Category: Gov Press Releases

HM Land Registry is building the foundations for a national Local Land Charges (LLC) Register and will over the coming year be working with 26 local authorities in England to migrate their LLC records to a centralised digital register, which will launch later this year and benefit up to 125,000 homebuyers in 2018 to 2019.

The new digital register will eliminate regional variations in the speed, format and costs of LLC searches, a vital part of the property buying process. Online search results will be available instantly in a range of formats to suit the customer.

Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar Graham Farrant said:

In today’s world, people expect to be able to access government information online quickly and easily, and for a reasonable fee.

A national Local Land Charges service will achieve that.

HM Land Registry has a track record for modernising land-related systems and is very pleased to be taking on the delivery of the national Local Land Charges digital register. This is a significant step forward in the Government’s ambition to make the house-buying process simpler, faster and cheaper.

Most LLCs are restrictions or obligations such as listed status, tree preservation orders or notice of a conservation area. A search of these is normally required in the process of buying a home. Currently, each local authority maintains an LLC register for its administrative area and the records are held in a variety of formats such as paper, electronic and digital. Prices vary considerably, ranging from £3 to £76, and it can take up to 30 days to deliver the search results. This has led to an inconsistent service for customers depending on their postcode.

This first phase of migration will establish the foundations for the national Local Land Charges service and help HM Land Registry understand better how it can make further migration of more local authorities’ LLC records simpler and faster, while using the data more effectively.

HM Land Registry will be keeping customers up to date when each local authority’s LLC records are migrated to the new digital register and when search requests can be made using our centralised service.

Notes to editors

1. The Government response to the consultation on the draft Local Land Charges rule has been published today.
2. The Infrastructure Act 2015 makes provision for the transfer of responsibility for Local Land Charge (LLC) registers from 326 English local authorities to HM Land Registry.
3. Common obligations protected as local land charges include:
   – planning permissions
   – listed buildings
   – conservation areas
   – tree preservation orders
   – improvement and renovation grants
   – smoke control zones
   – light obstruction notices
4. Some of the English local authorities taking part in phase one include (not an exhaustive list):
   – Blackpool Council
   – City of London Corporation
   – East Lindsey District Council
   – Council of the Isles of Scilly
   – Liverpool City Council
   – London Borough of Lambeth
   – Norwich City Council
   – Peterborough City Council
   – Sefton Council
   – St Helens Council
   – Warwick District Council
5. HM Land Registry will provide LLC search results in a variety of formats, such as:
   PDF – Portable Document Format
   XML – Extensible Markup Language
   JSON – Javascript Object Notation
6. According to HM Land Registry data assessments, there are 25 million LLC records held across England.
7. 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 more than 85% of the land mass of England and Wales
8. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales. 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.
9. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.
10. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

12 new multi-purpose and digitised courtrooms, more modern public space, and 19 new rooms for the judiciary have been built – bringing together all the courts and tribunals for the first time, within a combined Civil, Family and Tribunal Justice Centre. The building now hosts 59 courtrooms and chambers, 60 judges and around 223 members of staff – whose roles range from ensuring trials progress and assisting the judiciary to helping people who are attending court.

The investment into Birmingham Civil Justice Centre is part of the Government’s £1bn reform and modernisation of the justice system – ensuring Britain’s courts and tribunals are fit for the 21st century.

The County Court is one of the busiest in the country and was responsible for 3.3% of all national civil cases issued in the past 12 months. The Family Court is also one of the largest and received 496 care and 1,945 private law applications. 3.5% of national Social Security and Child Support cases were listed at Birmingham over the last 12 months.

The state-of-the-art Civil Justice Centre is bringing together knowledge and expertise in managing court and tribunal cases from across the region – meaning a better service for citizens in the county and beyond.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer, said:

We are ensuring the justice system is fit for the 21st century. This investment is just one example of how our reform programme will modernise our courts and ensure swifter justice.

HMCTS CEO Susan Acland-Hood, said:

Birmingham Civil Justice Centre is a prime example of the future of our courts and tribunals.

We are spending £1 billion to make our system more accessible for all citizens, more sensitive for witnesses, and to deliver better value for taxpayers’ money.

Regional Tribunal Judge Rhead said:

Myself and my colleagues are delighted to relocate to the refurbished 4th Floor at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre. The refurbishment is the result of the determination and hard work of HMCTS staff and all associated with the project.

It provides 12 multi-jurisdictional hearing rooms suitable to hear a range of tribunal hearings including social security and child support appeals with appropriate facilities for tribunal users. The hearing rooms and judicial accommodation are an excellent example of a modern ‘fit for purpose’ justice centre.

HMCTS have developed digital services so that, where appropriate, instead of taking time out to attend a physical court building, working people can now make a number of claims online. These include filing for divorce, challenging rogue traders for money owed, or making a tax appeal. In criminal courts the increasing use of video links means more vulnerable victims can give evidence away from the courtroom and without having to meet their attacker face to face. Across the country, people are also now able to indicate their plea online for low level motoring offences – 80,000 online pleas were made last year. This enables the court to better prepare for the hearing – saving time in the courtroom. £114.7m has already been raised from the sales of underused and poorly-equipped courts to reinvest in the reform and modernisation of the justice system.

The third to be named in the City Class of eight brand new, cutting-edge, anti-submarine warfare frigates, HMS Cardiff will provide advanced protection for the likes of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and offer an unrivalled anti-submarine warfare capability.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

HMS Cardiff will be a terrific tribute to Wales and its capital city. She will bolster the United Kingdom’s defences across the seven seas – protecting our aircraft carriers and defending our waters from intensifying threats.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

This is a very proud moment not only for the Royal Navy but for the whole of Wales.

Wales has a strong military footprint, and this announcement is a celebration of the contribution our nation makes to the defence of the UK.

I’m proud to see the name of our capital city on a Royal Navy warship that will take to international waters to defend our national security and protect our servicemen and women around the world.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones said:

It’s great to see the name HMS Cardiff returning to the Fleet as one of our new Type 26 Frigates, reflecting the Royal Navy’s long-standing bond with the city and the people of Wales. The name HMS Cardiff brings with it a proud history. A century ago the light cruiser HMS Cardiff famously led the German High Seas Fleet into internment at Scapa Flow at the end of the First World War. The last HMS Cardiff, a Type 42 destroyer, also distinguished herself on operations around the world, including the 1982 Falklands campaign, the 1991 Gulf War and service in the Adriatic during the 1999 crisis in Kosovo.

This next generation of frigates will encompass the very latest innovations and technological advances to deliver a world class anti-submarine warfare capability within a globally deployable and highly versatile platform. For years to come, as part of a Royal Navy carrier-led task group or working with our international partners, HMS Cardiff and her sister ships will be ready to deliver a wide spectrum of operations from diplomatic and humanitarian missions to high end warfighting, promoting and protecting Britain’s interests worldwide.

The naming was marked by an event at Mansion House in Cardiff this morning, led by students from the Welsh University Royal Naval Unit. The training establishment for a group of undergraduates from across the nation who show potential as future leaders of society.

Welcoming the news, Defence Minister Guto Bebb said:

As a proud Welshman, it is a great honour to herald another era of a warship with the name HMS Cardiff protecting the UK at home and abroad. These students have shown great passion for everything the Royal Navy stands for, and if they do go on to be captains of the future, they could be at the helm of a truly formidable, cutting-edge warship in HMS Cardiff.

The new HMS Cardiff is set to enter service in the 2020s and, along with her fellow Type 26 frigates, will deliver high-end warfighting wherever it is needed, whilst protecting the UK’s interests as well as Britain’s nuclear submarines. Its flexible design will also enable these capabilities to be adapted to counter future threats, and the ships will benefit from the latest advances in digital technology.

She will be the fourth ship to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city, and the announcement comes 100 years after the first HMS Cardiff led the surrendered German High Seas Fleet into Scapa Flow at the end of the First World War.

The St. David’s Day announcement is a further example of Defence’s commitment to Wales, where the MOD has today announced it spends £300 for every member of the population, £20 more per person than last year. The work being done in Wales includes the UK’s biggest single order for an armoured vehicle in 30 years: the £4.5bn Ajax vehicles being built at General Dynamics’ Merthyr Tydfil factory.

Also, this years’ Armed Forces Day will be held in Wales, on the 30 June in the historic North Wales seaside town of Llandudno. The event, which will also mark Armed Forces Day’s tenth birthday, will celebrate the work of our servicemen and women with a spectacular military parade, fly pasts and impressive displays of equipment.

North Wales has many current and historic links to the Armed Forces, including many Regular and Reserve Army units. Many North Walians are proud to serve in the Royal Welsh and nearby RAF Valley on Anglesey is home to a fast jet training base. Nearly 10,000 veterans live in Conwy, supported by a number of local and national charities.

The announcement also comes as BAE Systems have awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to equip the Type 26 with the only system of its kind capable of launching anti-air, anti-submarine, surface-to-surface and strike-length missiles. Three MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems will be fitted on each ship. The Royal Navy has ordered an initial nine modules for the first three ships, including HMS Cardiff.

A number of close allies, including Australia and Canada, are also considering the state-of-the-art Type 26 design. HMS Sutherland is currently in Australia demonstrating the UK’s world-class anti-submarine capability.

The Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates are being built at the Clyde shipyards in Scotland. The MOD announced an unprecedented 20 years of work there in 2017, safeguarding over 4,000 jobs, with the £3.7bn contract for the first three of eight submarine hunting Type 26 frigates to be built there. Two other ships in the class have already been named HMS Glasgow and HMS Belfast. HMS Cardiff is the third ship to be named and will be the second to enter production.

ENDS

The Charity Commission has published a report detailing the findings of its statutory inquiry into Anatolia People’s Cultural Centre.

The Commission opened an inquiry into the charity on 22 April 2016 after information was shared with the Commission, by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, following the arrest of one of the charity’s then trustees on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act 2006. The police also made the Commission aware that the charity’s premises had been searched resulting in the seizure of funds, and that following the search the premises were subject to a temporary closure order.

The Commission announced the opening of the inquiry on 19 June 2017 after the trustee was found not guilty of 2 counts of disseminating terrorist publications relating to a proscribed group at London’s Central Criminal Court.

In addition to the arrest, cash seizure and closure order, the Commission had a number of regulatory concerns relating to the management and administration of the charity by the trustees including the lack of a bank account despite receiving donations, failure to correspond with the Commission and the trustees failure to ensure statutory returns were filed.

The inquiry concluded that the charity was mismanaged by its trustees for a number of reasons as set out in the report.

The police’s investigation identified images and items with explicit links to the Revolutionary Peoples’ Liberation Party/Front (‘DHKP-C’), a proscribed terrorist organisation, on display at the charity’s premises. The inquiry concluded that allowing such inappropriate and unacceptable images to be displayed at the charity’s premises would lead an ordinary member of the public to infer that the charity supported what was displayed at the premises and endorsed acts of terrorism and/or extremism.

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

The association of any charity with terrorism and/or extremism is wholly unacceptable. The role of charity trustees is to protect their charities from abuse of this kind and the trustees’ failure to do this or to cooperate with the regulator is evidence that they are unfit to act as charity trustees.

As was the case here, we work closely with the police and other authorities to tackle the threats that terrorism and extremism pose to charities, their beneficiaries and their work.

The inquiry concluded that the charity had ceased to operate following the closure order and the charity was removed from the register on 6 September 2017. Prior to this and as a result of the various failings all of the individuals recorded as trustees of the charity were removed or disqualified by the Commission and are as a result banned from serving as charity trustees in the future.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The Charity Commission is the 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 online register.
3. The DHKP-C (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi – Cephesi) aims to establish a Marxist-Leninist regime in Turkey by means of armed revolutionary struggle. It was proscribed in March 2001.
4. The consequence of disqualification/removal under the Charities Act 2011 is disqualification from being a trustee of any other charity without a waiver from disqualification from the Commission or the courts. It is an offence to act as a trustee whilst disqualified.
5. The Charity’s former trustees who were disqualified under section 181A of the Charities Act 2011, were disqualified for a period of 10 years. The maximum period is 15 years.

The government has today (1 March 2018) reaffirmed its commitment to putting bereaved families and the community at the heart of deciding what happens to the future of the Grenfell Tower site.

A set of written principles, agreed with the community and signed by government and Kensington and Chelsea council, will guide the way future decisions are made.

The common assumption is that the decision-making process on the future of the site will lead towards agreement on a fitting memorial to remember those who lost their lives.

Kensington and Chelsea council will ensure that work on the future of the site is taken forward alongside work on the improvements to the Lancaster West estate, so that the area becomes a place where the tragedy can be remembered and the local community thrives.

Shahin Sadafi, Chair of Grenfell United, said:

The future of Grenfell Tower site has been a major source of anxiety for the bereaved, survivors and local community not least because it is the final resting place of the loved ones we lost in the fire.

We are pleased that 8 months on from the fire we finally have agreement that the bereaved, survivors and community will be at the heart of deciding the legacy of the site. We hope working together to create a fitting memorial will be part of a healing process for everyone affected.

The government and Kensington and Chelsea council have treated this issue with dignity and respect. We can only hope the government applies the same seriousness to our need for truth and justice at the Inquiry, this includes listening to our requests for changes to ensure a thorough Inquiry.

Our door will always be open for genuine cooperation on substantive issues.

Secretary of State for Housing, Sajid Javid said:

I am pleased that after hearing the concerns raised by the community, the government and Kensington and Chelsea council have confirmed there are no existing plans for the site on which the Tower stands.

I have always been clear that only by first listening to the community can we begin to rebuild their trust. This public commitment is a demonstration of us being true to that word and I am pleased we have been able to agree a way forward.

Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, said:

Since day one of my leadership I have been clear – the council will listen every step of the way to the survivors, the bereaved, and the wider community and assist in any way it can to ensure that a lasting memorial is put in place.

Further information

The principles can be found on GOV.UK.

The principles have been agreed and signed by Sajid Javid MP; Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea council; Grenfell United on behalf of survivors and bereaved families; and Lancaster West Residents’ Association on behalf of local residents and community.

UK-Mongolia celebrated the 55th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations on 23 January 2018.

Her Majesty’s Ambassador Catherine Arnold launched the year-long celebration with an official reception and she announced the appointment of UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Mongolia and UK Export Finance’s decision to increase support.
Julian Knight MP has been appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May to act on behalf of the British Government to support and increase trade and economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and Mongolia.

UK Export Finance, the world’s oldest export credit agency, also announces an increase in support available for UK trade with Mongolia to £200million.
UK Export Finance can now also support transactions in Mongolian Tugrug, as part of its world-leading local currency financing offer. This will allow Mongolian buyers of UK goods and services to access finance in their own currency – or to ‘buy British, pay local’.

The British Ambassador to Mongolia, Catherine Arnold, said:
‘These are two significant announcements to support and grow the trade and investment partnership between the UK and Mongolia. On 23 January 1963 the UK became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Our first diplomat arrived a year later and we have had diplomatic representation here in Ulaanbaatar ever since. Our partnership has been sustained and unwavering over the last 55 years. I am delighted to launch our 55th anniversary year with these two significant trade announcements. The UK remains committed to working with Mongolia both here and globally, to strengthen our economies, increase sustainability, and nurture democracy and human rights.’

Almost three-quarters of women start breastfeeding when their child is born, however by 6 to 8 weeks this drops to just 44%. This makes breastfeeding rates in England among the lowest in the world.

A new survey of 1,000 mothers of young children commissioned by Public Health England (PHE) revealed that in hindsight, mothers wished they had been better prepared for breastfeeding. Before the birth of their first child, mums’ biggest priorities were:

• buying baby equipment (66%)
• preparing for labour (49%)
• buying baby clothes (40%)

However, post birth, nearly a quarter (24%) wished they had read about and were more prepared for breastfeeding and 1 in 4 (26%) of those who had given breast milk to their first child wished they had known that asking for help can make a real difference.

Evidence shows the right support helps mothers to breastfeed for longer. PHE’s programme Start4Life has created the Breastfeeding Friend to encourage parents to adopt healthy behaviours. It is available for free on a range of platforms, including Facebook Messenger, and now for the first time it will also be available as a skill for Amazon Alexa’s voice service.

Mothers can ask Alexa a variety of questions about breastfeeding and the answers will be provided tailored to the age of the baby. This means that they can get helpful advice even when their hands are full.

The survey also highlighted that almost a third (31%) of mothers also felt embarrassed about asking for help with breastfeeding from healthcare professionals. Many mothers can find breastfeeding challenging and often this may cause them to give up.

It also found that almost two thirds (64%) felt that access to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week breastfeeding support, such as a phoneline, website or chatbot, would make new mothers:

• more likely to have a positive experience of breastfeeding
• more likely to decide to try breastfeeding (59%)
• breastfeed for longer (58%)

PHE recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first 6 months. Breastfeeding boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, and babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and chest infections. Breastfeeding also lowers a mother’s risk of breast cancer and may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Viv Bennett, Chief Nurse at Public Health England said:

Breastfeeding, whilst natural, is something that mothers and babies learn together, and whilst learning, women may have questions and setbacks. PHE is working with health professionals to make sure women are not embarrassed and receive timely help. Health professionals do an excellent job of caring for new mothers, but they cannot be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is where our Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life is designed to help. This tool, together with the range of support materials from Start4Life, can provide breastfeeding advice at any time of night or day and support mothers and their partners and families through challenges they may face.

These digital offerings will help guide new parents through their first weeks of breastfeeding and beyond, providing help at any time of the day or night, and aim to complement support and advice from health care professionals and breastfeeding specialists. The information provided by all the Start4Life services is NHS approved and both services are independent of Amazon and Facebook.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director Institute of Health Visiting, says:

This innovative new service will enhance those already provided by health professionals. Whether a mother manages to establish breastfeeding is largely determinant on the support she receives in the first few days after birth. However, with such short hospital stays, professional support is not as widely available as it once was. To have this back up, which can be accessed from anywhere, will be hugely helpful and we expect health visitors to want to promote the service.

Justine Roberts, CEO and Founder of Mumsnet, says:

Breastfeeding is a hard-won skill for many women, and most mothers will experience a setback along the way, particularly in the first few weeks. We see from conversations on Mumsnet that mothers are looking for breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in fact middle of the night crises when face-to-face help isn’t available can be the most profoundly lonely and difficult. These new round-the-clock digital services could provide help when mothers need it most.

More information, advice and tips on breastfeeding is available on the Start4Life website.

Background

1 – Once Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life is enabled from the Alexa app, users can activate the skill on their Alexa by using the wake word ‘Alexa’ and asking for the ‘Breastfeeding Friend’. A ‘card’ will be sent to the user’s Alexa app showing some of the most common questions the Breastfeeding Friend can answer. Users can access quick tips or advice, and ask Alexa a variety of questions about breastfeeding. The answers will be provided tailored to the age of the baby. The 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life aims to make it simple and easy for breastfeeding mums to ask for help if they are facing any breastfeeding difficulties.

2 – In addition to the Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life there are many other ways that mothers can get breastfeeding support. The Start4Life website has a range of advice and resources which can help mothers continue breastfeeding. Mothers can also call a national helpline (0300 100 0212) provided by the Breastfeeding Network 365 days a year. Mothers can also get help through:

• friends and family
• their Midwifery team
• their health visitor
• local breastfeeding drop-in services

3 – The survey was conducted by Kantar Public from 26 January to 7 February 2018 with a nationally representative sample of 1005 mothers in England with children under the age of 4, on behalf of PHE. The data were weighted to population statistics based on age of mum, region and socio-economic group. Findings show:

• of those who ever gave breastmilk to their first child, younger mums were more likely than older mums to use online sources (42% of 18 to 34 years compared to 30% of 35 to 50 years) when researching or starting to breastfeed
• of mums who breastfed their first child, a quarter wished they’d known it can take a long time, but it’s quality time to spend with their baby (25%) and there is lots of help and support available from breastfeeding groups, other parents and online (24%)
• 1 in 4 (26%) mums felt using more online/digital tools and information would have helped them to be more prepared for becoming a mum
• in hindsight, mums wished their main priorities before the birth of their first child had been preparing for labour (33%), spending time with friends and family (26%), reading about and preparing for breastfeeding (24%) and preparing for night feeds (22%)

4 – Sometimes breastfeeding isn’t possible for a range of reasons. If this is the case, in terms of liquids babies should only be given infant formula milk for the first 12 months and no other types of milk.

5 – Start4Life’s Information Service for Parents and Start4Life website offers NHS information and advice for parents-to-be and parents of 0 to 5 year olds providing them with the advice they need to help get their child off to the best start in life.

6 – The Department of Health is also supporting Unicef UK to develop a neonatal infant feeding network to support sick and preterm babies.

7 – PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services.

The Welsh flag will be flying proudly above Downing Street today when Prime Minister Theresa May welcomes guests from Welsh business, tourism, sport and media to a reception to celebrate St David’s Day (1 March).

The very best in Welsh food and drink suppliers will showcase their products at the event including Welsh whisky from Penderyn, wine from Glyndwr Vinyard and Welsh produce from Cwm Farm Charcuterie.

There will also be performances from the London based Welsh choir Cor y Boro, and harpist Rhys Ward-Haugh.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Today’s reception is all about celebrating everything that Wales has to offer to the world – and there is indeed much to celebrate.

We are a proud nation – and a special part of the United Kingdom. And we are home to some of the greatest talent and industry in the world.

We have Welsh entrepreneurs, inventors and creative people leaving an indelible mark all around the globe, each overseeing Wales’ tremendous renaissance in sport, cuisine, arts and business.

I’m delighted to join the Prime Minister in welcoming Wales to Downing Street today, and extend my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating St David’s Day around the world.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Images from the event will be available from the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales communications team post reception.
2. Suppliers at the St David’s Day reception are:

• Penderyn – Brecon
• Ridiculously Rich – Aberaeron (Alana Spencer ‘Apprentice’ winner)
• Tregroes Waffles – Teifi Valley
• Jones o Gymru crisps – Conwy
• Glyndwr Vineyard – Vale of Glamorgan
• Cwm Farm Charcuterie – Neath Port Talbot
• Greenacre Market Farm – Llanteg, Pembrokeshire

At home in Wales and in nations all over the world, people with Welsh heritage – and people who are Welsh at heart – are today celebrating St David’s Day and all that is great about our country.

Children will be travelling to school dressed in national costume; Eisteddfod audiences will be regaled with Welsh poetry, and hundreds of people, heads bobbing under the weight of bright yellow daffodil hats, will be taking part in colourful St David’s Day parades up and down the country.

I’ve always been aware of the power of what it means to be Welsh.

I’ve long been fascinated by centuries-old literature at the National Library and been proud to bring the Welsh language to Westminster debates in my time as Secretary of State for Wales.

I’ve been entertained by the Welsh National Opera and marvelled at the exploits of our sports stars around the world.

I’ve been moved by heroic tales of the Welshmen that fought for our freedom at First World War centenary commemorations.

And I’ve been transported back to my childhood by our museums and Eisteddfods.

These have all been experiences that have made me proud to be a Welshman, and proud of all that we contribute to the world.

For centuries, Wales’ greatest asset and greatest export has been its people.

We are international in our outlook and have taken our flair, inventiveness and determination to succeed to the four corners of the globe.

Wales has helped bring peace and security to nations, made some of the world’s greatest inventions, and been at the forefront of international trade in every continent.

Because this is a country whose achievements in industry, in technology, sport, music, literature and the arts – they far outweigh our size.

I have also been playing my part by getting on the road to open doors for Wales. From my trade missions to Japan, the USA and the Middle East – they all demonstrate that this Prime Minister and her UK Government is fully behind Wales and I am sending a message to the world that Wales is one of the best places to live, work, visit and trade with.

And our reputation as Europe’s best kept secret will soon be no more as so many more people will come to see for themselves just how much Wales has to offer when the tolls to cross the Severn Bridges are abolished later this year, and flights from Cardiff to Qatar take to the skies in May.

Because in this period of momentous change, we must shout louder than ever before about Wales – I will always champion the Welsh entrepreneurs, inventors and creative people that are leaving an indelible mark around the world. About the business and investment opportunities we have here, about our calibre as a first class sporting and cultural destination.

And today, we celebrate that success by flying the Welsh flag high over N10 Downing Street at the UK Government’s St David’s Day reception – just as it will be flying over our public buildings, churches and schools all across Wales.

So let’s prove that we can be proud of our individual nations and also be committed to our precious union of nations. Because no matter how great we are alone, we will always be greater together.

Once again, to everyone across Wales and around the world, I’d like to wish you a very happy St David’s Day. Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus I bawb.

Leading figures from Welsh cultural organisations will gather at the Wales Office in Westminster today (28 February) in celebration of the strength and diversity of Welsh culture.

Guests from the worlds of broadcasting, arts and sports will join Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and UK Government Ministers Stuart Andrew and Lord Bourne at an event in Gwydyr House.

The Welsh Secretary is expected to call on those present to come up with inventive ways to showcase Wales’ talent across the world, in order to maintain the nation’s strong reputation in the fields of business, tourism and culture.

Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns said:

I am delighted to welcome those from all walks of Wales’ creative life to celebrate our famous culture in Gwydyr House.

I’m proud to see every element of Welsh culture represented, from sport to tourism and the arts industry, both on stage and on screen. Each one of them plays a crucial role in putting Welsh talent on a pedestal for the world to see.

Wales Week in London provides the opportunity to showcase Wales on an international stage, and it’s my role to ensure Welsh interests are represented across the UK and internationally. But I’m no expert in culture, and I encourage those present to think about how we can take the best of Wales to the rest of the world. My door is always open to hearing their ideas.

ENDS