Category: Gov Press Releases

St Thomas More Catholic Primary School received a much-needed facelift after 80 employees from 12 different organisations provided materials to carry out the work over a two-week period.

Among the many tasks achieved, communal areas were cleaned, walls and woodwork painted and 275 old coat hooks replaced with brightly coloured, matching ones. New plastic sheeting was also installed around busy places near banisters and the canteen, so they can be wiped clean more easily.

There were major improvements outside as well. Benches were given a new lease of life while planters were built out of fence posts that create a welcoming entrance to the building. The playground has had new long-lasting rubber surface laid to ensure that pupils are able to play in a safe environment.

This hugely impressive team effort was made possible through close collaboration between the various organisations working via East Midlands Asset Delivery (EMAD) for Highways England. They include maintenance and response contractor Amey, design contractor Kier and 21 other suppliers.

Amey’s Principal Operations Manager Katy Stephens, who was a key organiser of the event, said:

This was a great community involvement project which saw the many partners in EMAD really work together and get a brilliant result. Not only does this primary school in the heart of Kettering now look significantly improved but this was a wonderful opportunity for the various organisations in EMAD to further cement their working relationships. A great project which was an honour to take part in!

Highways England regional director, Catherine Brookes, joined colleagues in carrying out the facelift. She said:

We were delighted to get involved and do our bit to help the school. It’s great to see organisations coming together like this to support the local community.

Fraser Donald, Headteacher of St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, said:

I would just like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Amey, Highways England and their suppliers for all their hard work, commitment and vision to our summer renovation project at school. The work was carried out to a high standard and I am so pleased with the fresh start they have given to all of our school family at St Thomas More. Thank you again for everything and please know that you are always welcome back – you are part of the family now!

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.

Standards have remained high following last year’s record results which showed bathing waters were the cleanest since records began.

98.3 per cent of bathing waters tested at over 400 beaches and lakes up and down the country passed tough standards this year, following 98.5 per cent last year.

There have been huge strides made since the early 1990s, when just 28 per cent of bathing waters met the top water quality standards that were in force then; now 92 per cent are rated excellent or good.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

We want all bathing waters to enjoy the high quality which the 146 million visitors to Britain’s beaches every year expect and we will keep working with partners to drive up standards.

Not only does our iconic coastline generate over £3.6 billion for the economy, it is a valuable part of our natural environment and we will uphold these bathing water standards as part of our plans to deliver a Green Brexit.

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said:

Maintaining such high water quality standards at English beaches is a huge success and a credit to all those individuals and organisations working hard to keep our bathing waters clean. Water quality has improved significantly over the last two decades – but to protect and enhance water quality even further we will need everyone to take the small actions that will help.

The Environment Agency continues to lead efforts to ensure bathing waters are maintained and improved further, working with partners and the public to reduce pollution.

Local action plans are in place for the waters that need improvement, involving a range of partner organisations. In 2017 the public were also able to see more advice on signs at beaches and get better information online about water quality at any bathing beach.

Notes to editors:

• The Office of National Statistics have published the annual bathing water quality results here
• Information about each bathing water is updated through the season on the bathing water explorer

The Institute for Apprenticeships (the Institute) has today announced that Sir Gerry Berragan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Institute and will take up the post from 27 November.

The Institute for Apprenticeships (the Institute) has today announced that Sir Gerry Berragan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Institute and will take up the post from 27 November.
The Institute is a crown, non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Education (DfE). The Institute ensures high-quality apprenticeship standards and advises government on funding for each standard.
Sir Gerry will replace Peter Lauener, the current Chief Executive, who has held the post since the launch of the Institute on 1 April 2017.
Sir Gerry has been involved in leadership and training for 36 years, throughout his Army career, giving him experience of running big, complex organisations, consisting of both military people and civil servants. He led the army’s training provision which had 13,000 people on an apprenticeship at any one time – making the army the largest apprenticeships provider in the country.

Antony Jenkins, Chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships said:

As a member of the Institute’s Board Sir Gerry has already been instrumental in the set–up of the organisation and in developing its strategy and values so that it can deliver to the high expectations we and others set for the Institute. Sir Gerry has extensive experience of leadership and management, as well as an in depth knowledge of apprenticeships and the positive impact they can have. I am very pleased to be able to appoint him and look forward to working closely with him on the challenges ahead.

Rt. Hon Anne Milton MP, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, Minister for Women said:

I’m delighted that Sir Gerry has been appointed. He will drive the Institute to meet the challenges ahead, and I look forward to working closely with him. Having met Sir Gerry, I know that he will make sure that high quality apprenticeships, available for everyone, will be at the heart of the Institute’s work.

Sir Gerry Berragan said:

I am honoured to have been appointed as Chief Executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships. I was closely involved in delivering high quality apprenticeships during my Army career and I have been an Institute Board member from the outset earlier this year, so I understand the challenge. I look forward to working with employers to deliver high quality apprenticeships to meet their needs, whilst providing excellent opportunities for people and employers across the country.

The Chief Executive is responsible for the leadership and day-to-day management of the Institute. The Chief Executive is also Accounting Officer for the Institute’s budget and is accountable to the DfE’s Principal Accounting Officer, and to Parliament for the stewardship of these funds.

England

The data for England shows:

• an annual price increase of 5.7% which takes the average property value to £243,945
• house prices have risen by 0.6% since August 2017

The regional data indicates that:

• the North West experienced the greatest increase in average property price over the last 12 months, with a movement of 7.3%
• the North West also experienced the greatest monthly price growth with an increase of 2.1%
• London saw the lowest annual price growth with an increase of 2.5%
• London also saw the only monthly price fall of 0.2%

Price change by region for England

Region	Monthly change % since August 2017	Annual change % since September 2016	Average price September 2017
East Midlands	0.7	6.4	£184,399
East of England	0.3	5.9	£289,301
London	-0.2	2.5	£483,568
North East	0.5	4.4	£130,271
North West	2.1	7.3	£160,951
South East	0.3	5.5	£324,465
South West	0.5	6.6	£252,737
West Midlands	0.4	5.7	£189,038
Yorkshire and the Humber	1.0	5.6	£158,884

The lowest number of repossession sales in July 2017 was in the East of England.

Repossession sales by volume for England

Region	July 2017
East Midlands	46
East of England	17
London	28
North East	69
North West	126
South East	58
South West	36
Yorkshire and the Humber	72
West Midlands	48
England	500

Average price by property type for England

Property type	September 2017	September 2016	Difference %
Detached	£368,625	£346,813	6.3
Semi-detached	£225,869	£213,476	5.8
Terraced	£197,532	£186,667	5.8
Flat/maisonette	£227,672	£217,713	4.6
All	£243,945	£230,848	5.7

Funding, buyer and building status for England

Transaction type	Monthly price change % since August 2017	Annual price change % since September 2016	Average price September 2017
Cash	0.7	5.7	£229,572
Mortgage	0.6	5.6	£251,186
First-time buyer	0.6	5.3	£204,549
Former owner occupier	0.6	5.9	£276,995
New build	2.1	8.0	£300,030
Existing resold property	0.5	5.5	£240,143

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for England show the number of completed house sales in July 2017 fell by 17.1% to 64,592 compared with 77,919 in July 2016.

Sales volumes for England

Month	Sales 2017	Sales 2016	Difference %
June	69,681	74,259	-6.2
July	64,592	77,919	-17.1

London

The data for London shows:

• an annual price increase of 2.5% which takes the average property value to £483,568
• house prices have fallen by 0.2% since August 2017

Average price by property type for London

Property type	September 2017	September 2016	Difference %
Detached	£917,729	£883,706	3.9
Semi-detached	£581,225	£565,376	2.8
Terraced	£498,705	£486,660	2.5
Flat/maisonette	£426,709	£416,967	2.3
All	£483,568	£471,767	2.5

Funding, buyer and building status for London

Transaction type	Monthly price change % since August 2017	Annual price change % since September 2016	Average price September 2017
Cash	-0.3	1.9	£506,060
Mortgage	-0.2	2.6	£476,475
First-time buyer	-0.1	2.2	£422,380
Former owner occupier	-0.3	2.8	£546,455
New build	2.9	6.4	£504,065
Existing resold property	-0.4	2.2	£481,880

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for London show the number of completed house sales in July 2017 fell by 24.5% to 6,639 compared with 8,794 in July 2016.

Sales volumes for London

Month	Sales 2017	Sales 2016	Difference %
June	7,305	8,464	-13.7
July	6,639	8,794	-24.5

Wales

The data for Wales shows:

• an annual price increase of 5.3% which takes the average property value to £152,661
• house prices have risen by 0.6% since August 2017

Average price by property type for Wales

Property type	September 2017	September 2016	Difference %
Detached	£230,342	£218,339	5.5
Semi-detached	£147,025	£139,442	5.4
Terraced	£118,417	£112,455	5.3
Flat/maisonette	£108,456	£104,114	4.2
All	£152,661	£144,976	5.3

Funding, buyer and building status for Wales

Transaction type	Monthly price change % since August 2017	Annual price change % since September 2016	Average price September 2017
Cash	0.4	4.9	£148,467
Mortgage	0.6	5.5	£155,149
First-time buyer	0.5	5.0	£131,735
Former owner occupier	0.6	5.6	£177,098
New build	2.2	7.6	£198,204
Existing resold property	0.5	5.1	£149,872

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for Wales show:

• the number of completed house sales in July 2017 fell by 11.3% to 3,599 compared with 4,057 in July 2016
• there were 54 repossession sales in July 2017

Sales volumes for Wales

Month	Sales 2017	Sales 2016	Difference %
June	4,026	3,812	5.6
July	3,599	4,057	-11.3

Access the full UK HPI

The UK Property Transaction Statistics show that the number of seasonally adjusted transactions on UK properties with a value of £40,000 or greater has increased by 4.6% between September 2016 and September 2017. However, comparing September 2017 with August 2017, the number of seasonally adjusted property transactions has decreased by 1.8%.

The Bank of England Agents’ summary of business conditions reported that supply and demand appeared to be broadly in balance across the overall market. Demand had proved more resilient in the new-build sector and the help to buy scheme was regarded as crucial to sustaining demand among first-time buyers.

Looking more closely at regional levels of the UK, the largest annual growth was in the North West at 7.3% up from 5% in August 2017. The slowest annual growth was in London at 2.5%. This is the 10th consecutive month where the growth in London house prices has remained below the UK average. See the economic statement.

Notes to editors

1. The UK House Price Index (HPI) is published on the second or third Tuesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. The October 2017 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on 12 December 2017. See calendar of release dates.

2. From next month, we are making some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We will not be publishing average price and percentage change for new build and existing resold property, as we do now, because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that when we publish the October UK HPI in December, the earliest new build/existing resold property breakdown will be for August 2017, in line with the sales volumes currently available.

3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.

4. Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read Revisions to the UK HPI data.

5. Revision tables have been introduced for England and Wales within the downloadable data. Tables will be available in csv format. See about the UK HPI for more information.

6. Data for the UK HPI is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.

7. The UK HPI is calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, in particular HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.

8. The UK Property Transaction statisticsare taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series so HMRC also presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Adjustments are made for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.

9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables

10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.

11. Work has been taking place since 2014 to develop a single, official HPI that reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property in the UK. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.

12. Information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process, is provided by HM Land Registry for properties that are sold for full market value.

13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).

14. Repossession data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.

15. For England, this is shown as volumes of repossessions recorded by Government Office Region. For Wales, there is a headline figure for the number of repossessions recorded in Wales.

16. The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. Repossession data prior to April 2016 is not available. Find out more information about repossessions.

17. Background tables of the raw and cleansed aggregated data, in Excel and CSV formats, are also published monthly although Northern Ireland is on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.

18. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

19. 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.

20. 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 25 million titles, which show evidence of ownership, covering more than 84% of the land mass.

21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry

22. Follow us on:

• Twitter @HMLandRegistry
• our blog
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

A group of independent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) panel members has investigated how bringing together the UK’s largest grocery retailer and the UK’s largest grocery wholesaler would affect competition. It examined evidence from Tesco and Booker, as well as evidence from more than 65 wholesalers, suppliers and retail chains and a survey of hundreds of retailers.

The CMA found that Tesco as a retailer and Booker as a wholesaler – supplying to caterers, independent and symbol group retailers including Premier, Londis and Budgens – do not compete head-to-head in most of their activities. In particular, Tesco does not supply the catering sector to which Booker makes over 30% of its sales.

The group, recognising that Tesco’s shops nevertheless compete with Booker-supplied shops, considered the impact of the merger in every local area where a Tesco and a Booker-supplied shop are both present (over 12,000 shops). It did this to examine whether, in any of these areas, it might be profitable for the merged company to raise prices or reduce service levels either in retail or wholesale. The CMA has provisionally concluded that the level of competition in the grocery wholesale and retail markets would be sufficient to defeat such a strategy.

A number of competing wholesalers expressed concern that Booker would benefit from improved suppliers’ terms after the merger, making it difficult for them to continue to compete. They argued that as a result, in the longer term, Booker might be able to raise prices to the shops that it supplies.

The CMA found that it was likely Booker would be able to negotiate better terms from a number of its suppliers for some of its groceries, and that it was likely to pass on some of the benefits of these savings to the shops that it supplies. This might increase competition in the wholesale market, as well as reducing prices for shoppers. However, the CMA also concluded that the wholesale market would remain competitive in the longer term, noting that Booker’s share of the UK grocery wholesaling market – at less than 20% – was not sufficient to justify the longer-term concerns.

Simon Polito, Chair of the inquiry group, said:

Millions of people use their local supermarket or convenience store to buy their groceries or essentials. Strong competition in the market ensures that shoppers can choose the best deal for them.

Our investigation has found that existing competition is sufficiently strong in both the wholesale and retail grocery sectors to ensure that the merger between Tesco and Booker will not lead to higher prices or a reduced service for supermarket and convenience shoppers.

The CMA opened its phase 1 investigation into the merger in May. At the end of June, the companies requested a ‘fast track’ referral to the next stage of the investigation.

This is a provisional decision and the CMA is now inviting further comment and evidence before coming to a final view.

Notes for editors

1. Tesco operates more than 3,000 stores across the UK. Booker supplies services to over 5,000 ‘symbol’ stores as well as to thousands of independent retailers and caterers.

2. A ‘symbol’ store is an independent grocery retailer operating under a brand owned by a wholesaler. The retailer is usually required to purchase some of its wholesale supplies from the brand owner, in return for use of the brand and other supporting services. Booker’s symbol group brands are Premier, Londis, Budgens and Family Shopper.

3. The provisional findings also found that Booker operates a very small number of shops. In the areas where Tesco and Booker compete, the CMA has found that existing competition is likely to prevent prices from going up.

4. 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. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Facebook, Flickr and LinkedIn.

5. All the CMA’s functions in phase 2 merger inquiries are performed by inquiry groups chosen from the CMA’s independent panel members. The appointed inquiry group is the decision-maker on phase 2 inquiries. The CMA’s panel members come from a variety of backgrounds, including economics, law, accountancy and/or business. The membership of an inquiry group usually reflects a mix of expertise and experience (including industry experience).

6. Media enquiries to the CMA should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or 020 3738 6337.

The Museums Action Plan will help England’s museums and galleries to thrive and grow.

The review asks Arts Council England (ACE) and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to show how they will deliver nine key priorities that will enable museums to diversify audiences, contribute to the identity of their local area and become more accessible.

Led by creative industry entrepreneur Neil Mendoza on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the review also recommends that DCMS and its sponsored museums and galleries develop a partnership framework to improve how they work with museums across England, particularly in sharing expertise and ensuring the national collection is accessible to people throughout the country.

The review has identified 16 different sources of public funding and support that have been granted regularly to the museum sector over the last 10 years. This includes investment from central government, local authorities and the National Lottery as well as VAT refunds and the acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Scheme.

The nine key priorities that the Mendoza Review recommends that DCMS, ACE and HLF include in the Museums Action Plan are:

• Helping adapt to today’s funding environment

• Improving curation and management of collections so that they are accessible to the public

• Growing and diversifying audiences

• Ensuring museums contribute to the priorities of the local area

• Delivering cultural education

• Developing future leaders

• Diversifying the workforce of museums

• Increasing digital capacity and using digital technology to create innovative and engaging exhibition content

• Work internationally

Neil Mendoza, author of The Mendoza Review: an independent review of museums in England, said:

England has a world-class museum sector. Museums play a vital role in the cultural life of the country. Museums sit at the heart of our towns, cities and communities. They are also our most successful tourist attractions. Their curators care for collections for all of us now and for future generations.

National and local government are both deeply involved in this important sector. This review sets out a series of recommendations to government and its key strategic and funding agencies (like Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund) requiring them to work closely together to help our museums flourish.

John Glen, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism said:

I welcome this report from Neil Mendoza and want to thank him for his work. I am pleased that it has found such a successful and dynamic sector, and we can be proud that the UK boasts so many world-class museums.

The Museums Action Plan will provide additional leadership and expertise to local and regional museums to help them grow and thrive, increase audiences and ensure a sustainable future for this important sector.

The Mendoza Review found evidence of a “strong, dynamic” sector that is responding well to an increasingly competitive visitor market, with museums becoming more entrepreneurial and seeking other forms of income through cafes, shops and educational services.

More than half of England’s adults visited a museum last year and the sector now employs around 33,000 people. England is also home to three of the world’s most visited museums.

The review received over 1,500 responses from museums and members of the public describing what museums mean to them. Arts Council England (ACE) and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) worked closely with the review team, commissioning data and research to inform the review and will be responsible for taking many of the recommendations forward.

The review was commissioned by the government and led by Elizabeth Corley, chair of Allianz Global Investors, and an independent Advisory Group made up of 60 senior representatives from across the financial industry and social sector.

Entitled Growing a Culture of Social Impact Investing in the UK, the report outlines key recommendations to help grow the number of social impact investors across the country and ensure financial providers help people support the issues they care about through their savings and investment choices.

The Advisory Group found there is a growing interest among individuals for their investments to have a positive impact on society, as well as produce financial returns. However the social impact investing market remains underdeveloped.

It urges the government and industry to support co-investment and increase the number of social impact investment opportunities in the market; strengthen competence and confidence within the financial services sector and make it easier for people to invest.

They also recommend that government and the social sector should look to increase reporting of the growth of the social impact investment market to give the financial services community a better understanding of the non-financial outcomes. The Advisory Group also underlined its commitment to building on their work to date to sustain momentum in developing the UK’s social impact investment market.

The report has today been welcomed by Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, and Stephen Barclay, Economic Secretary to the Treasury,

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

We want people to make investments that reflect their values and have a positive impact on the issues they care about. These recommendations are an important first step and I look forward to working closely with the industry to bringing social impact investment into the mainstream.

Stephen Barclay, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said:

Social impact investing has the power to make a positive change in society, while also bringing positive financial returns. It’s a win-win, which is why demand is growing. The market has enormous potential, but we need to make it easier for people to make a social impact investment. Today’s recommendations will help make this possible.

Elizabeth Corley, vice-chair of the Advisory Group, added:

Our aim in undertaking this work was to broaden discussion and encourage wider debate around social impact investing to catalyse an increased focus on developing the market. The energy and ideas contributed by the members of the group demonstrate the degree of interest there is in moving social impact investing forward.

Drawing on the deep experience of our members, we have outlined a number of recommendations, allocated to specific market segments, that we believe will contribute to building a sustainable culture of social impact investing in the UK. Interest among individuals in seeing their savings and investments doing social and environmental good continues to grow and we hope this report and its recommendations will contribute to the work being done to keep the UK at the forefront of the social impact investing market.

The Secretary of State today announced that he has asked Trevor Reaney to provide him with advice on pay for Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly in the absence of an Executive and sitting Assembly. The Secretary of State was speaking during the Second Reading of the Northern Ireland Budget Bill.

Mr Reaney, a former Clerk and Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly and a current member of the National Assembly for Wales Remuneration Board, will provide this advice. The Secretary of State’s letter sets out the scope of the requested advice.

The Government has taken further steps to provide clarity and certainty as we leave the European Union by announcing a new Bill to enshrine the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU in domestic law.

In this afternoon’s statement to the House on the latest round of Brexit negotiations, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, David Davis outlined plans for the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill.

This confirms that the major policies set out in the Withdrawal Agreement will be directly implemented into domestic law by primary legislation – not by secondary legislation under the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. This will allow for Parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of the process.

The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, David Davis said:

We have always said we will do whatever is necessary to prepare for our exit, including bringing forward further legislation, and that is exactly what we are doing.

This is another important step that demonstrates our pragmatic approach to getting our house in order as we leave the EU.

By announcing this Bill, we are providing clarity and certainty – both in the negotiations and at home – about the final agreement being put into UK law.

As we move forward, we stand ready to work with MPs from across the House to ensure a smooth, and orderly exit from the EU that is effectively scrutinised by Parliament.

The exact details of the Withdrawal Agreement are the subject of ongoing and future negotiations and cannot be known until those negotiations are near completion.

Therefore a Bill separate to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill is required to legislate for our withdrawal arrangements and planned Implementation Period.

The Bill is expected to cover the contents of the Withdrawal Agreement, including issues such as an agreement on citizens’ rights, any financial settlement and the details of an implementation period agreed between both sides.

Bringing forward this Bill means that Parliament will be given time to debate, scrutinise and vote on the final agreement we strike with the EU. It comes over and above the undertaking the Government has already made that it will give Parliament a vote on the final deal as soon as possible after the deal is agreed.

The announcement of the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill comes ahead of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill entering Committee Stage in the House of Commons tomorrow (Tuesday 14 November) when amendments will be debated by MPs.

Day one of Committee Stage will include debate about the first clause of the Bill which repeals the European Communities Act 1972.

Last week, the Government tabled an amendment to the Bill, putting exit day on the face of the Bill after Ministers listened carefully to the debate around setting ‘exit day’ for the statutory purposes of the Bill.

There will be two days of debate for the Withdrawal Bill’s Commons Committee Stage this week (Tuesday and Wednesday). Further dates for debate will be scheduled in due course and announced by the Leader of the House.

The plan is to create a complete section of high quality dual carriageway, reducing congestion and leading to quicker journeys for motorists, and an initial consultation was held earlier this year.

Highways England acted on feedback from that consultation by planning a supplementary consultation, focusing on options for improving the road between the M5 and West Hatch.

Instead, the decision has been taken to consult on the whole route in early 2018 in order to gather better information.

David Stock, Highways England project manager, said:

“Having planned to hold a supplementary consultation, we’ve now decided to widen the scope into a whole route consultation and in doing so we need more time to work on this and finalise all the consultation materials. We also wanted to avoid consulting during December and the distracting run-up to Christmas.

“This will provide the public with a chance to have a fuller say, and there will be a number of options presented for consideration, the details of which will be announced when the consultation is launched.

“We listened to all the feedback during the initial consultation and we invite everybody to come along to the rescheduled events and have their say.”

The Government is committed to upgrading all remaining sections of the A303 corridor between the M3 and M5 to dual carriageway standard, and the A358 scheme is one of three projects included in its first roads investment strategy – with preferred routes announced earlier this year for both the A303 Stonehenge and A303 Sparkford to Ilchester schemes.

The A358 is currently a mix of single and dual carriageway, carrying more vehicles than it was designed for.

This leads to delays, and the plan is to improve the route to a dual carriageway as well as improve connectivity and access for local communities and vulnerable road users such as cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians.
Consultation dates and details are currently being finalised and will be announced next month.

In the meantime, anyone wanting further information can go to the scheme website.

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.