Pulse.Assent

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Life Sciences Council, a partnership between government and industry, met for the first time yesterday to discuss the future of the life sciences sector.

It was chaired jointly by the Business and Health and Social Care Secretaries, who outlined the importance of the life sciences sector to the modern industrial strategy, the NHS and patients.

At the meeting, pharmaceutical company Eisai announced it would make a further substantial investment in dementia research in the UK, in support of the government’s ambition to be a global hub for dementia research.

All agreed substantial progress had been made on implementing the Life Sciences Sector Deal. The importance of data to both industry and patients was a key topic of discussion.

Upcoming negotiations on the price paid by the NHS for medicines was also raised. Both government and industry confirmed advance talks had been productive.

Brexit, the challenges and opportunities it presents along with priorities for the sector was discussed. Industry leaders were clear on the government’s commitment to achieving a good outcome for the sector, both for medicines and the wider sector.

The UK has a proud history of innovation, and both government and industry were united today in confirming their drive to deliver excellence.

Eisai said:

The substantial investment announced today by Eisai’s CEO, Dr Harou Naito, for extending its investment for dementia research in the UK is a reflection of the high standard of UK science, its universities and the support of the government’s Life Science Industrial Strategy. It also extends the close cooperation between the UK and Japan in finding new treatments for this terrible disease which affects so many worldwide.

The maximum stakes on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) are to be reduced from £100 to £2 to reduce the risk of gambling-related harm, Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch announced today.

The move comes off the back of a consultation with the public and the industry to ensure that we have the right balance between a sector that can grow and contribute to the economy and one that is socially responsible and doing all it should to protect consumers and communities.

The government wants to reduce the potential for large losses on FOBT (category B2) machines and the risk of harm to both the player and wider communities. Following analysis of consultation responses and advice from the Gambling Commission, the government believes that a cut to £2 will best achieve this.

The Gambling Commission has also been tasked to take forward discussions with the industry to improve player protection measures on B1 and B3 category machines, looking at spend and time limits.

DCMS Secretary of State Matt Hancock said:

When faced with the choice of halfway measures or doing everything we can to protect vulnerable people, we have chosen to take a stand. These machines are a social blight and prey on some of the most vulnerable in society, and we are determined to put a stop to it and build a fairer society for all.

Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch said:

Problem gambling can devastate individuals’ lives, families and communities. It is right that we take decisive action now to ensure a responsible gambling industry that protects the most vulnerable in our society. By reducing FOBT stakes to £2 we can help stop extreme losses by those who can least afford it.

While we want a healthy gambling industry that contributes to the economy, we also need one that does all it can to protect players. We are increasing protections around online gambling, doing more on research, education and treatment of problem gambling and ensuring tighter rules around gambling advertising. We will work with the industry on the impact of these changes and are confident that this innovative sector will step up and help achieve this balance.

In addition to the reduction to FOBT stakes the government has today confirmed:

• The Gambling Commission will toughen up protections around online gambling including stronger age verification rules and proposals to require operators to set limits on consumers’ spending until affordability checks have been conducted.
• A major multi-million pound advertising campaign promoting responsible gambling, supported by industry and GambleAware, will be launched later this year.
• The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has amended its code to ensure that a responsible gambling message will appear for the duration of all TV adverts.
• Public Health England will carry out a review of the evidence relating to the public health harms of gambling.
• As part of the next licence competition the age limit for playing National Lottery games will be reviewed, to take into accounts developments in the market and the risk of harm to young people.

In order to cover any negative impact on the public finances, and to protect funding for vital public services, this change will be linked to an increase in Remote Gaming Duty, paid by online gaming operators, at the relevant Budget.

Changes to the stake will be through secondary legislation. The move will need parliamentary approval and we will also engage with the gambling industry to ensure it is given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes.

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact: DCMS Press Office on: 020 7211 6276 / 6971

• Gambling is devolved in Northern Ireland, but substantially reserved in Scotland and Wales. However, as of 23 May 2016, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers have the executive and legislative competence to vary the number of high-staking gaming machines authorised by a new betting premises licence in Scotland. Under the Wales Act 2017, identical powers were transferred to the Welsh Ministers and the National Assembly for Wales.
• We are committed to working constructively with devolved administrations as we move towards implementation of the £2 stake limit on B2 gaming machines.
• B1 machines are in casinos with a maximum stake of £5 with a maximum pay-out of £10,000 (or progressive jackpot of £20,000)
• B3 machines are located in casino, betting, arcade and bingo venues with a maximum stake of £2 and a maximum pay-out of £500.
• Remote Gaming Duty is paid by all companies who earn revenue through offering online gaming to British residents. It is currently set at 15% of operator’s profits.

• part of the modern Industrial Strategy, setting out how the government is building a Britain fit for the future – helping businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK
• online one stop shop invest.great.gov.uk launched to help global investors find UK projects
• High Potential Opportunities scheme to be extended across more than 20 new sectors and areas of the UK after pilot schemes in Doncaster, Telford and Greater Manchester
• as the Board of Trade meets in Stirling, Dr Fox recognises the exceptional international trading performance of 6 Scottish companies with Board of Trade Awards (BOFTAs)

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox will today (Thursday 17 May) launch a new drive to attract foreign investment into the UK at a meeting of the Board of Trade in Stirling.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is promoting 68 UK investment projects worth more than £30 billion to overseas investors. Dr Fox will also extend the highly successful High Potential Opportunities scheme, piloted in Doncaster’s rail industry, Telford’s agri-tech sector, and Greater Manchester’s innovative graphene-based lightweight materials sector to new industries and parts of the UK.

Dr Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade, said:

This is a bold and ambitious programme, building on the UK’s position as the leading destination for foreign investment in Europe through the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, helping to build a Britain fit for the future.

The High Potential Opportunities scheme will deliver growth where it is most needed, ensuring that the benefits of global investment are felt in every part of the country.

And with more than £30 billion worth of new opportunities, my international economic department’s overseas network is working hard to attract top investors to the UK.

DIT works directly with companies in 177 cities in 108 countries around the world. Last year, DIT helped attract 2,265 investment projects which created or safeguarded 108,000 jobs in the UK.

The 68 projects worth more than £30 billion, with more to be added over the coming months, will also be promoted through a revamped online one stop shop for potential investors: invest.great.gov.uk.

The extended High Potential Opportunities scheme is now taking applications from business organisations, Local Enterprise Partnerships and councils from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the first phase, more than 20 new sectors and areas of the UK will benefit from a boost in investment – creating new jobs and securing the UK’s prosperity.

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, said:

The UK has a strong standing when it comes to attracting investment to these shores. That investment leads to real, tangible benefits for people and communities – more jobs, prosperity and choice.

The International Trade Department’s drive to attract billions of pounds worth of investment to projects in each corner of the country is warmly welcomed by firms.

The new online catalogue of British projects for global investors to find and research will also be a vital tool to attracting even more capital to the UK, enabling the benefits of free trade and investment to flow into our communities.

Through the modern Industrial Strategy, the government is setting out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how the government is building a Britain fit for the future – helping businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.

Whilst in Scotland, Dr Fox will also announce the winners of the BOFTAs – Board of Trade Awards. Six companies are being recognised for their excellence in international trade, demonstrating innovation, creativity and entrepreneurialism.

The BOFTA winners are:

• world-leading bus and coach manufacturers Alexander Dennis from Falkirk
• Speyside Distillery from the Cairngorm Mountains
• oil and gas company EnerQuip from Aberdeen
• plastics suppliers McGavigan from Glasgow
• Bowalds Energy from Aberdeen
• Glasgow-based power generation company Aggreko

Further information

The Department for International Trade (DIT) secures UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. We are an international economic department, responsible for:

• bringing together policy, promotion and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment, and help businesses succeed
• delivering a new trade policy framework for the UK as we leave the EU
• promoting British trade and investment across the world
• building the global appetite for British goods and services

Details of the 68 projects being promoted by DIT, by location and value:

East Midlands

• Loughborough University Science & Enterprise Park, Loughborough, £625 million
• Island Site, Nottingham, £500 million
• Ashton Green, Leicester, £480 million
• Drakelow Park, Derbyshire, £360 million
• Waterside, Nottingham, £340 million
• Grantham Southern Quadrant, Lincolnshire, £200 million
• Tudor Cross, Bolsover, £175 million
• Heart of the City, Derby, £165 million
• Space Park Leicester, Leicester, £100 million
• Boots Enterprise Zone, Nottingham, £100 million

East of England

• Wisbech Garden Town, Cambridgeshire, £2,500 million
• CAMRO, Ely, £800 million
• Nelson Quay, King’s Lynn, £120 million

Northern Ireland

• Sirocco Quays, Belfast, £465 million
• Titanic Quarter, Belfast, £365 million
• Weavers Cross, Belfast, £250 million
• McAleer & Rushe, Belfast, £175 million
• One Bankmore Square, Belfast, £100 million
• 21–29 Corporation St, Belfast, £92 million
• Norwich Union House, Belfast, £54 million
• Baptist Church, Belfast, £30 million

Northern Powerhouse

• Wirral Waters, Wirral, Merseyside, £4,000 million
• Trafford Waters, Manchester, £1,000 million
• Kirkstall Forge, Leeds, £400 million
• Protos, Cheshire, £300 million
• MediaCityUK, Manchester, £300 million
• Property Alliance Group Portfolio, Manchester, £300 million
• Pall Mall Exchange, Liverpool, £150 million
• Stockport Exchange, Stockport, £140 million
• Future Carrington, Manchester, £100 million
• Liverpool Waters, Liverpool, £100 million

West Midlands

• UK Central Hub and HS2 Interchange, Solihull, £2,000 million
• Birmingham International Station, Birmingham, £1,400 million
• Birmingham Curzon, Birmingham, £1,000 million
• Friargate Coventry, Coventry, £700 million
• i54 Western Extension, Wolverhampton, £600 million
• Paradise, Birmingham, £550 million
• Stafford Gateway North, Stafford, £381 million
• Stoke-on-Trent City Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, £310 million
• Worcester Growth Corridor, Worcester, £300 million
• MIRA Technology Park Southern Manufacturing Sector, Nuneaton, £150 million
• Interchange Commercial District, Wolverhampton, £150 million
• Skylon Park, Hereford, £105 million
• Telford Investment Cluster, Telford, £105 million
• Redditch Gateway, Redditch, £100 million

Scotland

• Dundee Waterfront, Dundee, £500 million
• Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow, £350 million
• Magenta, Glasgow, £280 million
• AMIDS, Renfrewshire, £244 million
• Edinburgh International Business Gateway, Edinburgh, £185 million
• Queen’s Square, Aberdeen, £150 million
• Bothwell Street, Glasgow, £140 million
• George Street Complex, Glasgow, £100 million
• Perth West, Perth, £100 million

South East

• Otterpool Park, Folkestone, £2,000 million
• Fawley Waterside, Hampshire, £1,000 million
• Hickstead Science & Technology Park, Sussex, £350 million
• Bexhill Enterprise Park, Sussex, £150 million
• Bargate Quarter, Southampton, £150 million

South West

• UK Cyber Park, Cheltenham, £600 million
• West Carclaze, Cornwall, £400 million
• Gateway Development, Plymouth, £100 million

Yorkshire & Humber

• Sirius Minerals Polyhalite Project, North Yorkshire and Teeside, £2,900 million
• York Central, York, £750 million
• Axiom Regional Shopping Centre, Wakefield, £400 million
• Aero Centre Yorkshire, Doncaster, £100 million
• Unity Doncaster, Doncaster, £100 million

Wales

• Penrhos Coastal Holiday Resort, Anglesey, North Wales, £105 million

In all, the 68 projects are worth £33,791,000,000

The government’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Strategy

The government’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Strategy consists of operational changes which will:

• improve the effectiveness of our work and help teams to focus on the projects which contribute most to the UK economy
• clearly define DIT’s priorities for promoting investment opportunities

DIT has been working closely with colleagues across government to ensure the closest possible alignment of activity to support the Industrial Strategy’s initiatives around supporting the business environment, growing clusters and sectors, and the promotion of FDI through DIT’s FDI strategy.

This will deliver a more targeted approach to promotion and investor support, and better address market failures to maximise wealth creation across the UK.

From next financial year, we will change our measure of performance from the volume of projects landed to a comprehensive measure of economic impact.

Alongside this, we will work with local partners to build a portfolio of ‘High Potential Opportunities’ across the UK to promote investment opportunities showcasing UK sector strengths, skills bases, cost bases and infrastructure programmes that are not readily referenced by current market information and have a high potential to deliver economic benefits.

This will enable us to be more responsive to the needs of foreign investors and better match investor requirements with opportunities across the UK that have the capacity to drive high value growth and jobs.

Details of the existing High Potential Opportunities (HPO) pilot schemes

HPO commercialising new technologies for high productivity food production (Telford)

• High productivity food production is set to disrupt agriculture markets due to growing demand for food and scarce land resource. Innovation breakthroughs in satellite imaging, remote sensing and precision farming are ready for commercialisation.
• Telford is home to Harper Adams University, a world-leader in agri-tech research and home of the National Centre for Precision Farming – developing automation, drones, autonomous systems, with strong links to and appetite to work with business. The area has an advanced engineering cluster with crossover technologies, eg remote sensors, and availability of development-ready land with pro-active planning and landing support from council.

HPO rail rolling stock supply chain (Doncaster)

• An ageing fleet with passenger and freight numbers that are increasing, the size of UK rolling stock growing faster than at any time in decades, combined with government commitments on rail projects, the arrival of HS2, and a significant level of imports ripe for substitution, creates a pipeline of UK demand offering a multitude of supply chain opportunities in procurement.
• Rail has been a major part of Doncaster’s economy for over 150 years: strong infrastructure includes iPortrail, at the heart of the UK’s intermodal transport network. The region offers a rail cluster of 50 companies and 8,000 rail employees, and a pool of talent to provide the employees of today. This is future proofed by the National College for High Speed Rail, developing a pipeline of work ready talent for tomorrow.

HPO lightweight and specialist materials for the transport sector (Greater Manchester: Rochdale, Bury, Oldham)

There is a global opportunity in lightweight materials for transport applications:

• light alloys
• technical textiles
• coatings
• graphene and 2D materials
• materials for demanding environments

Greater Manchester offers a gateway to opportunities in lightweight structures throughout the North West, the rest of the UK, and across Europe. The unique ecosystem offers the ability to move from research and testing, to commencing small scale production, and includes scaling up in the UK (rather than abroad) with the benefits of retaining your people, networks and importantly links to world class research.

For more information:

• Contact the DIT Media Team on 020 7215 2000 or email baylee.turner@trade.gov.uk
• Follow us @tradegovuk and at gov.uk/dit

They will be joined at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, by nearly 300 family members and friends who lost loved ones in terrorist attacks abroad.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will lead the ceremony to dedicate the memorial, entitled Still Water, which was designed by Alison Wilding and Adam Kershaw.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Tobias Ellwood, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, who has led on the delivery of the Memorial and whose brother was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing will also attend.

Tobias Ellwood, Minister for Defence People and Veterans said:

Today is a day when we remember the lives of those who were tragically taken in terrorist attacks abroad.

I know from personal experience that in times of pain we must come together to support and help one another. This memorial stands as a symbol of our unity against violence and hatred and will be a peaceful space for families to remember their loved ones.

It is hoped that the memorial will become a place of reflection, remembrance and contemplation for anyone who has been affected by terrorism.

• Alun Cairns issues clarion call to Wales’ business community as Welsh leg of search for airport logistics hub sites begins
• Six sites across Wales in the running to play a key part in delivery of proposed third runway construction, bringing jobs and economic boost to Wales

The time has come to make opportunity happen for Wales and stake our claim on a multi-million pound supply chain for one of the most prestigious national infrastructure projects in a generation.

This will be the clarion call from the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns during a keynote speech to an audience of Welsh business leaders vying to bring a Heathrow Logistics Hub to Wales (17 May).

Representatives from Heathrow Airport have arrived in north Wales to start the Welsh leg of the nationwide search for the final four selected locations which will pre-assemble components of the expanded airport.

Six Welsh sites are in the running to host a hub which will participate in the off-site construction of a new third runway.

The UK Government wants to ensure Wales plays a key part in the airport’s supply chain, enabling Britain’s new runway to deliver a legacy of construction excellence for the nation.

Speaking at a meeting ahead of the first site visits in Wales, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said:

I’m delighted that Heathrow has recognised the importance of involving the whole of the UK in its expansion plans with its effort to locate its logistics hubs across the nations.

And while the focal point of construction will be in the south east, all the pieces of this great infrastructure jigsaw will be sourced from suppliers right across the country, making this a prime example of how UK Government backing for one national project in one location can spread wealth and prosperity far and wide.

I’m determined that we showcase the very real opportunities to be had, now and in the future, by locating a hub on Welsh soil. Let’s make sure we start as we mean to go on today – that we grasp this once in a generation opportunity for Wales, and that we exploit it to the full.

Heathrow expansion is a critical national infrastructure project for the UK that will rely on talent from across the country. Wales stands to benefit significantly with the creation of up to 8,400 new skilled jobs and £6.4bn generated from construction through to increased tourism and exports for Wales.

In addition to this, SMEs across Wales will also have the opportunity to attend one of Heathrow’s Business Summits in Cardiff on 11 July 2018.

These summits offer small business across the country the opportunity to become part of the many opportunities that Heathrow expansion will bring. On the day, Welsh SMEs will have the opportunity to connect and trade face-to-face with Heathrow’s supply chain, to forge new connections and win business with some of the UK’s largest organisations.

Alun Cairns added:

I have seen first-hand the diversity and expertise of our supply chain in Wales and I know how much enthusiasm there is for this project across the industry.

Yet out of the £1 billion maintenance spend year in year out at Heathrow, only 0.2% of Heathrow’s current procurement contracts come from Wales – we can and must do better than that.

I’ll be looking forward to meeting Welsh SMEs at the next Heathrow Business Summit in Cardiff in July where they can learn of the opportunities available to them when construction begins.

To book your place at the Heathrow Business Summit in Cardiff, click here.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Heathrow’s Logistics Hubs feature in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, listed as an example of how to develop skills across the UK and create conditions where successful businesses can emerge.

Locations in Wales longlisted for Heathrow’s Logistics Hubs:

Site Name	Site Location
ABP Port Site, Cardiff	Cardiff
ABP Port Site, Newport	Newport
Brocastle, Bridgend	Bridgend
Rhyd Y Blew, Ebbw Vale	Ebbw Vale
Llanwern, Newport	Newport
TATA Shotton, Deeside	Deeside