Category: Gov Press Releases

The Parole Board is holding its annual open Management Committee meeting on 14 December 2017, where you can have the opportunity to see the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure effective running of the parole system.
The Parole Board independently risk assesses prisoners to decide whether they can be released and safely managed in the community. This meeting will look at current issues facing the Parole Board and the organisation’s strategic objectives for the upcoming year.

Here are some of the items the meeting will focus on:

• A report of the progress made so far on the 2016-2020 strategy and a forward look for the future of the Parole Board and how it can improve the parole experience for prisoners, victims, and the public.
• The Board’s equality strategy, which will look at: parole processes that are fair, accessible and responsive; achieving a more representative Parole Board; and promoting an inclusive culture in the workforce
• Introduction of a new system that is fairer for listing all prisoners’ parole reviews

Parole Board Chief Executive Martin Jones said:
“The Parole Board is committed to increasing the transparency of its processes and decision making.

“Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural open board meeting, we hope that even more people will be interested to come along and see first-hand how the Parole Board’s Management Committee oversees the work of the Board; to ensure we maintain a fair, efficient and effective system that protects the public.”

There will be an open Q&A session at the end of the meeting. You are also able to submit questions in advance when registering for the event, using the link provided below. Please note, we will not be able to answer any questions about individual cases.

How to Attend: If you would like to come to this open meeting, please follow this link and provide your details.

There are a limited amount of seats and places will be given on a first come, first served basis.

When: 14 December 2017

Time: Arrival at 10.15 for a 10.30 start; Meeting ends at 12.30 pm

Where: Van Dyke Suite, The Rubens at the Palace, 39-43 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS

David Davis has pledged that the UK will remain the greatest ally of our European partners in matters of security and defence after Brexit.

The Brexit Secretary made the remarks following a visit to Estonia, where 800 British troops are stationed as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). eFP comprises of four multinational NATO battalions in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland designed to protect Europe’s eastern flank.

David Davis held political meetings with Estonian Europe Minister Maati Maasikas and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson. Reaffirming the UK’s commitment to European security, the Brexit Secretary said the UK will offer to continue to contribute expertise and assets to EU operations, cooperate on sanctions and agree joint positions on foreign policy as part of a deep security partnership with the EU after Brexit.

He also highlighted the UK and Estonia’s shared values, including around the importance of free trade, and reiterated the UK’s pledge that no country will be financially worse off over the current budget plan because of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis said:

“In exiting the EU the UK is not pulling up the drawbridge or turning away from our friends across the Continent.

“We will remain our European neighbours’ greatest ally in security and defence, cooperating fully in order to tackle the global threats we jointly face.

“And we will ensure that no Members will need to pay more or receive less money over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave.”

Highways England is storing more than 2,200 tonnes of salt in the new barn – enough to treat around 5,000 miles of motorway. The new barn is around 40 metres wide and 8 metres high, which is equivalent to a row of 8 terraced houses, and has been built just off the M6 close to Knutsford Services.

More than 41,000 tonnes of salt is currently being stored at 19 depots across the North West, and supplies will be topped up throughout the winter. A total of 73 gritters and dozens of gritter drivers are also on standby in the region to start spreading salt when temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing.

Andrew Olive, Highways England’s severe weather manager, said:

The new salt barn at Knutsford will play a vital role in helping to keep the roads moving this winter. We care about people getting to their destinations safely and during any severe weather our teams will be working around the clock to keep traffic moving.

We’re asking drivers to make sure they and their vehicles are also prepared. Before you set out, check your vehicle, the road conditions and the weather forecast.

If conditions are poor, and journeys are not essential, consider waiting until the weather gets better – this should improve journeys, and give our gritters a chance to treat the roads.

Drivers are being asked to slow down in wintry conditions and to make sure they have a winter kit in their vehicles, including an ice scraper and de-icer, warm clothes and blankets, and sunglasses to cope with the low winter sun.

Highways England is also asking road users to take extra care in the temporary narrow lanes through the smart motorway roadworks on the M6 in Cheshire and M60 in Greater Manchester.

And drivers are being urged not to use the hard shoulder to undertake gritters, risking a collision with a stationary vehicle and causing a hazard when gritters try to come off at junctions.

Steve White is a gritter driver and maintenance worker at Balfour Beatty Mott Macdonald – Highways England’s operations and maintenance contractor in Cheshire. The 43-year-old from Preston Brook has been a gritter driver for 19 years. He said:

The new barn is in a great location as it’s right next to the M6 so it’s really easy to load up the gritters and then get back out on the motorway.

I’d encourage drivers to be patient with us when they see us on the roads this winter as we come off at junctions quite frequently, and obviously the road in front is safer once the salt has been spread.

To help keep traffic moving, Highways England has nearly 130 winter service depots across the country, and more than 250 environmental sensor stations that provide real-time monitoring of road weather conditions and temperatures.

During severe weather, drivers are urged to follow this advice:

• in snow and ice, drivers should stick to the main roads where they can and only travel if necessary
• in high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes, so drivers should slow down and avoid using exposed sections of road if possible
• in heavy rain, drivers should keep well back from the vehicle in front, gradually ease off the accelerator if the steering becomes unresponsive, and slow down if the rain and spray from vehicles makes it difficult to see and be seen
• in fog, drivers should switch on their fog lights and not use lights on full beam as the fog will reflect the light back – if you really cannot see, you should consider stopping until it is safe to continue

Drivers are advised to follow messages on the overhead electronic signs and listen to radio updates. Further information can be found by visiting our traffic information page or calling the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.

General enquiries

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

Media enquiries

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

Jackos Bar Diner Limited was set up as a licensed bar and restaurant.

The disqualification undertaking, from 29 November 2017, comes after an Insolvency Service investigation found he had caused Jackos Bar Diner to trade to the detriment of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in respect of RTI PAYE from 22 May 2013, VAT from 16 January 2015 and Machine Games Duty from 31 May 2013 in that Mr Withers failed to ensure the company complied with its obligation to remit full payment of the liability owed to HMRC for RTI PAY.

As a result a liability of £11,266 remained outstanding at liquidation because:

• against a liability of £4,252 for tax year 2013/2014 Jackos Bar Diner Limited made payments totalling £3,550 between 29 June 2013 and 04 December 2014 leaving £702 unpaid
• against a liability of £4,682 for tax year 2014/2015 the company made payments totalling £1,320 between 22 July 2014 and 21 May 2015 leaving £3,362 unpaid
• against a liability of £6,687 for tax year 2015/2016 and £515 for tax year 2016/2017 the company made no payments leaving £7,202 unpaid

On 27 June 2014 Jackos Bar Diner Limited entered into a time to pay arrangement with HMRC to allow unpaid VAT liabilities, which accrued between May 2013 and May 2014, to be paid at a rate of £300 per week. On 19 November 2014 the time to pay arrangement was renegotiated to weekly payments of £500 to include VAT arrears up to, and including, VAT quarter August 2014 on the provision that future VAT liabilities would be paid, as and when due, in full. Mr Withers failed to ensure Jackos Bar Diner Limited complied with its obligation to remit future payments as and when due between VAT quarters November 2014 and May 2016 as a result a liability of £34,640 remained outstanding at liquidation.

Jackos Bar Diner Limited had an obligation to submit Machine Duty Returns and the relevant remittance to HMRC every three months within 30 days of the end of the accounting period. Between 31 May 2013 and 28 February 2016 Mr Withers failed to ensure Jackos Bar Diner Limited remitted the sum of £1,839 to HMRC for Machine Game Duty, all of which remained outstanding at liquidation.

By the cessation of trading, in May 2016, Jackos Bar Diner Limited owed £1,483 to trade and expense creditors. In comparison HMRC were owed £47,745. This was achieved as a result of Mr Withers causing the company to make payments totalling £259,880 from the company bank account in the period 2 March 2015 to 1 August 2016 from which HMRC received only £6,500. The balance of £253,380 was used to pay trade and expense creditors and meet payment of the company’s overheads.

Robert Clarke, Head of Company Investigation at the Insolvency Service said:

Directors have a firm duty to ensure they deal properly with tax matters and pay what is due. Taxation revenue provides for the benefit of all and cannot simply be ignored .Mr Withers has paid the price for failing to do that, as he cannot now carry on in business for the duration of his disqualification other than at his own risk.

Notes to editors

Darren Withers, date of birth 21 January 1968, is of Pinefield, Morayshire.

Jackos Bar Diner Limited (CRO No. SC435373) traded from 44 Harbour Street, Nairn IV12 4NU.

The company went into compulsory liquidation on 4 November 2016 with a deficiency to creditors of £70,760.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

• Budget commitment to a North Wales Growth Deal gives region the scope, the power and the resources to act.
• UK Government ambitions for cross-border working presents huge economic opportunities for the region.

Speaking at the Wrexham Business Professionals dinner, Mr Cairns will say that there are exciting times ahead for North Wales but that partnership working was crucial to best exploit cross-border opportunities, and the support offered through growth deals and the upcoming Industrial Strategy.

The speech comes 24-hours after the UK Government confirmed a series of Budget investments set to bring real growth opportunities to the North Wales region.

The UK Government has already delivered the £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and, earlier this year, the Prime Minister signed the Swansea Bay City Region Deal.
The Chancellor yesterday confirmed that he will now turn his attention to delivering a growth deal for North Wales and to consider the funding of specific projects.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

The simple fact is that growth and city deals recognise that local people know their areas best. This is North Wales’ opportunity to benefit from this movement and I’m delighted that we are in a position to look at the financial aspect of a deal for the region.

We will now look in detail at the proposals which draw on the strength of the east of Wales as a centre for advanced manufacturing and North West Wales for energy production and make the most of its connections to the Northern Powerhouse.

The Secretary of State will also address the crucial aspect of cross border working and the benefits North Wales can draw from it to bring prosperity to the region. He’ll highlight the plans announced by the Chancellor for a number of potential rail schemes designed to improve journey times on the North Wales Main Line, as well as providing funding to explore proposals to improve journey times on the Wrexham to Bidston line.

He added:

Cross border connectivity is crucial. As we work towards a growth deal for North Wales I am firmly focused on tapping into cross border opportunities – linking the proposed new power station on Anglesey to nuclear expertise in Manchester University and supporting advanced manufacturing on Deeside to benefit Toyota and Nissan investments in Sunderland and Derbyshire.

The UK Government is committed to strengthening the links between the economies of England and Wales. We will work with local authorities and local businesses on both sides of the border to encourage growth, investment and innovation to bring prosperity to all corners of our nation.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Wrexham Business Professionals group is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other businesses working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.

A sex offender who befriended and then blackmailed children online to get them to engage in sexual activity will spend more time in prison after his sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

Paul Leighton, 33, befriended a number of children around the world using fake social media accounts before persuading them to send sexual photos and videos of themselves. If they refused, he would threaten to tell their family members.

Other children were forced into performing sexual acts on their siblings and Leighton also persuaded a 14 year old child in America to rape his baby niece.

Leighton was originally sentenced to 16 years in prison with a 6 year extended licence period at Newcastle Crown Court. His sentence was increased to 20 years in prison with a 7 year extended licence period.

The Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP presented the case in Court today and said:

This is a deeply disturbing and serious case. Leighton callously targeted vulnerable children and subjected them to a series of threats, frightening them into complying with his sexual demands.

Such terrible offending deserves a tougher punishment and this increased sentence takes into account the seriousness of this offending.

The measures announced include:

• local authorities being able to recoup over 80% of the money they spend on temporary accommodation directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rather than from the claimant, preventing losses of more than £70 million over 2018/19
• extended partnership working with Citizen’s Advice, to provide more face to face support to Universal Credit claimants

This follows the package of improvements for new claimants announced in yesterday’s Autumn Budget, including:

• abolishing the 7 waiting day period to reduce the wait for payment from 6 weeks to 5 from February 2018
• extending the repayment of advances from 6 to 12 months, and allowing people to receive 100% of their payment upfront from January 2018 (people who make a claim in December can get a 50% advance, and then in January can ask for a top up to 100%)
• making it possible for people to apply for advances online from spring 2018, making it even easier for a claimant to access an advance if they need it
• paying an additional 2 weeks’ of housing costs after the end of someone’s Housing Benefit claim and into their Universal Credit claim from April 2018
• making it easier for claimants to continue having their housing costs paid directly to landlords once they are on Universal Credit

To allow these improvements to be made as quickly as possible, we will also be changing the rate of Universal Credit full service rollout for 3 months from February 2018 to 10 jobcentres a month, increasing to 41 in May 2018.

The timetable of the Universal Credit full service transition has been updated.

Minister for Africa Rory Stewart arrived in Harare on 23 November. He will hold meetings with a range of political leaders from various parties, business representatives, human rights groups, NGOs and civil society. He will also see some of the important development work being carried out here by UK.

Minister for Africa, Rory Stewart said:

This is an absolutely critical moment in Zimbabwe’s history.

Zimbabweans suffered for too long as a result of Mugabe’s ruinous rule. The events of the last few days have given people here real hope that Zimbabwe can be set on a different, more democratic and more prosperous path.

What comes next must be driven by Zimbabweans – it must be in line with the Zimbabwean constitution and will be impossible without clear resolve from the incoming government. That is what my visit here is all about.

Britain wants to be a genuine partner for Zimbabweans as they forge a new future.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Rory Stewart on Twitter @RoryStewartUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Mr Cosgrove had a disqualification order made against him, with effect from 24 October 2017, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which prevents him from becoming directly or indirectly involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for eight years.

Paul Cosgrove was the director of TBP & Son Ltd, a company trading as a provider of waste management services.

The company went into liquidation on 13 February 2015 owing £1,744,396 to creditors, of which £1,058,168 was owed to trade and expense creditors and £686,128 was owed to HM Revenue & Customs.

The unfit conduct that led to Mr Cosgrove receiving an order was that he failed to maintain, preserve or deliver up the books and records of the company which resulted in it not being possible to:

• determine the reason for company expenditure totaling £4.2 million
• explain what happened to assets totaling £5,242,845.
• determine the true level of VAT due to HMRC

Commenting on the disqualification, Martin Gitner, Deputy Head of Investigations with the Insolvency Service said:

Failure to deliver up the books and records of a company to the Liquidator which results in a loss to creditors and the public purse will be rigorously investigated by the Insolvency Service in liaison with HM Revenue & Customs.

Even where the director chooses not to engage with the investigation process, disqualification as a director is the likely outcome of such activity.

Notes to editors

Paul Cosgrove, date of birth March 1980 and he resides in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

TBP & Son Ltd (CRO No. 06896956) was incorporated on 6 May 2009. The company traded as a provider of waste management services. Mr Cosgrove was a director from 1 October 2013 to liquidation.

The Company went into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation on 13 February 2015 with an estimated deficiency of £1,744,397.

On 3 October 2017, a Disqualification Order was made against Mr Cosgrove on behalf of the Secretary of State, effective from 24 October 2017, for a period of 8 years .

The matters of unfitness, which Mr Cosgrove did not dispute, were that from 1 October 2013 to the date of liquidation on 13 February 2015, Paul Cosgrove failed to ensure that TBP & Son Limited (TBP) maintained and/or preserver adequate accounting records, or in the alternative he failed to deliver up to the Liquidator such records as were maintained. As a consequence it is not possible:

• to determine, in the absence of a complete purchase records, the reason for expenditure totalling £4,283,785 to a third party out of TBP’s bank account during the period 01 October 2013 to 13 February 2015 and in particular, to verify that this was legitimate company expenditure
• to establish whether all of TBP’s assets were disclosed in the statement of affairs and in particular to determine what, if any, stock and book debts were owned by the company at the date of liquidation, and the full and true value of any items transferred or otherwise disposed prior to liquidation, in that purchase invoices show that between 26 October 2013 and 2 December 2014, TBP purchased scrap metals for the sum of £5,004,477 against corresponding sales invoices in the sum of £2,133,430, resulting in scrap metal with an invoice value of £2,871,047 being unaccounted for; and purchase invoices show that between 26 October 2013 and 2 December 2014, TBP purchased waste paper and plastics for the sum of £2,634,076 against corresponding sales invoices in the sum of £262,278 resulting in waste paper & plastics with an invoice value of £2,371,798 being unaccounted for
• for HM Revenue & Customs to determine the true level of TBP’s liability in respect of Value Added Tax which resulted in HMRC raising officers assessments and surcharges against the company totalling £624,485 in respect of the period 1 April 2014 to 2 December 2014

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

More than 950 Highways England Traffic Officers are being trained in life saving first aid, giving them enhanced skills which may be used to help casualties in need of urgent medical attention.

The traffic officers, who patrol England’s motorways and major A-roads 24 hours a day, are often first on the scene to help when drivers are in trouble.

Safer journeys across England’s motorways and A-roads is the top priority for Highways England, but if incidents do occur what happens in the first minutes following a road traffic collision can be crucial to the outcomes of those involved.

The first priority for Traffic Officers is making the scene safe for everyone, which may mean controlling moving traffic, moving vehicles and helping customers find a place of safety.

Once the scene is safe, Traffic Officers can then put the nationally recognised Driver First Assist training into practice. The training is also specific to the environment Traffic Officers work in, and signals a change in how our staff can provide direct assistance that can save lives in the crucial few minutes before the emergency services arrive.

Highways England Executive Director of Operations, Nick Harris, said:

I strongly feel that traffic officers should be able to perform lifesaving first aid to members of the public using our roads. Combining life-saving first aid training with key scene management will help our staff safely make a real difference for our customers.

By teaming up with Driver First Assist our traffic officers will receive the expert training needed for this important task.

The training began last month in the South East region and will be rolled out nationally.

The one-day course is the same training that is received by emergency services personnel and includes instructions in how to implement the recovery position and CPR, respond to a cardiac arrest and shock, and treat wounds and bleeding.

David Higginbottom, chief executive officer at Driver First Assist said:

Every day, victims of road traffic collisions die needlessly because individuals immediately at the scene lack the ability to administer basic first aid. The training we’re delivering to Traffic Officers will give them the skills to provide medical assistance to those in need, making a vital difference in those first crucial moments before the arrival of paramedics.

Driver First Assist is a not-for-profit organisation comprising drivers who have been trained to provide life-saving first aid and manage the scene at a road traffic collision, prior to the arrival of the emergency services. DFA has been created in partnership with and is supported by the Police, Ambulance and Fire and Rescue services.

General enquiries

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

Media enquiries

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