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His first stop will be Honaria, the capital of the Solomon Islands, where he will meet the Governor General Sir Frank Kabui, and the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Hon. Rick Houenipwela to discuss trade and the UK-Solomon Islands bilateral relationship post-Brexit.

The Minister will then travel to New Zealand, where he will meet the Mayors of Auckland and Whangarei, as well as taking part in a roundtable discussion with the Regional Chamber of Commerce. In Wellington, he will meet the Minister for External Trade, Minister for Environment and Minister for Economic Development among others, and attend an England vs New Zealand cricket match at Westpac stadium.

In Australia, Mark Field will visit Sydney, Canberra and Perth. In Sydney the Minister will have a tour of the Royal Botanical Gardens, where he will learn about the Garden’s science activities and research links with London’s Kew Gardens. He will also meet the New South Wales Minister for Innovation.

In Canberra the Minister will discuss UK-Australia cooperation on key regional issues with the Minister for International Development and the Pacific. In Perth he will be visiting Pawsey Supercomputing Centre to explore opportunities for collaboration on high-performance computing, and hear about the centre’s involvement in the Square Kilometre Array.

Rt Hon Mark Field, Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific said:

This is my first visit to the Pacific region since becoming Minister at the Foreign Office, and I am delighted to be here.

The UK enjoys a historic relationship and modern partnership with the Solomon Islands, New Zealand and Australia. We have strong ties and an enduring friendship with this region, built on friendship and shared values.

Our strong security, prosperity and people-to-people links are more relevant than ever as work towards advancing our common interests both in the region and further afield.

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An app on an officer’s phone, combined with a handheld scanner, will mean police will be able to check fingerprints against both criminal and immigration records by connecting to the two live databases (IDENT1 and IABS) via the new Biometric Services Gateway.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP), who worked with the Home Office to trial the new system, will begin an initial roll out of 250 scanners to officers in the coming weeks – the app is already available to its 5,500 frontline officers. It is expected that another 20 forces across the country will roll out the system by the end of this year.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd said:

The Biometric Services Gateway is just one of a series of national systems the Home Office is designing with policing to give officers information at their fingertips faster than ever before.

By cutting out unnecessary trips to and from the police station, mobile technology is really helping to save valuable time and allowing officers to do what they do best – cutting crime and keeping us safe.

It’s clear that by embracing technology the police can improve efficiency and, if all forces delivered the level of productivity from mobile working as the leading forces, the average officer could spend an hour a day extra on the frontline.

The Biometric Services Gateway, enabled by Home Office technology, will also lead to significant costs savings, with the new system available at a fraction of the cost of those currently in use. The scanners used by WYP cost less than £300 – 10% of the cost of current mobile fingerprint systems.

To ensure the information accessed from the Biometric Services Gateway remains secure, fingerprints are not stored and are automatically deleted from the device once they have been checked.

As well as identifying a person of interest who may be withholding their name, the technology enables officers to rapidly identify someone experiencing a medical emergency and make contact with their next of kin.

Early examples of the new system in action include a firearms unit, who detained a driver after a short pursuit and were able to identify him as a disqualified driver, despite him giving false details. He was issued with a summons for three offences and his vehicle seized. The armed response unit returned to patrol within ten minutes, and without the mobile fingerprint scanner this could have resulted in the unit being out of action for four hours taking the individual to a custody suite.

West Yorkshire Police, Assistant Chief Constable Andy Battle said:

The introduction of these fingerprint devices is a significant step forward for West Yorkshire Police and marks another milestone in our technological ambitions.

As we have already experienced in the trial, the combination of these digital solutions bring tangible benefits to policing our communities.

It means we can submit fingerprints of suspects from the street to a live time national database and receive results in less than a minute.

We have seen first-hand, for instance, how this rapid identification has enabled speedy and accurate medical treatment based on the records available. Its use also allows relatives to attend hospital to see their loved ones when time is of the essence.

From an operational perspective, they quickly open investigative leads into serious crimes and can often reveal the associates of an otherwise unknown victim.

Likewise, they can immediately identify suspects who attempt to give false details and will prompt people to be more forthcoming in the first place.

The added benefit is that they provide greater value for money, which means we can increase their usage across the organisation.

West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Mark Burns-Williamson and National APCC lead on Forensics and Biometrics said:

The introduction of the Biometrics Services Gateway shows how West Yorkshire Police is once again leading the way with new technology and builds on the investment and introduction of the handheld mobiles that all frontline officers use.

Using this advanced technology means officers are out on the street providing that visible presence rather than dealing with suspects in custody and could eventually enable the introduction of new automated systems, further ensuring officers are freed up to provide reassurance in our communities.

It is important that we continually improve our services to make sure the needs of our communities are at the heart of delivery. Investing in this cutting edge technology forms a crucial part of that picture, ensuring the public of West Yorkshire are safer and feel safer, but crucially testing this proof of concept so that the overall benefits can be rolled out across policing nationally for everyone’s benefit.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson today (9 February) met the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed in Dhaka.

During their hour-long meeting they discussed the upcoming Commonwealth Summit taking place in London in April and additional trade opportunities between the two countries once the UK leaves the European Union. They also discussed the importance of free and fair elections, and the Foreign Secretary encouraged Prime Minister Hasina’s continued commitment to women and girls, including her efforts to achieve gender equality.

In a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Abdul Hassan Mahmud Ali, the Foreign Secretary raised the ongoing Rohingya crisis. During the meeting Foreign Secretary Johnson welcomed the Government of Bangladesh’s commitment to the voluntary, safe and dignified return with international monitoring for the Rohingya community to their homes in Burma when the conditions are right. Mr. Johnson also reiterated the UK’s support to the international Rohingya humanitarian response. He also invited the Foreign Minister to attend the London Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in autumn.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The UK is grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for their hosting of the Rohingya refugee community during this terrible humanitarian crisis. I am pleased that Bangladesh has once again confirmed its commitment to voluntary, safe and dignified return of the Rohingya community in Bangladesh when the conditions in Burma are right.

The UK is committed to the international humanitarian Rohingya response, and we are the largest bilateral donor to the crisis. UK Aid is making a real difference with £59 million helping to provide the food, water and shelter that is still so needed.

But our partnership with Bangladesh goes beyond the Rohingya crisis, as we continue to work together on vital bilateral and global issues such as girl’s education, the illegal wildlife trade, and human rights.

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Highways England traffic officers Nick Sivell and John Winser were called to an incident on the M23 on Tuesday after reports of a car colliding with the central reservation.

The driver, from Brighton, had to be taken to hospital, leaving Sally and the car on the hard shoulder while recovery was arranged.

Nick and John paws-ed for thought and then took it upon themselves to look after the pooch in peril.

Nick said:

If you have an emergency on the motorway and need to stop, it is always safest to leave any animals travelling with you in the car, while you and any passengers get out and behind a barrier. The driver did the right thing. Normally, we’d contact a local animal sanctuary or kennel who could look after any stranded animals, but on Tuesday there was no one who could help straight away.

Poor Sally was stressed and having a really ruff time, not only after the impact of the collision, but seeing her owner being taken away in an ambulance. We realised that the only solution to this canine conundrum was for us to look after her for a while.

Nick and John calmed the terrified terrier down and took her to Highways England’s regional control centre in Godstone where she was looked after while they tried to find someone to solve their doggy dilemma.

John said:

Part of our job is being able to be adaptable and keeping an eye out for anything unusual, and we always keep our eyes and ears open, but this was certainly something we don’t deal with every day.

Highways England traffic officers handled 49,000 incidents last year alone and are used to dealing with a variety of incidents and problems during their shift – and not always just with humans.

Nick and John had recently been on an animal handling course which gave them training and techniques on how to deal with a variety of stressed animals, from swans to horses, which helped them know how to comfort 15 year old Sally.

Sally made herself at home at the control centre and John and Nick got in touch with Furry Friends (a rescue centre based near Godstone), who arranged to come out and collect Sally while her owner recovered.

John continued:

Luckily the driver was okay and has been discharged from hospital. Sally was collected from Furry Friends in Coulsdon, and the driver and Sally are now reunited at home in Brighton. We are so glad this tail had a yappy ending.

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.

From today [9 February 2018] Scottish Ministers will have new powers over onshore oil and gas licensing, continuing the drive to make the Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful devolved administrations in the world.

The latest in a raft of powers transferred to Holyrood through the Scotland Act 2016, these include:

• Powers to legislate for the granting and regulation of licences to search and bore for and get petroleum;
• Powers to determine the terms and conditions of licences;
• Powers to regulate the licensing process.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said:

This is the latest in the transfer of significant new powers to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scotland Act 2016 delivers in full the recommendations of the Smith commission. We promised to make the Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful devolved administrations in the world, and we have delivered on that promise.

People in Scotland now have a greater say than ever before over their own affairs, while retaining the security and safety of being part of a strong United Kingdom.

Since the Scotland Act 2016 received Royal Assent, various powers have been transferred to the Scottish Parliament. These include:

• Various tax and fiscal powers including the ability to adjust rates and bands of income tax and powers over assignment of VAT revenues
• Responsibility over certain powers in relation to elections to the Scottish Parliament and local government elections in Scotland
• Responsibility for managing the Crown Estate assets in Scotland
• Increased responsibility for welfare policy and delivery in Scotland.

This comes on top of powers which were already devolved:

• Health
• Enterprise policy / regional development / Local Government – including business taxation
• Law
• Social work and housing
• Public sector reform
• Energy and utilities infrastructure
• The environment
• Sport and the arts.

The Scottish Government also has a robust financial settlement through the ‘fiscal framework’, plus an additional £2 billion allocated at the Autumn 2017 Budget, which also confirmed the Scottish Government’s block grant will increase in real terms over 2015-2020.

The planned Highways England improvements will provide additional capacity, and improve journey times and safety while supporting economic growth in the region.

The existing dual carriageway will have extra lanes added between Birtley (junction 65) and Coal House (junction 67). Allerdene Railway Bridge which carries the A1 over the East Coast railway line will also be replaced as part of the project.

Following a series of consultation events back in 2016, 73% of residents agreed with Option 1A, where Allerdene Railway Bridge will be reconstructed south of its current location and replacing Smithy Lane overbridge.
This option has now been developed further and these plans will be on show at a series of consultation events which will take place later this month.

Highways England project manager Nicola Wilkes said:

We would really like people to come along to these public consultation events which are being held over 2 weeks.

These events are a chance for local people to have a look at the more detailed plans we have pulled together for the proposals and to give us their feedback.

Anyone that can’t make these events can also let us know their feedback online on the scheme webpage.

Details of the events are available on the consultation page.

Two options were presented at the events held back in 2016 with the only difference being where Allerdene Railway Bridge would be built. Option 1B included building a temporary railway bridge and then building the permanent structure in the same place as it is now.

The consultation started on Thursday 8 February 2018 and will finish on Friday 23 March 2018.

For more details on the A1 Birtley to Coal House scheme, which is due to start late 2020, and to fill out the online consultation, please visit the scheme webpage.

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.

Mr. Johnson will travel to Bangladesh, the first official visit by a Foreign Secretary in ten years, and meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali.

The Foreign Secretary will also visit a refugee camp on the Bangladesh-Burma border near Cox’s Bazar. The Foreign Secretary will see first-hand the conditions of the Rohingya who have fled Burma to refugee camps in Bangladesh and discuss with the Burmese government the steps needed to enable them to return to their homes.

In Burma he will hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and visit northern Rakhine.

Speaking ahead of the visit Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The plight of the Rohingya and the suffering they have had to endure is one of the most shocking humanitarian disasters of our time. This is a man-made tragedy that could be resolved with the right political will, tolerance and cooperation from all those involved.

I want to see and hear for myself the terrible things these people have been through, and I will be talking to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other regional leaders about how we can work together to resolve this appalling crisis.

The Foreign Secretary will travel on to Bangkok for talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and also meet the chair of the Advisory Board on the Rakhine Advisory Commission, Surakiart Sathirathai.

UK response to the Rohingya crisis:

Rohingya crisis

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