Category: Gov Press Releases

First evidence of the shingles vaccine programme shows a substantial reduction in cases and long-term complications.

A new study in the Lancet Journal of Public Health shows a substantial decrease in shingles cases and associated complications in the first 3 years since the introduction of the shingles vaccination programme by Public Health England (PHE).

Despite these very positive results, uptake of the vaccine has declined, with a 13% decline in people aged 70 since the start of the programme and an 8.4% decline in people aged 78 years since 2014.

PHE is urging adults aged 70 and 78 to protect themselves by taking up the offer for vaccination from their GP or booking an appointment if they missed out. Shingles is a painful condition and can be especially debilitating for older people.

The new analysis of the shingles vaccine programme, which was introduced in England in September 2013, estimated that the vaccine was 62% effective against shingles and between 70 to 88% effective against post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), or long term pain, which is one of the main complications associated with shingles.

The study estimated that GP visits for shingles and PHN reduced by 35% and 50% respectively, in those aged 70 during 2013 to 2016.

An estimated 17,000 GP visits for shingles were avoided amongst the 5.5 million individuals who were given the vaccination in the first 3 years of the programme across England.

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said:

I encourage all those who are 70 and 78 to make an appointment with their GP practice to get the shingles vaccine, as well as those under 80 who previously missed out. It’s the best way to avoid this very nasty disease and the long-term complications that can develop from having it.

Our population is aging and the risk from getting shingles and complications is higher as you get older. Immunisation is the best way to protect yourself from this painful, sometimes debilitating condition. Taking up the vaccine is an important part of staying healthy as you age.

Shingles is characterised by a skin rash on one side of the body resulting from reactivation of chicken pox virus that has been lying dormant in the body. It can last on average for 2 to 4 weeks and be significantly debilitating, causing loss of sleep and and interference with day-to-day activities. Symptoms can include sharp stabbing pain and burning of the skin in the affected area, feeling unwell, a bad headache and a fever.

Over 50,000 cases of shingles occur in people aged 70 years and over each year in England and Wales, with approximately 50 cases being fatal.

The likelihood of getting shingles increases with age and adults aged 70 and above are more at risk of developing serious complications from it, such as PHN, a severe nerve pain that lasts for several months or more after the rash has gone.

Though many recover from PHN, symptoms can last for years or can become permanent. It is therefore vital for every individual eligible to get their vaccine.

In England, the shingles vaccination programme now targets adults aged 70 and 78 with a catch up programme for those aged 71 to 79.

PHE is encouraging healthcare professionals and the public to be aware of the complications surrounding shingles and to encourage those within the eligible groups to get vaccinated.

Background

1. Those who are eligible for the free shingles vaccine include people in their 70s who were born after 1 September 1942 and people aged 79 years.
2. To get your vaccine, contact your GP or pharmacist for more information. If you are within the eligible group, your doctor will recommend the shingles vaccine during general GP visits or your annual flu appointment. Further details on the shingles vaccination programme are available on NHS Choices.
3. PHE’s shingles eligibility calculator can help determine whether or not you are eligible for the vaccine.

I welcome yesterday’s announcement by the Saudi-led Coalition that Hodeidah port will now be open for both humanitarian and commercial supplies, including fuel and food. This critical and commendable step has been made in the face of continued provocation and aggression from Houthi forces, and will help ensure the Yemeni people get the supplies and assistance they so desperately need.

It is essential that all parties to the conflict in Yemen allow complete and unhindered commercial and humanitarian access. We remain deeply concerned by continued barriers to delivery imposed by the Houthi rebels.

I was appalled that the Houthis fired another ballistic missile at Riyadh on 19 December, and that they boasted the target was the Royal Palace. This is the second such incident in six weeks, which yet again deliberately targeted a populated area. Such attacks threaten regional security and prolong the conflict in Yemen and I call upon all those with influence over the Houthis to get them to stop.

The UK will continue to support efforts to strengthen implementation of the UN arms embargo and address Saudi Arabia’s legitimate security concerns, and strongly supports the UN’s investigations into the origins of the missiles.

Recent developments only serve to underline the need for a political solution to the conflict. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith with each other and the UN to overcome obstacles and restart dialogue. The UK will continue to lead international efforts in support of a political solution.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has appointed Kenneth Dibble, currently Director of Legal Services at the Charity Commission, as the Commission’s new legal board member. Kenneth will be relinquishing his executive role prior to joining the board in March 2018.

William Shawcross, Chairman of the Charity Commission, says:

I am delighted that Kenneth will be joining the Commission’s Board as legal member next year. Kenneth has unparalleled mastery of charity law, a thorough understanding of modern regulation and extensive experience of senior executive leadership. The Commission, and the public, will benefit tremendously from his continued service. As my term of office as Chairman comes to an end, this appointment adds to my confidence that the organisation will be excellently guided in the future.

Kenneth Dibble says:

It is an honour to have been appointed to serve on the Charity Commission’s board. Charities, and by extension the Commission as their regulator, play a central role in our society. Maintaining the legal integrity of the Commission’s regulatory work is critical, and I look forward to continuing to support that element, and shaping the Commission’s future, in my new role as legal board member.

Details about the appointment and the appointment process are available from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

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A homeless man who murdered 2 members of a family who helped him and tried to murder a third member of the same family has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General appealed it as unduly lenient.

Aaron Barley, who was 23 years old at the time, attacked 3 members of the Wilkinson family in a premeditated and savage act of unprovoked violence.

Barley stabbed and killed Pierce Wilkinson, aged 13, and his mother Tracey, in their home having waited for Peter Wilkinson, Tracy’s husband and Pierce’s father, to take the dog out for a walk. When Mr Wilkinson returned to the house Barley stabbed him a number of times in an attempt to kill him which he was fortunate to survive.

The attack was entirely unprovoked, with the Wilkinson family having done much over the course of the preceding year to help Barley with the difficulties he had in his life. Their help included supporting him to find a home and a job and inviting him to spend Christmas day with them. The 4th member of the Wilkinson family, Lydia, who was aged 18 at the time was away at the time of the attack.

Barley has shown no remorse for the killings of Pierce and Tracey Wilkinson and has expressed regret that he failed to kill Peter Wilkinson. He was originally sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years at Birmingham Crown Court. Today, the Court of Appeal agreed the sentence was too low and increased the minimum term to 35 years.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“Aaron Barley’s attack on the Wilkinson family was a truly despicable crime. The Wilkinson family had gone out of their way to help him and he repaid their kindness with a brutal attack which devastated their family. My thoughts are with Peter and Lydia Wilkinson particularly and I hope they can find some comfort in the increased sentence today.”

Opening hours 22 December 2017 – 2 January 2018

Date	Opening Hours
Friday 22 December	08.30 – 15.30
Monday 25 December	Closed
Tuesday 26 December	Closed
Wednesday 27 December	08.00 – 17.30
Thursday 28 December	08.00 – 17.30
Friday 29 December	08.30 – 16.30
Monday 1 January	Closed
Tuesday 2 January	Open as usual

If you cannot get through to the person you want to speak to, please call our general enquiries number on: 0203 334 6621

Her Majesty The Queen has approved the appointment of 119 new Queen’s Counsel. Alongside the advocates being appointed QC, Her Majesty has also approved the appointment of seven new Queen’s Counsel Honoris Causa (listed below).

The Lord Chancellor will preside over the appointment ceremony, where the rank will be formally bestowed upon successful applicants, at Westminster Hall on 26 February 2018.

Lord Chancellor David Lidington said:

I commend each of the 119 barristers and solicitors, alongside the seven Honorary Queen’s Counsel, on their appointments. The award of the title of Queen’s Counsel is a recognition of depth of expertise and eminence in their fields. It is this expertise that gives the English legal system its world-leading reputation.

Notes to editors

1. The list of 2017 to 2018 Queen’s Counsel appointments
2. The 119 Queen’s Counsel (QC) (also known as silks) appointments includes:
   • 32 women applicants of the 50 that applied. Last year, 31 out of 56 female applicants were successful;
   • 18 applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white of the 33 that applied. Last year 16 such applicants out of 37 were appointed;
   • 21 applicants aged over 50 were appointed. Last year 20 such applicants were appointed. The youngest successful applicant is 34-years-old and the oldest is 63; and
   • Five solicitor advocates of the 10 who applied. In the previous competition six solicitor advocates were appointed.
3. QCs are appointed by The Queen, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor. He is in turn advised by an independent Selection Panel which receives and considers each application and makes recommendations as to appointment.
4. For further information, please call the Ministry of Justice press office on 020 3334 5422. Follow us @MoJGovUK.

Honorary Queen’s Counsel biographies

Professor Michael Bridge

A leading academic and Fellow of the British Academy. Professor Bridge has made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales relating to the sale of goods, in particular as editor of the leading textbook in this area and writer of numerous important articles. He has also written major texts and articles on contract law, international sale, personal property law, credit and security, and private international law. He is also a Bencher of the Middle Temple; emeritus Cassel Professor of Commercial Law at the London School of Economics; Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford; Visiting Professor at Queen Mary University of London; and Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore.

Professor Louise Gullifer

Director of the Commercial Law Centre at Harris Manchester College, Oxford and also Director of the Secured Transaction Law Reform Project. As well as being Professor of Commercial Law at Oxford, she is Professor of International Commercial Law at Radboud University, Nijmegen. She is part of the UK delegation to UNCITRAL Working Group VI and the UNIDROIT committee of Governmental Experts on the MAC Protocol to the Cape Town Convention. She has made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales in terms of the breadth of her work both within academia and outside.

Dr Charles Harpum

A barrister and former academic who served as a Law Commissioner and made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales as a significant architect in the shaping of the Land Registration Act 2002.

Janet Legrand

A former Senior Partner and current interim Global Co-Chair of a major law firm, Janet Legrand is also a pioneer in enhancing the role of women in the law, promoting social mobility, diversity and inclusion within her firm and the wider profession through the board of PRIME. In her legal practice she represents Governments in international disputes. Beyond the law she is Chair of the Trustee Board of The Children’s Society, a member of Council of City University of London, a Trustee of its Students’ Union, a member of the Audit Committee of the University of Cambridge, a Marshall Aid Commemoration Commissioner and board member of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.

Professor Nigel Lowe

Professor Lowe has done a mixture of international work and family law and is particularly known for his work relating to the Hague Convention. He has authored a number of books, including some of “rare authority and timeless value”, and is considered a leading academic.

Professor Nicola Padfield

Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice at the University of Cambridge and Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. In addition to her academic work, she sat as a Recorder from 2002-2014. She is a Bencher of the Middle Temple, and is currently Vice-Chair of its Education and Training Committee. She has made a huge contribution to the criminal justice system in a practical capacity, in addition to her work in academia, where her research focuses on sentencing and parole.

Professor Maurice Sunkin

Professor of Public Law and Socio Legal Studies at the University of Essex, an Associate Member of Landmark Chambers, London, and General Editor of the journal Public Law. He has pioneered an empirical approach to the law and undertaken a number of leading studies of the use, operation and effects of judicial review in England and Wales. He has acted as Legal Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution and is currently chair of the United Kingdom Administrative Justice Institute, a national research body based at the University of Essex, and Co Director of an ESRC funded project on the human rights implications of big data and new technologies, also based at Essex.

This follows the announcement in October 2017 that all customer telephone lines would be free to call by the end of the year.

Work and Pensions Secretary of State David Gauke said:

People can access support online and our Jobcentre Plus work coaches can also provide help accessing our benefits and services. But we also understand that at times people may need to speak to someone on the telephone.

We want this process to be as accessible as possible and that’s why we have made all DWP customer telephone lines Freephone numbers.

The introduction of Freephone numbers started with Universal Credit helplines on 29 November 2017 and was completed when the final set of numbers were introduced on 21 December 2017.

Follow DWP on:

• Twitter – www.twitter.com/dwppressoffice
• Facebook – www.facebook.com/dwp
• LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/dwp
• YouTube – www.youtube.com/dwp

The charity watchdog has today published a report of its statutory inquiry into Deen Team – this sets out the regulatory action it has taken including that it has disqualified an individual from being a trustee for 4 years.

The Commission opened an inquiry into Deen Team in June 2016. The charity had previously been identified for a proactive visit, in 2014, as it was a newly registered charity operating in Syria, a high-risk area. Following that visit the Commission had a number of concerns about the charity regarding poor governance and financial controls and issued the trustees with regulatory advice and guidance. The Commission attempted to re-engage with the trustees in 2015, but following poor cooperation from the trustees it subsequently opened an inquiry to investigate these further.

Throughout the inquiry the Commission attempted to obtain evidence from the trustees to show how the charity’s funds had been applied. The trustees were unable to provide complete records and therefore failed to meet their legal duty to account for how they had used all the charity’s funds.

The inquiry also found that:

• the individual disqualified by the Commission had paid themselves £2,000 from the charity’s funds and was unable to provide records to support their claim that this was to cover charity fundraising and administration costs
• all decision-making was deferred to the disqualified individual; two other individuals who became trustees after the Commission initially engaged with the charity were unaware of their legal duties
• a former trustee of the charity continued to use a property that the charity rented at a nominal rate of £1 for their own purposes without the consent of the charity’s trustees. The charity’s existing trustees did not appreciate and acknowledge the asset’s value to the charity and failed to protect it from the conduct of the former trustee

Throughout the inquiry, the disqualified individual failed to comply and cooperate with the Commission or to respond to a number of legal directions and orders made by the Commission.

As a result of the misconduct and/or mismanagement identified in the inquiry, the Commission has used its power under section 181A of the Charities Act 2011 to disqualify the individual from being a charity trustee or holding a senior management position within a charity for four years. Further details can be found in the report.

The Commission has removed the charity from the register as based on information provided by the trustees and obtained during the inquiry it considers that the charity has ceased to operate.

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

Trustees are collectively responsible for how their charity is run and all trustees should be aware of their basic duties and take them seriously. Trustees can delegate certain responsibilities to staff members or individual trustees but they must always retain sufficient oversight and not allow one person to effectively take over control of the charity. Having multiple trustees is essential so that trustees can challenge each other and hold each other to account where necessary, ensuring that decisions are made only in the best interests of the charity.

Charity trustees must keep detailed accounting records to allow them to show exactly how they have used their charity’s money, and how what they have spent it on furthers the charity’s purposes. This is essential to charities being accountable and transparent to donors, the public and the regulator. In this case, the trustees of Deen Team were not able to do this and we have therefore exercised our regulatory powers.

The Commission’s full report of its inquiry into Deen Team is available on GOV.UK.

Ends

PR 82/17

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.
3. The new discretionary disqualification power in section 181A of the Charities Act 2011 brought in by the Charites Act 2016 allows the regulator to disqualify a person it considers unfit from being a trustee, for a maximum period of 15 years.