU, with UK exports up over 13% in 2016, and 2% of all Britons have their roots in the country.

UK companies have already invested £5 billion in Nigeria, with bilateral annual trade worth £3.4 billion and Nigerian companies worth over £4.5 billion are already listed on the London Stock Exchange.

A man who killed a highways worker and left another paralysed after speeding while texting has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it for being too low.

Peter Morrison, a 37 year old football agent, hit and killed Adam Gibb, 51, and left his colleague Paul Holroyd, now 53, paralysed from the chest down after losing control of his Mercedes on the M6 in Cumbria.

Morrison had been texting behind the wheel and had been driving at an average speed of 81 mph, when the suggested speed limit was 50 mph, in the period before the collision. His car swerved across three lanes of the carriageway and mounted the crash barrier before rebounding off a rock and hitting the victims.

The two Highways England Officers were overseeing the recovery of vehicles which had crashed earlier in the atrocious weather conditions with strong winds, heavy rain and fog patches causing poor visibility and leaving surface water on some areas of the carriageway.

Morrison had sent a text message 96 seconds before the collision. The last message he received was 45 seconds before it.

Mr Gibb is survived by his wife and young son, who was 15 years old and due to sit his GCSEs at the time. Mr Holroyd suffers long-term effects because of the injuries inflicted by Mr Morrison’s actions.

Morrison pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving but was found guilty by a jury of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to a total of 7 years’ imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court in January.

The Court of Appeal has today increased his sentence to 9 years in prison.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“Morrison’s deliberate decision to be distracted and drive at excessive speeds in extremely hazardous weather conditions had devastating consequences for two families.

“I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed with me and increased the sentence today.”

Scientific advisers from across the Commonwealth will establish a knowledge exchange network to look at some of the global challenges we face such as climate change, food security and the state of the oceans.

The group was established following the inaugural meeting of chief scientific advisers and equivalents from across the Commonwealth chaired by Dr Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. The meeting was held at the Royal Society.

The science leaders met to discuss the role of science and technology in achieving a more secure, sustainable and prosperous future. They discussed how science and technology can benefit Commonwealth countries, both individually and collectively, focusing on 2 main areas:

• preparing for and responding to emergencies; and
• meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dr Patrick Vallance said:

This is an important start to a new Commonwealth science collaboration. The Commonwealth represents a great opportunity for international collaboration, sharing data and science expertise to solve universal challenges such as climate change, food security, the state of the oceans, supporting private sector innovation and managing the impacts of disruptive technologies. These are challenges for which no country can plausibly claim to have all the answers.

Sir Peter Gluckman said

Science, technology and innovation are primary drivers of progress. The Commonwealth presents an obvious forum in which they can and should serve that purpose. Much can be achieved through identifying key knowledge gaps, synthesising and sharing evidence, and by strengthening the link between available evidence and policy.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

Climate change, pollution, food security, healthcare, and clean energy are just some of the world’s biggest challenges. These issues affect everyone and the impact is already being felt, even here in the UK. While the government’s ambitious Industrial Strategy and Grand Challenges are already addressing these global challenges, collaboration is essential to provide effective results.

Across the Commonwealth, the brightest and best talent are conducting incredible research that has the potential to change our world forever. It is essential that we come together and share our expertise and knowledge to speed up the development of innovative solutions, saving our planet and improving everyone’s lives.

The network will foster greater cooperation between Commonwealth science academies and other science advice mechanisms. Specifically, it will seek to:

• promote information exchange covering scientific and technology-based solutions to the SDGs as they affect Commonwealth countries
• enhance cooperation on science related to risk management and emergency response
• develop a strategy for integrating locally-derived data across the Commonwealth to understand and stimulate innovative solutions to such issues as coastal erosion, water quality and food waste
• explore approaches to data governance
• promote beneficial collaboration using major science infrastructure where it can support research around the SDGs
• consider what further mechanisms might strengthen the role of science and innovation in the Commonwealth

A report summarising the projects, their impact and the key lessons learnt will be presented to leaders at the Commonwealth summit in 2020.

Notes to editors

1. The Commonwealth forms a significant part of the global scientific community. It is home to 12% of the world’s researchers and accounts for around 10% of global research and development expenditure.
2. The Government Office for Science advises the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet on all matters related to science and technology ensuring that government policies and decisions are informed by the best scientific evidence and strategic long-term thinking.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister called President Xi of China earlier today.

They agreed the Prime Minister’s visit to China in January had been a great success, reinvigorating our commitment to a “Golden Era” of UK-China relations and a deeper strategic partnership.

They discussed the appalling chemical weapons attack in Douma. The Prime Minister explained our strikes had been proportionate, legal and responsible, and aimed at alleviating humanitarian suffering by degrading the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capability and deterring their willingness to use them in the future.

The Prime Minister set out that Russia’s blocking of diplomatic action underlined the importance of the international community working together to re-establish an independent mechanism that attributes responsibility to the perpetrators of attacks such as the one in Douma.

The Prime Minister noted that the use of a nerve agent against Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury was a grave attack on the sovereign territory of the UK, and the first use of nerve agents on European soil since the Second World War. They agreed that the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, for any purposes was unacceptable.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to free and fair trade, open markets and upholding and strengthening the multilateral global trading regime.

The leaders welcomed progress on deepening the UK-China trade relationship. They agreed that the UK and China would continue to work together to identify how best we can cooperate on the Belt and Road initiative across the region and ensure it meets international standards.

The Prime Minister also noted the need to recognise and respect the international law of the sea, in the context of adherence to the wider rules-based international system.

UK Government Minister Lord Bourne will visit the Royal Mint’s headquarters in Llantrisant today (19 April) as part of ongoing engagement with the HM Treasury-owned coin production company.

The Royal Mint in Llantrisant was opened in 1968 and now employs more than 850 staff across its 35 acre site. The current Chief Executive and Deputy Master, Anne Jessopp, was appointed earlier this year and is the first woman to hold the role in the Mint’s 1,100 year history.

The Mint’s core function is the production of the UK’s coins, blanks (the metal discs minted into coins) and official medals. The company aims to provide financial return to the UK Government via its commercial operations, and has produced coins and medals for around 60 countries outside the UK.

Lord Bourne will reaffirm the UK Government’s continued backing of the world’s leading export mint by supporting the development of its overseas operations and new business ventures.

The mint currently holds a 15 per cent global market share and allows customers to trade bullion (gold, silver, and platinum) in the form of coins and bars, and store it in its own secure storage facility (The Vault). The site in Llantrisant is also home to The Royal Mint Experience, which opened in 2016.

UK Government Minister Lord Bourne said:

The Royal Mint is a crucial asset that adds real value to the makeup of South Wales’ economy; employing hundreds of staff, attracting thousands of visitors to its tourist attraction each year and putting Wales on the map via its extensive overseas operations.

As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, there has never been a better time to explore new opportunities for trade and export further afield. The UK Government will fully support all Welsh businesses who are eager to seek out new markets overseas.

Anne Jessopp, CEO of The Royal Mint, said:

I am pleased to host Lord Bourne to look at how The Royal Mint can work with Government and other partners to identify new business opportunities in the UK and beyond.

The Royal Mint is an established British brand. As the market for some of our traditional products changes, we are building on our reputation for trust and authenticity to move into new and exciting areas of business. Our focus is on innovation and partnership across a portfolio of products, ensuring that The Royal Mint remains a sustainable and relevant business for the 21st century.

Exports from Wales rose by 12.3% to £16.4 billion in the latest year on year figures, and Wales is home to nearly 4,000 exporters with an average value per exporter of more than £4.2million.

The UK Government has developed the Wales Export Guide – a document that sets out the full range of support available to Welsh businesses from the UK Government and contains inspiring stories of companies based in Wales that are successfully exporting.

You can download a copy of the guide here.

ENDS

The Charity Commission has provided an update on the work of its safeguarding taskforce, established in February after the public spotlight on Oxfam and subsequent increased serious reporting.

The purpose of the interim taskforce is to help the Commission manage and respond to the increase in reports of serious safeguarding incidents by charities, and to undertake a review of historic serious incident and whistleblowing reports on safeguarding issues.

New reports of serious safeguarding incidents

• 532 new reports of serious incidents on safeguarding received in February and March 2018, compared to 1,210 throughout 2016-17
• 440 new cases opened relating to safeguarding concerns
• 219 incident reports from 33 charities funded by the Department for International Development, of these reports 127 are historic

The Commission has seen a marked increase in reports of serious safeguarding incidents from charities since February; these relate both to historic and more recent incidents. In February and March 2018, the Commission received 532 serious incident reports on safeguarding incidents, compared to 176 during the equivalent period in 2017.

The reports cover a wide spectrum, and some relate to risks of harm that a charity has identified, rather than to incidents of harm – for example internal audits showing that safeguarding procedures were not followed in certain situations.

The Commission has opened 440 cases relating to safeguarding concerns raised in serious incident reports from charities, or complaints and whistleblowing reports. These are being prioritised according to risk.

Among the new reports are those from 179 charities to which the Secretary of State for International Development wrote in February to seek reassurances that all appropriate incidents had been reported to the Commission. As at 9 April 2018, of the 179 charities Dfid issued the assurance request letter to, 33 charities had submitted incident reports. Of those 33 charities, 24 submitted reports which related to historic incidents. The 33 charities in total have now reported 219 incidents. Of these 219, 127 are historic incidents.

Review of historic reports of serious safeguarding incidents

• 5,501 reports received between 1 April 2014 and 20 February 2018 under review
• over half of reports (3,300) have been reviewed so far

The taskforce has been undertaking a ‘deep dive’ of its records of serious incident reports on safeguarding matters to identify any gaps in full and frank disclosure by charities, and to establish whether appropriate follow-up actions were taken by charities, including whether incidents were reported to other primary regulators or agencies.

This requires the team to analyse a total of 5,501 reports of serious incidents reported to the Commission between 1 April 2014 and 20 February 2018. Over half of those reports (around 3,300) have now been re-analysed by the team; most of the incidents analysed to date relate to those reported in bulk by a small number of large charities.

Of these incidents, just over 2,000 involved allegations of potential criminal behaviour; the Commission’s analysis has identified that only one of those incidents was not reported to the authorities at the time. The Commission has ensured that this incident has now been reported to the police.

Analysis so far has not identified any cases where the Commission has serious and urgent concerns that require it to take immediate action, or where it has had to engage with the authorities about any ongoing risk or criminality.
The review of historic reports continues; once the work has concluded, the Commission will publish a report setting out the key findings and lessons for charities.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales.
2. We opened a statutory inquiry into Oxfam in February and has published the scope of the inquiry.
3. We have a vital, but specific, regulatory role on safeguarding. We are focused on the conduct of trustees and the steps they take to protect beneficiaries and others who come into contact with their charity.
4. Our remit requires us to work effectively with other UK specialist authorities. The Commission is not an inspectorate or agency, similar to CQC or Ofsted. We are not a criminal prosecuting authority, nor an arm of the police, which means we should not be expected to gather information for or report on charities’ behalf to the police or other regulators or agencies.
5. Safeguarding has been a priority regulatory risk issue for the Commission since 2010. We have increased and intensified our regulatory interventions on safeguarding, including on a number of high profile cases, and our joint work with DFID.
6. Regardless of our specific remit and role, the number of incidents we are dealing with is increasing, and demand on our services in almost every area is growing. With fewer than 300 permanent staff, dealing with 100,000 contact requests a year, regulating 950,000 trustee roles and 168,000 registered charities, we are limited in the proactive engagement we can have with individual charities and trustees.