Pulse.Assent

Culham is home to JET – the Joint European Torus – the world’s largest fusion experiment, which the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) operates for scientists around Europe. The Duke of York toured JET and learned of its role in paving the way for fusion reactors which could one day provide low-carbon energy to people around the globe. He was shown round the JET facility by officials from UKAEA, EUROfusion (the consortium that manages the JET research programme) and the European Commission.

A keen advocate of UK business and innovation, The Duke also heard how the research at Culham will help hi-tech companies to win contracts on major projects on the path to delivering commercial fusion power. UKAEA is working with international partners to prepare the world’s first reactor-scale fusion experiment, ITER, scheduled to start up in France in 2025. Over €500 million of deals on ITER have already gone to British firms and a similar amount is expected in the coming years.

UKAEA CEO Professor Ian Chapman said:

His Royal Highness was very interested in the potential of fusion. JET is both an important part of Britain’s hi-tech landscape, and the largest European science facility in the UK. We were delighted to show The Duke around JET and explain its vital role in international fusion research.

The Duke also met UKAEA staff, including engineering apprentices from Culham’s new Oxfordshire Advanced Skills centre, which is now training young people from around 20 hi-tech firms across the region as well as from UKAEA.

UKAEA apprentice Thomas Eagles said:

It was an honour meeting The Duke of York, and his interest in science and technology is inspiring to young apprentices like me. Meeting people like The Duke reinforces the importance of industries like engineering in everyday life. He asked us about our apprenticeships – what we are doing, how we feel about it, and if it was the right decision over other options.

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For more information please contact Nick Holloway, UK Atomic Energy Authority Media Manager: nick.holloway@ukaea.uk or 01235 466232.

Notes to Editors

UK Atomic Energy Authority
UKAEA carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the UK Government at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

UKAEA’s fusion lab Culham Centre for Fusion Energy oversees Britain’s fusion programme, headed by the MAST Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) experiment. It also hosts the world’s largest fusion research facility, JET (Joint European Torus), which it operates for European scientists under a contract with the European Commission via the EUROfusion consortium.

Fusion research at Culham is funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and by the European Union under the Euratom treaty.

Fusion research
Fusion research aims to copy the process which powers the Sun for a new large-scale source of energy here on Earth. When light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. To do this, fuel is heated to form a plasma in which fusion reactions take place. A commercial power station will use the energy produced by fusion reactions to generate electricity.

Nuclear fusion has huge potential as a long-term energy source that is environmentally responsible (with no carbon emissions) and inherently safe, with abundant and widespread fuel resources (the raw materials are found in seawater and the Earth’s crust).

Researchers at Culham are developing a type of fusion reactor known as a ‘tokamak’ – a magnetic chamber in which plasma is heated and controlled. The research is focused on preparing for the international tokamak experiment ITER, now being built in southern France. ITER – due to start up in 2025 – is designed to show that fusion can work at the scale of a powerplant, and if successful should lead to electricity from fusion being on the grid by 2050.

Funding support for pioneering aerospace projects, including X-Ray imaging technology that will help develop faster and cleaner aircraft engines, as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy was announced today.

Each of the four projects, jointly funded by Rolls-Royce and the government, bring together academia and businesses from across the UK to work together on world-leading research to develop the next generation of world leading aero-engine technologies.

Business Secretary Greg Clark confirmed the £24 million government funding towards the four Rolls-Royce-led collaborative R&D projects at the ground-breaking event for Rolls-Royce’s new engine test bed facility in Derby. The new facility follows a commitment from Rolls-Royce to invest £150 million in their UK facilities to support plans of doubling engine production.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

Our modern Industrial Strategy is backed by the biggest increase in R&D investment this country has ever seen, committing government, along with industry, to spend £3.9 billion to build on our reputation for aerospace excellence. The joint government-industry funding brings together the best minds from Rolls-Royce, SMEs and academia to unlock breakthroughs in technology that are fundamental to the aerospace sector.

As the home of the first turbojet engine, the UK has a long proud heritage in aerospace and these pioneering Rolls-Royce projects will ensure it is the UK that leads the world in developing the next generation of cleaner jet engine technologies.

The four projects, worth £58.3 million in total are supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute and Rolls-Royce with academic industry partners. This will be delivered through Innovate UK – the UK’s innovation agency.

The projects also include the development of new materials for engines to operate at higher speeds and temperatures. All projects will support the design of an engine which will offer 25% fuel efficiency – saving money and reducing emissions.

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said:

We welcome the support announced by the UK Government today. These research projects will help Rolls-Royce and our partners develop more efficient, technologically sophisticated aircraft engines that are vital to reducing emissions and underline the aerospace industry’s commitment to improving the environment.

We are focused on pioneering new technologies and these projects will support important advancements for our UltraFan® engine. The UltraFan® engine will offer a 25% fuel efficiency improvement over the first generation of Rolls-Royce Trent engines.

The projects set to receive funding are:

• PACE (Proving Advanced Concept Engine), £22.7 million project
• CAJoRR (Cutting edge Approaches for Joining of RR1073), £8 million project
• ENCASE (Enabling Novel Controls & Advanced Sensors for Engines), £18.4 million project
• EXCITE (EXternal Component Integration of Technologies for Engines), £9.2 million project

In 2015, the government and industry committed to spend £3.9 billion to further transform aerospace research until 2026 to help this sector build on our unique strengths in the UK through the Industrial Strategy.

About the projects:

PACE (Proving Advanced Concept Engine), £22.7 million project

PACE is an Ultra-Fan® enabling rig project provides necessary advanced X-Ray capability and tooling to validate the next generation of geared architecture engines. A key number of Rolls-Royce subcontractors including the Hyde Group (Pylon) will deliver a number of key capabilities including X-Ray and image analysis and tooling for engine assembly in excess of £17m supporting this important validation project.

CAJoRR (Cutting edge Approaches for Joining of RR1073), £8 million project

The CAJoRR project aims to develop a new joining capability for high temperature nickel alloys utilised in the next generation of novel engines with specific exploitation in the narrow and wide body markets. This material will allow operation at higher speeds and temperature delivering increased performance efficiency and service life. The consortium is led by Rolls-Royce plc with academic and industry partners, the University of Birmingham and the University of Swansea.

ENCASE (Enabling Novel Controls & Advanced Sensors for Engines), £18.4 million project

ENCASE develops a number of key enabling technologies required for the control system in the novel UltraFan® engine demonstrator. These include electronic core concentrator control systems architecture, sealing & sensor technology, a “super” permanent magnet alternator and architectural safety critical software. The consortium is led by Rolls-Royce with large industrial partners Curtiss Wright, TT Electronics, SMEs Porvair Filtration Group Limited, Ionix Advanced Technologies Limited, Active Sensors Limited and academics at the University of Newcastle and the University of York. A key benefit of ENCASE will be in delivering scalable solutions for both business jet and civil engines.

EXCITE (EXternal Component Integration of Technologies for Engines), £9.2 million project

The EXCITE project develops five key technologies of the externals sub-system for novel UltraFan® engine demonstrator – a new pipework modelling system and component pipes, NanoCrystalline components, High Temperature Solenoid Block Electrical Connectors, external Externals Gearbox Heat Shield assembly and core zone engine thermal management. The consortium is led by Rolls-Royce partnered with the University of Oxford, University of Birmingham and the National Composite Centre.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has today (22 March 2018) announced the appointment of Trudi Elliott as the new independent Chairman of the Planning Inspectorate board.

From Sunday 1 April, Trudi will work with other Non-Executive Directors to provide support to Chief Executive Sarah Richards and the management team through the advisory board for a period of 4 years.

Trudi, a Chartered Town Planner, has a wide-ranging and in-depth knowledge of planning, a sector where she has worked for 20 years.

She has been Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 2011 but will step down from that role at the end of March 2018.

Trudi takes over the role of Chairman at the Planning Inspectorate from Sara Weller who held the position from August 2014 to September 2017.

Commenting on her new role, Trudi said:

The Planning Inspectorate plays a vital function in the planning system and the future development of England and Wales.

I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed to help with that task and look forward to working with Sarah Richards and her executive management team to continue to shape this renowned organisation.

Trudi joins the Inspectorate at an exciting and crucial time with the recent launch of the revised draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Trudi’s previous roles include: Director of the Government Office for the West Midlands, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Regional Assembly, Director of Local Government Practice ODPM and Chief Executive of Bridgnorth District Council.

Prior to this, Trudi was a lawyer, practising in both the public and private sectors.

She currently chairs the Oxford Joint Planning Law Conference Committee and sits on the National Infrastructure Planning Association policy council and the University of Warwick Estates Committee.

Trudi was also a member of the Taylor Review into planning practice guidance and will become Patron of the Commonwealth Association of Planners from April.

Further information

Trudi Elliott’s appointment runs from 1 April 2018 for a period of 4 years. She will step down from her role as CEO of the Royal Town Planning Institute on 31 March 2018.

The post is held at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Minister for Housing and Regeneration in Wales.

A photo of Trudi is available on request.

The Planning Inspectorate is the government agency for England and Wales responsible for handling approximately 20,000 appeals a year, including:

• national infrastructure planning
• planning and enforcement appeals
• examinations of local plans

See more information about the Planning Inspectorate.

Following a 6-week consultation held last year, 3 options were presented to the public on plans to improve this busy commuter route. The proposals included junction improvements between junction 1 and 7 and additional lanes at points along the route.

The preferred route includes a number of improvements which aim to reduce the causes of congestion on the M621. This includes widening the carriageway at junction 2, closing junction 2a anti-clockwise and installing improved technology and signs along the route. The anti-clockwise carriageway at junction 3 will also be widened from 1 to 2 lanes and the way the lanes merge at junction 3 will also be changed to give priority to traffic on the main carriageway.

Highways England project manager Sarah Kearns said:

This is an exciting scheme and we look forward to moving this project to the next stage and improving the road for drivers heading into and out of Leeds.

The option we have chosen to take forward will work well alongside the other transport and infrastructure projects taking place around the city.

Highways England is currently carrying out improvements between junction 3 and junction 6 on the M621 until May 2018 as part of vital work which needs to take place before we begin work on this major scheme.

The works include the installation of central reserve concrete barrier for safety reasons and renewal of verge barriers and drains.

For more information on the major scheme please visit our website or e mail M621J1to7@highwaysengland.co.uk.

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.

The Prime Minister has appointed Dame Shirley Pearce as a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life following an open competition.

Shirley has held senior executive and non-executive roles in higher education, health and policing. She is currently Chair of Governors of the London School of Economics and Political Science, a member of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Panel for the Ministry of Education in Singapore and a Trustee for the Royal Anniversary Trust.

In 2013 Shirley was appointed by the Home Secretary as the inaugural Chair of the College of Policing (the first professional body for policing) where she oversaw the introduction of the first Code of Ethics for policing based on the Nolan Principles. She was also a Board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Healthcare Commission and Health Education England.

She was Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University from 2006 – 2012, where she delivered a new strategy for the university which saw a significant increase in turnover, closer working with industry partners and research success in the Research Excellence Framework alongside a top rated student experience.

Earlier in her academic career she held appointments at University College London (UCL) and the University of East Anglia (UEA) where she established a new medical school with an innovative curriculum and a focus on primary care and inter-professional learning.

In 2005, Shirley was awarded a CBE for services to education in the National Health Service and in 2014 was appointed DBE for services to Higher Education.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in the UK. It monitors and reports on issues relating to the standards of conduct of all public office holders.

Shirley takes up the post effective immediately for a five-year term. Her appointment was made after open competition in line with the Cabinet Office Governance Code regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Committee is currently conducting a short review of MPs’ outside interests and an inquiry into ethical standards in local government.

Notes to editors

1. Interview requests and media enquiries should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
2. Dame Shirley Pearce replaces Sheila Drew Smith OBE, whose term ended on 16 February 2018.
3. The other members of the Committee are: Lord (Paul) Bew, Chairman, Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP, Simon Hart MP, Dr Jane Martin CBE, Jane Ramsey, Monisha Shah, and Rt Hon Lord (Andrew) Stunell OBE.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), by Salvador Dalí and Edward James, to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.

The sculpture is the last known example of the hand-painted white design in the UK. It is at risk of being exported unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £853,047 plus VAT.

Lobster Telephone was a collaboration between Dalí, one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, and his patron, English poet Edward James, who was known for his promotion of the Surrealist movement.

In total, eleven Lobster Telephones were commissioned by James in 1938. Of these, seven were hand-painted white and four were painted red. Each telephone was slightly different, meaning that each is unique.

The inspiration for the iconic piece came in 1936 when Dalí, James and others were eating lobsters and one of the discarded shells landed on a telephone.

Edward James owned one of the finest private collections of surrealist work – including both versions of the Lobster Telephone – at Monkton, his country house in West Sussex. Today, the majority of the white versions are in museums abroad, including public collections in Rotterdam, Florida, Johannesburg, Minneapolis and Lisbon.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:

Salvador Dali was one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. This iconic work was created in the UK, and I want it to remain here.

It is important that we keep world-class art in this country and I hope a buyer can be found to save it for the nation.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

RCEWA member Richard Calvocoressi said:

With its suggestion of both eroticism and menace, pleasure and pain, Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) is a classic surrealist conceit, recalling the ‘trap’ sculptures of Giacometti’s surrealist phase. It also anticipates by half a century the confrontational but also playful sculptures made of manufactured and natural found objects by artists such as Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. Its importance cannot be overestimated.

The RCEWA noted that this ‘white on white’ Lobster Telephone was distinctly different from the red and black versions. It made its recommendation on the grounds of the sculpture’s close connection with our history and national life – especially James’s role as a patron and collector – its outstanding aesthetic importance and its significance for the study of the history of Surrealism, taste and design in the UK.

The decision on the export licence application for the sculpture will be deferred until 21 June 2018. This may be extended until 21 September 2018 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £853,047.23 (plus VAT of £29,000).

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the sculpture should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

An image of the work can be downloaded via our flickr site.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Details of the sculpture are as follows:
   Salvador Dalí (1904-89) and Edward James (1907-84)
   Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), 1938
   Painted plaster, metal and Bakelite found object (telephone)
   19 x 31.7 x 16 cm
2. Provenance: Made for Edward James by Green & Abbott in 1938.
   The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, West Sussex.
3. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
4. The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk.