Tag: communications

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Press release: Lord Chancellor announces new panel to boost law tech industry

  • Government-backed industry-led delivery panel to boost new legal technologies
  • Industry experts to provide advice and support
  • Builds on Government strategy to drive business innovation

In a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Dinner for HM Judges at Mansion House on Wednesday evening, the Lord Chancellor unveiled plans for a panel of industry professionals to support and accelerate the development and adoption of innovative new legal technologies.

Chaired by The Law Society’s incoming President Christina Blacklaws, the group will provide direction to the legal sector and help foster an environment in which new technology can thrive.

The Government recognises the importance of embracing cutting-edge initiatives to ensure the UK’s £24billion legal services sector continues to grow and retain its world-leading reputation.

The legal sector is already adapting to harness the power of these emerging technologies – with the Serious Fraud Office introducing a document review system, backed up by artificial intelligence, that can review 2,000 documents a day and law firms embracing automated digital contracts that allow for on-going monitoring of contract terms.

Lord Chancellor David Gauke said:

I am determined to ensure our world-leading legal services sector continues to thrive and that the UK remains the primary choice for international business.

The Lawtech industry is experiencing rapid growth and cutting-edge initiatives are already underway across the country.

It is of paramount importance that, working together, we foster an environment in which these new technologies are embraced and take advantage of every opportunity created.

The UK is the ideal place for LawTech to thrive – with its progressive regulation, world-leading professionals and financial services sector and huge tech talent pool.

Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s work to boost innovation and emerging technologies and create a thriving service industry.

In April of this year, the Prime Minister announced a £20 million fund to encourage work between businesses and researchers and help the service industry, including the legal sector, take advantage of new technologies.

The Home Office has also announced the launch of start-up visas for entrepreneurs looking to come to the UK.

Notes to editors:

More information on the Home Office’s start-up visa programme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-start-up-visa-route-announced-by-the-home-secretary

More information on the Government’s £20 million industrial strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-joint-research-and-innovation

Link: Press release: Lord Chancellor announces new panel to boost law tech industry
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Western Balkans Summit begins with Economy Ministers Meeting in Vienna

The Western Balkans Summit began today with a meeting of Economy Ministers in Vienna. Held at the British Ambassador to Austria’s Residence and chaired by FCO Permanent Under Secretary Sir Simon McDonald and Austrian Minister of Economy Margarete Schramböck, the meeting brought together Ministers and representatives from the 14 Berlin Process countries, the European Commission, international financial institutions (IFIs), and regional and international organisations.

The meeting marked the start of the UK’s hosting of the fifth annual Western Balkans Summit convened under the Berlin Process launched by Chancellor Merkel in 2014. The Process encourages cooperation between the Western Balkans six – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – and likeminded European nations; Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, with Bulgaria joining this year because of the Sofia Summit they hosted in May 2018.

Discussions in Vienna focused on how the Berlin Process could best support economic growth in the region, including through the implementation of the Western Balkans Multi-Annual Action Plan for a Regional Economic Area Plan – a proposal agreed at the 2017 Berlin Process Summit to allow for the unobstructed flow of goods, services, capital and highly-skilled labour across the region, so as to promote investment and trade.

The meeting also discussed how the Berlin Process could support a digitalised future for the Western Balkan economies, including by addressing skills gaps; and the role that European financial hubs like London and IFIs can play in improving access to finance for small enterprises and start-ups in the region. The latter will be delivered through new funding – including from the European Investment Bank and the European Commission.

Speaking after the Summit, Sir Simon said:

It’s great to kick-off this year’s Western Balkans Summit alongside our Austrian partners here in Vienna. Our joint hosting of today’s Economy Ministers Meeting demonstrates how closely aligned UK-Austrian thinking and policies are towards the Western Balkans.

Collectively, with a wide range of partners we’ve made important steps today towards the promotion of growth and economic stability in the region. The Prime Minister and Chancellor Kurz, and other Berlin Process leaders, will now take up the baton of making further progress at the London Summit.

The Western Balkans Summit will continue next week in London with Interior Ministers and Foreign Ministers meeting on 9 July and leaders meeting on 10 July.

Economy Ministers Meeting Chairs’ Conclusions

PDF, 371KB, 4 pages


Link: Press release: Western Balkans Summit begins with Economy Ministers Meeting in Vienna
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Government injects £7.5 million into council digital agenda with launch of new sector pledge

A new “digital pledge” backed by £7.5 million of government funding has been launched today (4 July 2018) to help councils transform their online services.

Speaking at the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Birmingham, Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak said the new initiative would change the way councils invest in technology, share expertise and ensure members of the public are receiving the best quality digital services.

Over 50 local authorities, government departments and partner organisations have already signed up to the pledge, called the Local Digital Declaration, agreeing a common vision for the future of local services.

They are now calling on the wider sector to also make the public commitment.

Local Government Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, said:

Whether it’s an app to report fly-tipping, or slick online services to pay your Council Tax, many local authorities are at the forefront of digital innovation.

But there’s much more to do. Digital doesn’t belong in the basement, it belongs in the boardroom.

I want councils and partners across the country to sign up to this declaration. By supporting each other and building on each other’s work we can revolutionise services for our residents.

While many councils already have excellent online offerings, the digital declaration is about sharing the best innovation across the public sector to benefit people.

For example, the school nursing service in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland worked with young people to help them get health advice by text – Chat Health. It’s engaging them in ways that suit their lives and preferences and has worked so well it’s now been rolled out to 30 areas and a million people.

As part of the initiative, local authorities across the country will also be able to bid for a share of a new £7.5 million innovation fund to help develop common solutions to their shared challenges.

The pioneering new approach will also see a new course developed to train senior local authority staff in digital leadership skills.

Alongside this, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will establish a new team to work with councils to help them deliver on their declaration commitments.

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Link: Press release: Government injects £7.5 million into council digital agenda with launch of new sector pledge
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: £130 million international investment in UK automotive sector

  • 4 new automotive plants are opening across the country, creating 500 new jobs
  • Investment Minister Graham Stuart welcomes the news and £130 million foreign direct investment into the UK
  • UK automotive sector exported £41 billion worth of products in 2017

Minister for Investment Graham Stuart today (Tuesday 3 July) welcomed £130 million of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK automotive sector, creating nearly 500 jobs in four new plants across the country.

The news comes following a report from EY which found the UK remains the number one destination for FDI in Europe in 2017 to 2018.

Thanks to support from the Department for International Trade, 4 separate companies from across the globe – including Steel & Alloy, Polytec and Magna – have all chosen to invest in the UK and open new automotive-related plants this month.

As the UK forms its own trade and investment policy for the first time in 4 decades, this marks the latest boost for a sector which exported £41.3 billion of products, including 1,340 000 vehicles, in 2017 – up from £37.8 million on 2016 – to over 160 international markets. According to SMMT, more than 137,000 new vehicles rolled off the UK’s production line this May.

This includes lucrative emerging non-EU markets such as China, to whom the UK exported £4.2 billion of automotive products last year – growth of 16.7% on 2016.

Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart said:

The opening of these 4 new plants is a fantastic example of investment pouring into the UK from around the world, which I witnessed in Oldbury. This is a clear sign of confidence in the strength of the UK’s automotive sector, which remains one of the most competitive in the world.

As an international economic department, this is an excellent example of the work that DIT – with its sector-specific expertise and capability – is doing to create jobs and prosperity for communities up and down the country.

The new factories across the country include:

  • Magna International Inc: A new aluminium-casting factory in Telford to support Jaguar Land Rover, the £77.6 million investment from the Canadian company will create 295 jobs when at full capacity
  • Polytec Ltd: A new facility in Telford will build bumpers and accessories for car manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover. Austria-based Polytec have invested £18 million in the project, which will create 100 jobs
  • Steel & Alloy Ltd: £26 million investment by S&A’s Spanish parent company Gonvarri to build a steel processing plant in Oldbury, creating 60 jobs. Customers include Ford, JLR and BMW

The new openings are a further confirmation that the UK’s automotive sector remains one of the strongest of its type in the world, offering the highest value added per employee in car manufacturing of any European country, with competitive labour costs and low corporation tax.

Further information

  • investors will be able to count on the UK automotive sector remaining as one of the most innovative in the world in years to come, with the government having committed to increasing public R&D spending to £12.5 billion by 2021 to 2022, and 2.4% of GDP by 2027 – the most significant increase of public R&D funding ever
  • EY’s UK Attractiveness Survey 2018 shows that the UK leads Europe in FDI and is third in the world for inward FDI stock

Link: Press release: £130 million international investment in UK automotive sector
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: HS2 Ltd to undertake development works for electrification of the Midland Main Line

Following the government’s announcement last summer that the preferred HS2 route would include a spur into Sheffield via Chesterfield, the Secretary of State has asked that electrification of this section of the Midland Main Line be included within the next hybrid Bill for HS2.

HS2 Ltd will begin its preparatory works with a series of land surveys to further inform the work programme. A public consultation on the works required for electrification will be undertaken at a later date, prior to any hybrid Bill being brought to Parliament.

An HS2 spokesperson said:

The benefits that HS2 will deliver are significant and should not be underestimated. The new railway will play a crucial role in rebalancing Britain’s economy; driving business growth, creating jobs and securing investment right across the country.

Ensuring the Midland Main Line is electrified between Clay Cross and Sheffield Midland Station will enable Chesterfield and the wider Sheffield City Region to benefit from direct services on the new high speed trains.

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Link: Press release: HS2 Ltd to undertake development works for electrification of the Midland Main Line
Source: Gov Press Releases