Category: Gov Press Releases

Responding to the recent escalation of violence in Yemen, Alistair Burt, Minister of State for the Middle East, said:

I am extremely concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Yemen which has led to further tragic deaths and stopped many others from getting lifesaving food, water and medicine. There is no military solution to the conflict and all sides must urgently de-escalate the fighting and find a comprehensive political solution.

Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and the situation is deteriorating every day. All parties must safeguard civilians, critical infrastructure, and aid workers, and I reiterate the Prime Minister’s call for the immediate restoration of commercial and humanitarian access to all areas of Yemen.

UK aid has provided food to almost two million people and clean water to over one million more, but in a country that depends overwhelmingly on imports for basic supplies including food, fuel, and medicine, unhindered access is the only way to avoid a famine.

I pay tribute to heroic humanitarian workers – British, internationals and Yemenis – who are helping to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people under extremely difficult circumstances.

ENDS

Heat networks – systems that heat multiple homes from one central source – currently supply about half a million UK homes through about 17,000 networks.

They can also be more environmentally friendly than some other sources of heat, delivering lower carbon emissions and resulting in cost benefits to households.

As a result, heat networks form an important part of government strategy to reduce carbon and cut heating bills. The number of customers using heat networks is expected to grow significantly to around 20% of all households by 2030.

Whilst heat networks may have these wider benefits, the sector is not currently subject to the same regulation as other forms of energy supply such as mains gas and electricity.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that many customers, a large proportion of whom live in social housing, may be unable to easily switch suppliers or are locked into very long contracts – some for up to 25 years – and that there is a risk they may be paying too much or receiving a poor quality of service.

It will now be thoroughly examining a range of potential issues in a new market study into the sector.

The CMA is planning to examine 3 broad themes:

• Whether customers are aware of the costs of heat networks both before and after moving into a property.
• Whether heat networks are natural monopolies and the impact of differing incentives for builders, operators and customers of heat networks.
• The prices, service quality and reliability of heat networks.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA Chief Executive, said:

Heat networks can play an important role in cutting carbon and keeping down energy bills for customers.

However, we have concerns that this sector may not be working as well as it could be for the half a million homes heated by these systems now and the millions that may be connected in the future.

That is why we’re taking a closer look at this market to ensure that heat network customers get a good deal on their energy now and in the future.

The CMA will complete its study within the next 12 months. Evidence will be gathered from a wide range of stakeholders, including heat network builders and operators, other government departments, local authorities, sector regulators and consumer groups.

An interim report, with the CMA’s initial findings and views on potential remedies, will be produced within the next 6 months, ahead of the final report. Where issues of particular concern are found the CMA may take further action during or after the end of the 12-month market study, such as opening consumer or competition enforcement cases or launching a full market investigation.

Notes for editors

1. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law.
2. Market studies may lead to a range of outcomes, including:
   • a clean bill of health;
   • actions which improve the quality and accessibility of information to consumers;
   • encouraging businesses in the market to self-regulate;
   • making recommendations to the government to change regulations or public policy;
   • taking competition or consumer law enforcement action; and
   • making a reference for a more in-depth market investigation, or accepting formal undertakings in lieu of a reference.
3. Heat networks involve the generation and distribution of heat to buildings and consist of district heating and communal heating. District heating comprises a network of insulated pipes used to deliver heat, in the form of hot water or steam, or cooling from the point of generation to an end user. Networks vary in size and length, carrying heat from just a few hundred metres between homes and flats, to several kilometres supplying entire communities and industrial areas. In comparison, communal heating systems generally serve one building with multiple occupants, such as a block of flats.
4. The CMA would welcome views on any of the issues raised in the Statement of Scope, which has also been published today. Views should be sent to heatnetworks@cma.gsi.gov.uk by no later than 5pm on 12 January 2018.
5. Media enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or call 020 3738 6191.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The Prime Minister spoke with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the phone this afternoon.

“They both agreed about the paramount importance of no hard border or physical infrastructure at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister said how she recognised the significance of this issue to the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland and how this remained a joint priority for both Governments, and the EU, to resolve.

“The Prime Minister said we are working hard to find a specific solution to the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland that respects the integrity of the UK, the European Union and the Belfast Agreement.

“She added that we are committed to moving together to achieve a positive result on this as well as restoring devolved Government to Northern Ireland. Both leaders looked forward to continuing relations as close neighbours and allies as the negotiations progress.”

The grand total was raised for the mental health charity throughout 2017 as part of a year of fundraising by DVLA staff. Staff chose Mind as the agency’s annual charity of choice and have been raising money through a number of activities including half marathons, Three Peaks Challenge, skydiving and a ‘Music for Mind’ charity concert. Over the year staff also ran raffles, sweepstakes and cake sales, with every opportunity raising funds for the good cause.

Along with representatives from the charity, Swansea City Football Club Ambassador Lee Trundle showed his support by attending the presentation of the cheque to Mind at the DVLA in Morriston today, during the agency’s annual Christmas fayre.

Oliver Morley, DVLA Chief Executive, said:

The efforts of our staff in our charity of choice campaign this year have once again been truly outstanding, and I am really proud of everyone who has raised or donated money to support Mind. We’ve seen a massive range of fundraising activities taking place across the agency throughout the year and I’m grateful to everyone for getting involved and supporting this incredibly good cause.

Lorna Killin, Senior Corporate Account Manager for Mind, said:

We are absolutely thrilled that DVLA chose us as their charity of choice and for all their fantastic fundraising support. The money raised will be split between Swansea Mind, which provides support locally, and the Mind Infoline which provides support and advice for anyone experiencing mental health problems. The money raised by DVLA will help Mind ensure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

A woman who conspired to pervert the course of justice has had her sentence increased today by the Court of Appeal after the Solicitor General referred it as too low.

Catherine Coslett was originally sentenced at Newport Crown Court to eighteen months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. She was found guilty of disposing of evidence and putting pressure on witnesses to retract their statements in the case of a man murdered by her son, Richard Wallis.

Catherine Coslett conspired with her son and his daughter to wash and dispose of the clothing that he was wearing when he killed Jan Jedrzejewski. They also put pressure on three witnesses to retract the accounts they gave to the police that incriminated Coslett’s son in the crime.

Following the Court of Appeal hearing, Coslett’s sentence was increased to two years’ immediate imprisonment. Commenting on the increased sentence, the Solicitor General said:

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Catherine Coslett’s sentence. The murder of Jan Jedrzejewski was a despicable crime and Catherine Coslett’s actions to cover it up were disturbing. My thoughts are with the family of Mr Jedrzejewski. I hope they can take some comfort from the increased sentence today.”

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox today hailed the ‘immediate and tangible’ benefits that will arise as the UK works to establish itself as a global champion of free trade.

Addressing academics, policy makers and business representatives at the launch of the Department for International Trade sponsored e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ he asserted his confidence that the best days of global trade lie ahead.

The publication produced by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and sponsored by DIT is a collection of essays marking the 200th anniversary of David Ricardo’s principle of comparative advantage.

Using the simple example of trading English cloth for Portuguese wine, Ricardo explained how all actors, at all times, can mutually benefit from commercial cooperation and voluntary trade. Whilst a radical idea at the time, this insight generated the basis for international trade today.

Outlining his ambition to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, Dr Fox explained how 200 years on, Ricardo’s transformative insight still holds true for the modern global economy and will remain crucial to securing future UK prosperity and growth.

In his speech, Dr Fox said:

As an international economic department, our ambition is to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, upholding those principles developed by David Ricardo, Adam Smith and others, to generate wealth and spread prosperity across the globe.

By realising this ambition, the benefits to this country will be immediate and tangible. The best days of global trade lie ahead of us.

Opening a series of panels with participants from the OECD, TUC and leading universities on comparative advantage and trade in the 21st century, Dr Fox highlighted the vital role collaboration will play in developing a successful future trade policy, and the importance of drawing upon expertise and experience from across government, industry and academia.

The DIT and CEPR e-book fields contributions from prominent trade academics across the globe such as former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, and Penn State distinguished professor of economics Jonathan Eaton, and examines Ricardo’s theory through a contemporary lens, including its relevance for digital trade, the growth of trade in services, and the impact of automation on the labour force.

CEPR Fellow, Chad Bown said:

The current policy climate demands a more reasoned discourse around the topic of globalisation. This volume brings together a tight-knit and yet sophisticated analysis that shows off the fundamental principles of comparative advantage as well as the nuance of its implications for policy today.

Notes to editors

The e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ was commissioned by DIT to the CEPR.

Further information

The UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation was officially launched today (6 December 2017) by Science Minister Jo Johnson and Vice-Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang. Witnessed by His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York and China’s Vice-Premier, Liu Yandong, the strategy outlines a commitment for both nations to take science and innovation collaboration to a new level.

The new strategy represents a step-change in UK-China science and innovation collaboration, building on almost 40 years of cooperation, and is the first bilateral science and innovation strategy China has developed jointly with another country.

Science Minister Jo Johnson said:

The UK has a history of successful collaboration with China and we are increasingly looking to strengthen this partnership. This new joint strategy is a central part of the UK-China bilateral relationship, underpinning our mutual commitment to drive growth and tackle global challenges through science and innovation.

The recent launch of our Industrial Strategy underlines our commitment to ensuring science and innovation remains at the core of the UK’s future ambitions. It is international partnerships like this that are a testament to our ongoing commitment to propel Britain towards global leadership of future industries.

The UK and China have a strong foundation of existing collaboration, including the ongoing UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (channelled through the Newton Fund in the UK), which has supported over 460 joint projects since its launch in 2014.

China’s Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang said:

The Chinese government attaches great importance to China-UK cooperation on science, technology and innovation. Over the past 4 decades, the continuously expanded sci-tech relations have yielded fruitful outcomes. With this new strategy, the level and scope of the cooperation will be further extended to take the golden era forward.

As China enters into a new era, our government identifies innovation as the primary engine of development underpinning the building of a modernised economy. We will follow the principle of win-win cooperation and mutual benefit, increase open innovation and promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on science and innovation to achieve common prosperity with the rest of the world and build a community of shared future for mankind.

The UK and China have both prioritised research and development to boost economic growth. To continue the UK’s global leadership in research and innovation, the government has committed an additional £2.3 billion as part of the Industrial Strategy. The impact of China’s research is also increasing, with citation impact rising by more than 20% in recent years, and UK-China co-authored papers are more than twice as impactful as the world average.

The strategy also sets the framework for future cooperation to jointly tackle global challenges and drive economic growth over the next 10 years covering co-operation across the spectrum, from research through to the commercialisation of new technologies. It outlines priority areas for collaboration in a variety of areas, including life sciences, food security, renewable energy and environmental technologies. It also outlines new cooperation mechanisms, including an annual Flagship Challenge Programme which will focus on agricultural technologies in 2018.

The agreement details shared principles for intellectual property in UK-China research and innovation collaborations, supporting projects in adhering to international best practice. The UK and China are committed to promoting effective protection of IP rights, which in turn support innovation and trade in both countries.

The launch of the strategy took place at the UK-China Science and Innovation Forum at the Royal Society, alongside the UK-China People to People Dialogue.

Notes to editors

UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (Newton Fund)

The UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund, part of the UK’s Newton Fund, brings together the best of UK and Chinese expertise to tackle and build capacity to respond to global challenges. Highlights include projects on understanding climate risk and supporting climate smart decision making, tackling antimicrobial resistance, innovative technology to support agriculture, and programmes to develop researcher skills and knowledge.

The Newton Fund is part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA) commitment, administered in the UK by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue (P2P)

The P2P is one of the UK’s 3 major Ministerial dialogues with China, along with the Economic and Financial Dialogue, and Strategic Dialogue. It covers 10 policy strands:

• education
• science
• health
• tourism
• sport
• culture and creative industries
• youth
• regional cooperation
• social equity
• women’s equality

The P2P is chaired by Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt on the UK side and Vice-Premier Madame Liu Yandong on the Chinese side.

Industrial Strategy

Business Secretary Greg Clark last week (27 November 2017) launched the government’s ambitious Industrial Strategy white paper, setting out a long-term vision for how Britain can build on its economic strengths, address its productivity performance, embrace technological change and boast the earning power of people across the UK.

Documents

• 
  UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 3.23MB, 16 pages)
  

• 
  IP Annex to UK-China Memorandum of Understanding for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 364KB, 4 pages)
  

The 38th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was hosted by Kuwait on 5th December 2017.

Commenting on the Summit, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

The UK and GCC are close partners on a range of issues, and we welcome the attendance by all GCC member states at the Summit hosted by Kuwait this week.

Unity amongst GCC members is important for the Gulf’s stability and security. We urge our GCC partners to build on the Summit and take further steps towards resuming full cooperation.

I pay tribute to the Amir of Kuwait for hosting the Summit. The UK fully supports his continued mediation efforts towards a resolution of differences between GCC member states.

Further information

• Follow the Minister Burt on Twitter @AlistairBurtUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Following recent events which appear to threaten the activities of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, an FCO spokesperson said:

The UK has growing concerns that Ukraine’s fight against corruption is being undermined. Corruption remains a major threat to Ukraine’s stability and national security and is cited by Ukraine’s electorate as the number one issue facing the country. The fight against it is fundamental to Ukraine’s European choice and its aspiration to become a modern, prosperous and democratic state.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), in which the UK has invested significant resource, is a critical piece of the anti-corruption machinery in Ukraine, and has made great strides in its development and its investigations. Recent events, including interference in NABU investigations and the exposing of NABU’s undercover officers, are a worrying sign that the future of independent anti-corruption investigations is under threat.

We hope that those in positions of authority will show leadership in progressing a joined up reform effort to eradicate corruption.

Further information:

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn