Category: Gov Press Releases

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Giles Lever, and Vice Minister for Science and Technology, Tran
Quoc Khanh, presented the award in Hanoi on Thursday, 16 November 2017 to the winning lead researchers
Dr. Vo Nguyen Son from Duy Tan University, and his UK-based counterpart Dr. Trung Duong from
Queen’s University Belfast.

Their Newton Fund project, “Building a foundation for sustainable development networked societies
for the cities of tomorrow” designed an integrated heterogeneous wireless system (IHWS), which is
robust in maintaining communications during disasters such as floods, landslides and droughts. It
copes with issues such as physical destruction of telecommunication networks, lack of power supply
and network congestion. The system also provides early warning of natural disasters by detecting
water level, vibration and wind. In cities, the IWHS can detect increases in dust, temperature, noise
and carbon dioxide levels. Academic staff and students from 20 universities throughout Vietnam have
been trained in the system and several leading telecommunication companies are interested in
bringing it into production.

Dr. Trung Duong said:

I am so pleased to have won the 2017 Newton Prize. Natural disasters are a big problem not just in Vietnam but throughout the whole world and the impact is worse for those in remote and isolated areas with no access to the ICT facilities that are essential to providing vital warning information and aiding in rescue missions. This prize money will allow myself and my team to develop the system further and to work with the key telecommunications companies in Vietnam. By doing so we can provide citizens with better warning, measurement tools and education initiatives.

More than 100 people attended the event at the Ministry of Science and Technology, including
researchers, representatives of the Vietnamese government and Vietnamese delivery partners to
celebrate three years of the Newton Fund Programme Vietnam and its growing success in research
and innovation collaboration between the UK and Vietnam.

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Giles Lever, said:

International cooperation with a diversity of ideas,
views and good practice plays a very important role in research and innovation. As a dynamic
emerging economy with a strong vision of the importance of science and innovation in human
development, Vietnam is a natural partner for the global Newton Fund. By working together and
leveraging each other’s strengths, we can achieve more than what we would achieve alone. I am
excited to think about the future possibilities, and look forward to a bright future for the Newton Fund
Programme Vietnam.

The Newton Fund Programme Vietnam is the first formal research and innovation partnership
programme between the UK and Vietnamese Governments. The programme aims to support
Vietnam’s economic and social development through science and innovation as well as recognise
challenges and support Vietnam’s research and innovation to be more impactful. Over the last three
and a half years, the fund has disbursed nearly £5 million and rolled out 35 calls over 15 schemes.
This has resulted in 162 grants that benefit nearly 400 individuals, mostly researchers from 60
Vietnamese and 43 UK research organisations.

The Newton Prize is an annual £1 million fund awarded for the best research or innovation that
promotes the economic development and social welfare of developing countries. More than 150
Newton funded projects, fellowships or other awards applied for the Newton Prize from the eligible
countries for this year – India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. There are 25 shortlisted
applications in total and five Prizes of up to £200,000 will be awarded to each winner to be used to
advance or develop existing Newton funded work.

The Newton Prize aims to incentivise researchers to participate in the Newton Fund as partners with
the UK, and to work on the most important challenges facing Newton countries. The concept for the
Newton Prize has been developed to demonstrate how UK partnerships with Newton countries are
solving global challenges.

Notes to Editor

The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with 18 partner countries to support
their economic development and social welfare, and to develop their research and innovation capacity
for long-term sustainable growth. The Newton Fund is managed by the UK Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and delivered through 15 UK delivery partners, which include
the Research Councils, the UK Academies, the British Council, Innovate UK and the Met Office.
The Newton Fund Programme Vietnam is the first formal research and innovation partnership
programme between the UK and Vietnamese Governments. Both countries have agreed the five
priority areas of mutual interest as health and life sciences; agriculture; environmental resilience
and energy security; future cities; and digital innovation and creativity; falling into three groups
of activities:

• People – Capacity building activities, exchanges and fellowships.
• Research – research collaborations on development topics.
• Translation- Training and partnerships to transfer research into practical development solutions.

For further information contact Ms Dinh Thu Huong, Communication Manager, British Embassy
Hanoi, Tel. 3936 0500 ext 2227; email: dinh.huong@fco.gov.uk
Or visit the Newton Fund website and follow via Twitter: @NewtonFund

UK Government Ministers will host members of Merched y Wawr at an event in London today to mark the 50th anniversary of the women’s organisation (22 November).

Members will join the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns and Guto Bebb at a drinks reception at Gwydyr House where the achievements of the Welsh language social movement will be celebrated.

Merched y Wawr has over 270 branches and clubs across Wales, giving women of all ages the opportunity to get together and socialise in Welsh, with learners welcome too.

The movement was first formed by women from the small rural village of Parc by Bala in 1967, as a Welsh-speaking organisation that quickly grew to become a Wales-wide organisation.

This year, Merched y Wawr embarked on a national tour to mark five decades of social gatherings – visiting the Urdd and National Eisteddfodau, Royal Welsh Show, National Library of Wales, The Pierhead and other venues across the country.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Merched y Wawr is a pillar of Welsh culture and society, welcoming women from across the country to take part in a wide variety of activities through the medium of Welsh.

As the movement marks its 50th anniversary, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to host members at Gwydyr House today and to celebrate the hard work and dedication of members who volunteer tirelessly to make the organisation as successful as it is.

The UK Government remains committed to ensuring the Welsh language and culture continues to thrive and the contribution Merched Y Wawr makes to that effort is invaluable. I extend my warmest congratulations to them as they reach this important milestone. Here’s to another 50 years.

National director of Merched y Wawr, Tegwen Morris said:

It is a great honour to be in London representing the Merched y Wawr members, as so much has been achieved over the past fifty years.

We still organise over 3,000 events in Wales on an annual basis. This year we have succesfully completed a heritage project that has managed to capture so many memories, collect thousands of articles and has renewed our enthusiasm for the future.

We thank you for the privilege and opportunity to come to Gwydyr House to celebrate our Golden Anniversary – an experience that we truly appreciate.

ENDS

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I will not pretend to regret Mugabe’s downfall: but this can now be a turning point, a moment of hope for this beautiful country, full of potential. The immediate priority is to ensure that Zimbabwe has a legitimate government, appointed through free and fair elections in accordance with the constitution.

That’s what the UK wants to see and together, with our international friends and partners in the region, we stand ready to support Zimbabwe in this goal.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

The resignation of Robert Mugabe provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule. In recent days we have seen the desire of the Zimbabwean people for free and fair elections and the opportunity to rebuild the country’s economy under a legitimate government.

As Zimbabwe’s oldest friend we will do all we can to support this, working with our international and regional partners to help the country achieve the brighter future it so deserves.

The Charity Commission says it is pleased with the engagement it has had with charities as part of its consultation on the Annual Return for 2018.

The regulator has to date received 192 responses to the consultation, which concludes on Friday (24th), and has engaged with a further 70 charities as part of targeted user testing of the new system.

This saw the Commission identifying groups of charities most likely to be affected by proposed changes and proactively seeking their help in testing the new digital system that supports the Annual Return. The testing was conducted by individuals who will be responsible for completing the annual return on behalf of their charities.

The Commission says that this testing is a vital way of assessing the practical impact of new questions, including to what extent they represent an additional regulatory burden.

The regulator also held round-table discussions with groups of charities likely to be affected by proposed changes, such as charities with links overseas.

The Commission is yet to conduct a full analysis of consultation responses, but says that early indications are that the feedback is largely positive, with some users pointing to practical issues in responding to proposed new question areas.

David Holdsworth, Registrar of Charities for England and Wales and Deputy Chief Executive at the Charity Commission, says:

Over the past 12 weeks, we have, for the first time, combined modern digital user testing with more traditional consultation methods to achieve better quality engagement than ever before in an Annual Return consultation.

The user testing has enabled those who would complete any future return to test how easy it is to complete and to notify us of any practical issues that they encountered.

As a result of this approach, we have received an extensive range of constructive feedback and responses about our proposed changes to the annual return and the digital service that supports it. I’m very pleased with this level of engagement and the information we’ve gathered during the consultation gives us a sound evidence base as we develop the annual return for 2018.

We’re already beginning to analyse the responses and will take on board the feedback we receive. I encourage charities that have not yet had their say on the new annual return questions to do so before the consultation comes to a close this Friday

The regulator says it will publish a full analysis of consultation responses before the end of February 2018; it expects to make the new Annual Return available during the first half of 2018.

All charities with annual incomes of over £10,000 are required to complete an Annual Return, and the regulator has been consulting on a new, more dynamic system for 2018, which will be more targeted and easier to use for charities. As part of the new system, smaller charities and those with simpler operations will be required to answer fewer questions. The Commission has also proposed new question areas.

Ends

In October:

• HM Land Registry completed more than 1,740,000 applications to change or query the Land Register
• the South East topped the table of regional applications with 407,148

The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,740,068 applications in October compared with 1,586,987 in September and 1,532,007 last October, of which:

• 408,685 were applications to update existing titles compared with 363,990 in September
• 823,267 were applications to obtain an official copy of a register compared with 747,090 in September
• 226,488 were official searches compared with 210,805 in September
• 26,260 were postal applications from non-account holders, compared with 24,136 in September

Applications by region and country

Region and country	August 2017 applications	September 2017 applications	October 2017 applications
South East	392,737	372,168	407,148
Greater London	313,338	298,966	329,865
North West	186,030	176,591	195,045
South West	164,325	155,495	168,802
West Midlands	143,074	135,283	145,121
Yorkshire and the Humber	128,718	122,127	135,347
East Midlands	115,673	111,411	120,689
North	76,810	72,506	82,710
Wales	79,289	76,292	80,938
East Anglia	71,789	66,034	74,202
Isles of Scilly	47	47	106
England and Wales (not assigned)	87	67	95
Total	1,671,917	1,586,987	1,740,068

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	August applications	Top 5 local authority areas	September applications	Top 5 local authority areas	October applications
Birmingham	25,179	Birmingham	23,631	Birmingham	26,232
City of Westminster	21,516	City of Westminster	20,892	City of Westminster	24,087
Leeds	19,102	Leeds	18,076	Leeds	19,895
Manchester	17,499	Cornwall	16,809	Manchester	17,810
Cornwall	17,193	Manchester	16,290	Cornwall	17,794

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	August applications	Top 5 customers	September applications	Top 5 customers	October applications
Enact	37,513	Enact	39,349	Enact	48,058
O’Neill Patient	26,888	O’Neill Patient	24,273	O’Neill Patient	24,610
Optima Legal Service	21,031	Optima Legal Service	20,688	Optima Legal Service	23,721
Eversheds LLP	20,189	Eversheds LLP	18,307	HBOS Bank PLC	20,980
HBOS Bank PLC	18,235	Barclays Bank PLC	16,491	Eversheds LLP	19,123

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk.

Notes to editors

1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The November Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Thursday 21 December 2017 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.
2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and searches were completed, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.
3. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.
4. Transaction Data excludes pending applications, withdrawn applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications.
5. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. Discharge applications remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in the transaction data.
6. Most searches carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.
7. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.
8. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.
9. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: “Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2017. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0”.
10. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
11. 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.
12. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth more than £4 trillion, including more than £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 24 million titles, which show evidence of ownership, covering more than 84% of the land mass.
13. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
14. Follow us on:

• Twitter @HMLandRegistry
• our blog
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Contact

Mr Dewitt gave a disqualification undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy for six years which is effective from 27 November 2017.

Mr Dewitt was the director of Mystique Coventry Ltd, a company trading as a clothing wholesaler, and on 15 November 2016 Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers discovered that they were employing seven workers who were not eligible to work in the UK.

The company went into liquidation on 16 March 2017 owing £74,394 to creditors, including the £70,000 penalty imposed by the Home Office Immigration and Enforcement for employing illegal workers.

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

Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities these employers defraud the tax payer and undercut honest competitors.

The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, makes employers responsible for preventing illegal workers in the UK. To comply with the law, a company must check and be able to prove documents have been checked prior to recruitment that show a person is entitled to work.

The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff.

Notes to editors

Mr Ajay Dewitt, date of birth June 1988 and he resides in Bedworth, Coventry.

Mystique Coventry Limited, company number 10000072 was incorporated on 11 February 2016.

Mr Dewitt was a director from 11 February 2016 to liquidation. The Company went into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation on 16 March 2017 with an estimated deficiency of £68,125.

On 06 November 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a Disqualification Undertaking from Mr Dewitt, effective from 27 November, for a period of 6 years.

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.

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.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

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

Environment Agency along with Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Wyre Forest Council and the community flood group have conducted a successful barrier deployment exercise on the Stourport Road, Bewdley, Worcestershire.

The exercise, which ran from 9am to 3pm, tested the barrier deployment plan and procedures, and working arrangements with partners and the local Community Flood Group. This ensures barriers can be quickly and safely erected when needed during a flood with minimum disruption to residents and businesses.

Environment agency staff were on hand to talk to members of the public about the work they do during flooding and other times of the year and also how people can better protect themselves and their properties during times of flood. Students from the local school were given a tour of the barriers and shown how they are assembled, they also discussed the issues of flooding in the local area.

Mark Bowers, Flood Risk Manager said:

This exercise allowed us to practice and test our barrier deployment plan for Bewdley, gaining valuable training experience with our partners as well as the opportunity to identify ways in which we can further refine our plans. This in turn will enable us to better respond during floods.

Temporary barriers are just one of the ways we aim to better protect people and properties. It’s important to remember we can never fully protect against flooding, which is why we encourage people to go online at https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk , check their flood risk by entering their postcode, and find out what they can do to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.

Nick Farress, Bewdley Town Council Clerk added:

The exercise was an opportunity to test the community flood plan and prepare our group of volunteers for the real thing. We are very grateful to the Environment Agency for organising the event and continuing to support the use of the temporary barrier. The community flood group, managed by the Town Council, is a vital resource in a flood event and is always in need of new volunteers, so I would encourage anyone who can help to get in touch with the Town Council.

Wyre Forest Station Commander, Daryl Justice, said:

Our involvement with the Bewdley Flood Barrier response is a new arrangement that will see our firefighters add even more value to the Wyre Forest community.

When flooding is predicted our on-call firefighters will be given a period of notice which will minimise the impact on their primary employment and, although deployed under the direction of the Environment Agency, they will remain available for life threatening emergencies.

This is one of the first initiatives of its type in the UK and is a great example of how fire crews can add value in other areas. It also supports Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s wider vision of ‘Saving More Lives’.

Mr Barnes, has given an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy with effect from 15 November 2017 following an Insolvency Service investigation.

The company went into liquidation on 1 August 2014 owing £1,299,330 to creditors, of which £510,100 was owed to the landlord, £380,850 to trade and expense creditors, £354,736 to the director and £53,644 to other creditors.

From May 2013, the date a claim was settled in the favour of the company for the sum of £925,000, to 15 August 2014, the date that the company entered into liquidation, Mr Barnes caused the company to pay those monies to connected parties, the majority of which were not for the benefit of the company and to the detriment of creditors – who included Cleanliness’s landlord which was owed £510,100 under a tenancy agreement.

Commenting on the disqualification, Sue MacLeod, Chief Investigator of the Insolvency Service said:

The Insolvency Service will not hesitate to investigate directors who have caused a company to pay monies to connected parties rather than to the benefit of either the company or its creditors and will rigorously seek disqualification in all such cases.

Notes to editors

Mr Barnes, date of birth June 1961 and he resides in Nottingham.

Cleanliness Ltd (CRO No. 04211431) was incorporated on 4 May 2001. The company traded as a manufacturer of chemicals and chemical products.

Mr Barnes was not formally appointed as a director of Cleanliness Limited at Companies House but admitted that he acted as the sole director of this company.

The Company went into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation on 01 August 2014 with an estimated deficiency of £1,282,080.

On 25 October 2017, Mr Barnes gave a disqualification undertaking to the Secretary of State, effective from 15 November 2017, for a period of 6 years.

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
• 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.

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.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

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 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube