Tag: communications

A man involved in drug-dealing and gang conflict has had his sentence increased after the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, referred it for being too low.

Javarni Cato, 17, was originally detained as he and another male fled a flat in Gloucester where police had found heroin, crack cocaine, and over £500 in cash.

While on bail for the drug offences, Cato fired a pistol at a group of people but no one was hit. Less than a week later, he was involved in a similar shooting which seriously injured a taxi driver. The crimes are believed to be related to Huddersfield gang activity.

Cato was originally sentenced to 5 years 4 months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court. Today, after the Attorney General’s reference, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 9 years.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Attorney General said:

“I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed with me that this sentence was too low. Gang-related crimes are serious offences, especially when firearms are involved, and a longer sentence more accurately reflects the damage that Cato’s actions have had on individuals and the wider community.”

The government has today (17 May 2018) welcomed Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and has made a series of commitments to make sure people living in high-rise buildings are safe.

The government has committed to:

• launching a consultation on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings
• banning desktop studies if the current consultation – which closes on 25 May – does not demonstrate that they can be safely used
• ensuring residents have a better mechanism for blowing the whistle on landlords who do not maintain safe buildings
• changing the law to achieve meaningful and lasting reform of the building regulatory system, with strong sanctions for those who fail to comply
• inviting views to inform how the government could implement major reform of the regulatory system
• restructuring building regulations fire safety guidance to ensure it is clear

This is in addition to the £400 million of funding announced by the Prime Minister yesterday to fully fund local authorities and housing associations with the removal and replacement of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, the type used on Grenfell Tower, on social housing buildings above 18 metres.

Secretary of State for Housing, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

It has been deeply moving to hear directly from the Grenfell Tower survivors and community in my first few weeks as Secretary of State.

This was a terrible tragedy that should never have happened. I welcome Dame Judith Hackitt’s comprehensive report and her calls for fundamental reform in the building sector. I am committed to making that happen as quickly as possible.

The cladding believed to be on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used.

I will ensure there is no room for doubt over what materials can be used safely. Having listened carefully to concerns, I will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.

We must ensure the tragedy at Grenfell brings change and I call on the industry to work with me to achieve the urgent reform needed.

The government is already acting on Dame Judith’s interim recommendations by consulting on restricting or banning the use of ‘desktop studies’ as a way of assessing the fire performance of external cladding systems.

Dame Judith Hackitt’s review was commissioned in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and has concluded that significant systemic reform is needed spanning every aspect of the ‘life’ of a high-rise building – from design to construction to ownership and on-going management.

The review has found that regulations and guidance are misunderstood, and oversight and enforcement are inadequate. The recommendations set out a new regulatory system. Dame Judith says a collaborative approach is crucial, bringing together government, industry and the community.

Further information

Dame Judith Hackitt’s report is separate to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and, importantly, does not replace the criminal investigation or seek to identify the cause of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

• Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report was published today
• She has published a press release summarising her findings
• Her interim report was published in December 2017
• The consultation on the use of ‘desktop studies’ – a method used to assess fire performance of construction products and systems – will close on 25 May

Background to the review

The review of building safety and fire regulations was commissioned in July 2017 following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017.

It was commissioned by the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, and the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd.

The review’s terms of reference were published in August 2017.

An interim report was published in December 2017.

Dame Judith brought industry representatives together for a summit held in January 2018.

Working groups were established and their findings were reported back to Dame Judith in March 2018.

Electro Rent, a global corporation with its headquarters in the US, acquired Microlease in February 2017. Both companies were close competitors in the rental of specialist equipment that tests and measures the performance of electronic devices used in industries such as telecommunications, defence, utilities and information technology.

The completed merger of the two businesses was referred to a group of independent panel members at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for an in-depth phase 2 investigation in October last year, after an initial phase 1 investigation identified competition concerns.

The group has today published its final decision, finding that Electro Rent’s purchase of Microlease is likely to lead to a worse deal for renters of testing and measurement equipment. They found that Electro Rent, though significantly smaller than Microlease in the UK, was the only other rental company operating in the country to have the resources and stock to compete effectively with Microlease.

The group has therefore concluded that it is likely the merger will lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the sector, and a worse deal for UK customers. It has decided that the merged business will have to sell Electro Rent UK to a new owner, to be approved by the CMA, in order to preserve competition.

Simon Polito, Inquiry Chair, said:

The merged business would be the only suitable UK supplier for a large number of customers. It is unlikely that the new company would be prevented from using its position to increase prices or reduce its quality of service to customers by new entrants or expansion of established companies.

Having looked at this in detail and sought views from a range of market participants, we therefore consider that Electro Rent needs to sell its pre-merger UK business to preserve competition.

We have set strict purchaser criteria to make sure the buyer will be able to operate the business to compete effectively before the CMA approves the sale.

Full information on the Electro Rent / Microlease merger inquiry.

Notes for editors

1. The business that is to be sold, Electro Rent UK, is the former UK operations of Electro Rent. The merged company will continue to operate in the UK with the former Microlease business.
2. Electro Rent and Microlease are both global corporations each with worldwide annual revenues of around £120 million. The head office of Electro Rent is in the US, and that of Microlease is in the UK.
3. Electro Rent acquired Microlease in January 2017. In February 2017 the CMA called in the merger for a phase 1 review. Electro Rent initially offered to sell its UK business to a competitor, in order to overcome the CMA’s concerns. However, the purchaser withdrew from the deal, and the CMA therefore referred the case for a phase 2 investigation on 19 October 2017.
4. On 5 February 2018 the group published its provisional findings and notice of possible remedies and invited views. The group considered responses to its provisional findings and its remedies notice.
5. All the CMA’s functions in phase 2 merger inquiries are performed by inquiry groups chosen from the CMA’s panel members. The appointed inquiry group are the decision-makers on phase 2 inquiries.
6. 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.
7. The members of this inquiry group are Simon Polito (Inquiry Chair), Jeremy Newman, Jayne Scott and David Thomas.
8. Media enquiries to the CMA should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or 020 3738 6460.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

In a trilateral meeting in the margins of the Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, Prime Minister Theresa May met with Chancellor Merkel and President Macron to discuss the decision by the US to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

The leaders reiterated their firm commitment to ensuring the deal is upheld, stressing it is important for our shared security. They pledged to work with the remaining parties to the deal to this end.

The leaders stressed that Iran must continue to meet its own obligations under the deal.

The leaders reiterated their concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its regional activities, which clearly contribute to the destabilisation of its neighbours. They restated their commitment to tackling these issues.

Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Daimlers were among the most popular luxury choices of car when getting married, with a black cab, fire engine and even a golf buggy standing out among the quirkier ways people chose to arrive on their big day.

While around 70% said they had the exact choice of transport they wanted, a horse and carriage was revealed as the most popular dream choice – perhaps inspired by the royal couple – for those who would have preferred to have had something different. Others said they would have liked to have made a more dramatic arrival, preferring to arrive by vintage bus, helicopter or even motorboat.

Deciding on how to get there – and who will be doing the driving – is a vital part of any wedding checklist. But around 37% did not realise that the quickest and easiest way to view or share driving licence information when hiring a car is by using DVLA’s View and Share driving licence service.

With so much to get ticked off ahead of the occasion, this service could help take away a lot of the hassle for whoever is doing the driving – whether they’re hiring a 1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, a Ford Capri or the latest Audi R8.

Dudley Ashford, Head of Drivers Services at DVLA explains:

You can use DVLA’s online service to view your driving record, and to find out the types of vehicles you can drive. You can also check for any penalty points or disqualifications. It’s also the simplest way for the person driving on the big day to share their driving record with a car hire company.

The service can be found here.

Quoted statistics are based on responses to a DVLA survey.

Issued for and on behalf of Dame Judith Hackitt.

The Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety has found that fundamental reform is needed to improve building safety and to rebuild trust among residents of high-rise buildings.

At the heart of the new system will be a requirement for the construction industry to take responsibility for the delivery of safe buildings, rather than looking to others to tell them what is or is not acceptable.

Dame Judith Hackitt was appointed by the government to lead the review in light of the system failures revealed by testing carried out in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. She has published her findings today (17 May 2018).

Dame Judith says:

This is a systemic problem. The current system is far too complex, it lacks clarity as to who is responsible for what, and there is inadequate regulatory oversight and enforcement. Simply adding more prescription or making amendments to the current system, such as restricting or prohibiting certain practices, will not address the root causes.

The recommendations in this report will lead to a clearer, simpler but more robust approach to the building and on going management of high rise residential buildings.

Dame Judith Hackitt

Building on her interim report, which found that the current system of building and fire safety is not fit for purpose and set out 6 key areas for further work, Dame Judith’s final report finds that a new regulatory framework for higher-risk residential buildings is required to improve building safety and ensure that residents are safe.

The report sets out an ambitious vision for a new framework which will improve standards for both new and existing buildings. Many of the ideas proposed could be applied to a wider range of buildings and aim to drive change more broadly.

Many in the sector have called for fundamental change. It will be important now for industry to show leadership in driving this forward to achieve genuine and lasting culture change.

The ultimate test of this new framework will be the rebuilding of public confidence – the system needs to be more transparent and the relationship between landlords and tenants needs to be one of partnership and collaboration.

The report makes recommendations relating to:

• a less prescriptive, outcomes-based approach to the regulatory framework to be overseen by a new regulator that can drive the right behaviours
• clearer roles and responsibilities throughout the design and construction process and during occupation, to ensure real accountability for building safety
• residents to be consulted and involved in decisions affecting the safety of their home and listened to if they have concerns
• a more rigorous and transparent product testing regime and a more responsible marketing regime
• industry to lead on strengthening competence of all those involved in building work and to establish an oversight body

Dame Judith is calling on the government to set out a clear plan for implementation and for industry and regulators to start ‘living’ the changes now.

Further information

See Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report.

Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report was published in December 2017.

Background to the review

• The review of building safety and fire regulations was commissioned in July 2017 following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017.
• It was commissioned by the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, and the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd.
• The review’s terms of reference were published in August 2017.
• An interim report was published in December 2017.
• Dame Judith brought industry representatives together for a summit held in January 2018.
• Working groups were established and their findings were reported back to Dame Judith in March 2018.

The review examined:

• the regulatory system around the design, construction and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety
• related compliance and enforcement issues
• international regulation and experience in this area

The report is separate to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and, importantly, does not replace the criminal investigation or seek to identify the cause of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The report is forward looking and focused on establishing a sufficiently robust regulatory system for the future, in this way providing assurance to residents that the buildings they live in are safe and remain so.

Dame Judith Hackitt has today shared her report with Sir Martin Moore-Bick, chair of the independent inquiry into the Grenfell fire.

Short biography of Dame Judith Hackitt

Dame Judith was Chair of the Health and Safety Executive from October 2007 to March 2016. She previously served as a health and safety commissioner between 2002 and 2005. She was made a Dame in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to health and safety and engineering, and in particular for being a role model for young women. She was awarded a CBE in 2006.

In April 2016, she was appointed as Chair of EEF, The Manufacturers’ Organisation.

Dame Judith is a chemical engineer and graduated from Imperial College in 1975. She worked in the chemicals manufacturing industry for 23 years before joining the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) in 1998. She became Director General of CIA (from 2002-2005) and then worked in Brussels for the European Chemical Industry Association (CEFIC).

She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in July 2010 and currently chairs the External Affairs Committee. Dame Judith is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and was President of IChemE from May 2013 to May 2014.

Dame Judith is also Chair of Semta – the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance – and a non-executive director of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.