Boeing today (Wednesday, September 25) welcome a delegation of 34 UK aerospace suppliers to the Boeing Future of Flight Museum in Seattle as part of the company’s initiative to integrate more UK products and services into its supply chain.

Boeing’s long-term partnership with the UK Government has seen the aerospace giant commit to doubling its presence in the UK, increase bidding opportunities for UK companies for Boeing work, and boost R&D opportunities.

The aerospace sector is one of the UK’s most open and international industries and the Government is backing this delegation to increase ties between both US & UK aviation communities.

The UK’s aerospace industry turned over £39 billion last year, the vast majority of which was exported, which is why the sector plays a major part in the government’s global trade promotion work.

The event is supported by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and will showcase British expertise in advanced engineering and its thriving digital sector.

President of Boeing Europe and Managing Director of Boeing UK and Ireland, Sir Martin Donnelly said:

Boeing recognises the UK as a world leader in the aerospace sector. We are proud of our close partnership with business and universities across the UK, and our partnership with Britain’s superb armed forces. Boeing is growing in the UK, and we are looking for ways to develop further our presence here as a key part of Boeing’s global supply chain.

Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart said:

British aerospace companies lead Europe and use the UK’s unique science base to deliver world class solutions. With expertise in complex products such as engines, wings, aerostructures and advanced systems the sector is overwhelmingly export oriented and attracts significant inward investment into the UK.

DIT is proud to lead and facilitate trade missions such as this one to Boeing where UK companies can demonstrate their expertise, build relationships and seek to join one of the most demanding supply chains. Exports from and inward investment to the UK are at their highest ever levels and help sustain our position as the leading destination in Europe for foreign direct investment and a world leader in technology and its application.

This trade delegation comes as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, touch down in Seattle on Monday 23 September as part of their 2019 North American tour. The day-long programme will be aimed at supporting trade and investment between the UK and the US, and STEM education.

U.K. suppliers part of the delegation include:

• ASG Aerospace
• Advanced Innovative Engineering (Uk) Ltd
• Barnbrook
• Beagle
• Bombardier (UK)
• Causeway Aero
• CCP Gransden
• Cobham
• Collins Aerospace Motors & Controls (UK)
• Denroy
• Eaton (UK)
• Gardner Aerospace
• GE Aviation (UK)
• GEIC
• GKN
• Heroux Devtek
• HiETA
• Jaivel
• JW Kane Precision Engineering
• Martins Rubber
• McBraida
• Moyola
• MSB Group
• Nasmyth
• Poeton Industries
• Porvair
• Produmax
• Safran Landing Systems
• Senior Aerospace BWT
• Sigma
• Smiths Harlow
• Southbourne Rubber
• Spirit Aerosystems (UK)
• Thales UK

Construction work to ready RAF Lakenheath for the arrival of the new F35s is well under way.

DIO awarded a contract worth £160m to the Kier VolkerFitzpatrick (KVF) joint venture in November to deliver critical infrastructure at the Suffolk airbase. At the height of construction, it is expected that there will be up to 700 people on site supporting the programme.

In addition to promoting the economic benefits of the project to the local area, DIO and contractors KVF feel strongly that the project should also strengthen and support the local community.

In 2017, Kier commissioned a research report into the image and recruitment crisis facing the built environment. The majority of the parents surveyed (73%) said they would not want their child to consider a career in the construction sector as they view the work as manual, poorly paid and not for girls.

The construction industry needs 400,000 recruits each year to keep up with demand and to meet its ongoing requirements.

DIO is supporting KVF’s social value manager on an innovative project to reach out to local students to give them an insight into the variety of careers available within the construction industry.

Once a month Year 10 students from nearby Mildenhall College Academy will chat via Skype to someone working on the RAF Lakenheath construction project. Students will have the opportunity during the 30 minute sessions to speak to a range of people about their careers in the construction industry.

Pupils taking part in the chats will also be provided with each speaker’s CV and a workbook, which will support their career discussions in the classroom.

The first session kicks off Friday 27 September 2019 with a construction project manager. Further sessions will continue throughout the school year and will involve chats with design managers, those working in the energy sector, health and social care and IT.

In addition to strengthening relationships between the project and the local community, it is hoped that the regular chats will encourage young people to consider a career in construction.

DIO USVF Programme Director, Keith Maddison, said:

We are happy to support the work that KVF is doing with the local community around RAF Lakenheath.

It is important to us that the project provides social as well as economic benefits for the local area and that these benefits last even after construction has finished.

Construction can offer exciting opportunities and I hope that these regular conversations with local students will open their eyes to the many options available to people who choose a career in this industry.

Chris Evans, managing director of VolkerFitzpatrick’s Civils division, said:

Our people are the driving force behind each and every one of our projects and it is essential that we continue to attract new people into the industry. Initiatives like this are a fantastic way of engaging with the next generation of professionals and sharing the diverse range of opportunities available to them within construction.

Managing Director Strategic Projects at Kier, James Hindes, said:

At Kier we are always looking for innovative ways to engage with the local community throughout the delivery of our projects. I’m pleased the KVF team have been able to find a way to host career sessions with schools local to RAF Lakenheath as the nature of the project prevents us from being able to invite pupils to the site.

Engaging with the local community about the project is hugely important, but it’s also vital for us to promote the construction industry as a viable and exciting career route to ensure we can recruit the next generation of talent.

Further information:

DIO website: www.gov.uk/dio

Twitter: @mod_dio

Read DIO’s blog

The United Kingdom thanks the Independent Expert for his work and strongly supports the extension of his mandate. We welcome the recommendations in his report and emphasise the importance of the Somali government maintaining progress in delivering the commitments they made at the Global Disability Summit, and the recent commitment to develop a National Action Plan to end Sexual Violence in Conflict.

We welcome the progress described in the report. We recognise the positive role of the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development in championing human rights and commend the publishing of a scorecard outlining results achieved.

We remain deeply concerned about persistent insecurity and its cost in civilian lives; the marginalisation of displaced people, members of minorities and women; the use of children in armed conflict; continuing sexual and gender-based violence; and restrictions on journalists and of freedom of expression. A lack of accountability for perpetrators of violations and abuses persists. We urge the Somali authorities to strengthen the rule of law and bring an end to impunity, including by giving urgent attention to finalising the establishment of a National Human Rights Commission.

Mr President,

We would like to ask the Independent Expert for his assessment of the electoral law, and his view on how the international community can support the Federal Government establish a mechanism within that law to guarantee the representation of women, minority clans, people with disabilities, displaced people and youth.

Published 25 September 2019

We fully align with the statement delivered by France on behalf of the EU and would like to add some comments in our national capacity.

In April this year, the UK marked the first Stephen Lawrence Memorial Day. Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack in London in 1993. His family worked tirelessly to campaign for justice for Stephen, and were instrumental in the government’s decision to launch an inquiry into the response to Stephen’s murder.

Twenty years ago this February, the report of that inquiry (the Macpherson Inquiry) was published.

This is widely recognised as a watershed moment in our journey to fully comprehend and to address racism, discrimination and hate crime in the UK.

Since then we have developed one of the world’s most robust responses to hate crime, including our leadership in recognising the needs of victims of hate crimes.

We put victims at the heart of the hate crime definition adopted by the Government. It is based on the perception of the victim or any other person as being a crime motivated by prejudice or hate.

In the UK we treat all hate crimes with equal seriousness. We are clear that no one should be targeted for hatred because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

We know that hate crimes can cause lasting physical and emotional damage. They can evoke despair, anger, and anxiety in victims, and spread fear and mistrust in communities, thus weakening the glue that binds our society together. They strike at the heart of our democracy by undermining the fundamental rights of equality and non-discrimination.

The Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan, which we refreshed in 2018, sets out our approach to combatting hate crime. We focus on five key areas: preventing hate crime, increasing reporting, supporting victims, responding in communities and building our understanding.

We also have a strong legal framework in place with criminal penalties for offences such as incitement to racial hatred and for racially or religiously aggravated assault and criminal damage. As part of the Hate Crime Action Plan we have asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of our hate crime legislation to ensure it works as effectively as possible.

We welcome the important role that civil society and voluntary sector organisations play, including through the use of third party reporting services.

The UK is fully committed to engaging with all actors to help build a more inclusive, tolerant and cohesive society, and to ensure that we live up to our OSCE commitments to combat all forms of discrimination.

The sustainable scheme, which has delivered an impressive 3,800 square metres of reeds at the park just off the A38 is the result of a ground-breaking partnership project between Highways England, Stover Country Park and Devon County Council. Natural England also supported the work.

The reeds act as a filter capturing and filtering water run-off from the A38 and Drumbridges roundabout before it enters the lake. Water can carry pollutants such as oil and metal residue into the lake and this has contributed to the poor water quality and reduced diversity of wildlife in the lake.

The reeds have been planted upstream of the lake to act as a natural barrier and filter pollutants. They will also provide valuable habitat for a range of wildlife. At the same time, the park, which is designated as a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), will be improving sustainable drainage at the site. Planting was completed in April and already many areas of reeds have reached a height of 30cm.

Highways England Project Manager Darren Painter said:

Our designated funds programme was developed so that we can invest in projects beyond our traditional road build and maintenance, and this is a glowing example of how this funding can have a positive impact on people and communities.

Working with our partners on such a great environmental scheme has been a real pleasure and we’re delighted that the reeds have established so well. The reeds are currently establishing their root systems and we anticipate a full bed of green reeds in the next two years.

The twin reedbed system starts by providing a physical barrier to silted and polluted water, then chemical and biological mechanisms work in combination to break down even more pollutants resulting in clearer water which will help the lake to regenerate and flourish.

It is hoped that by reducing the silt deposits and contamination, white-water lilies, not seen at the lake since 2007, will once again start to cover the lake surface, providing suitable habitat for a variety of dragonflies and damselflies.

The reedbeds themselves will also support a range of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals such as water rail, hairy dragonfly, grass snake, Daubenton’s bat and otter.

Rob Ballard, Ranger at Stover Country Park, said:

We are very pleased with how the sustainable drainage system has been developed. Everyone involved took on board the importance of developing a functional system that also enhances the ecological value of the park.

The system is an incredible asset; species such as Emperor and Common Darter dragonflies, heron, kingfisher and roe deer have already been seen in the reedbed ponds and surrounding areas.

Re-establishment of the species rich grassland is under way with various wildflowers such as Purple Loosestrife and Bird’s-foot Trefoil colonising, among others.

Initial water sampling indicates the system is already having an effect by improving the quality of water entering the Lake. As the reeds develop and establish we should see a marked difference in both water quality and species diversity in the park.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environmental Services, added:

We’re proud to have played a part in this important project which will protect the rich biodiversity that we’re fortunate to have at Stover Country Park.

The completed scheme is incredibly impressive – and will make a huge difference to the water quality in the lake. As a SSSI and designated as an official “Dragonfly Hotspot” by the British Dragonfly Society, wildlife can thrive at the Country Park with the help of ecological schemes like this.

Work at the site started in late November 2018 and was completed at the end of June. To create the reed bed, 6,000 tonnes of soil was removed and four varieties of reed native to the area were planted.

The reedbed was officially opened by Devon County Council Chairman John Mathews and Michael Whitehead, Principal Environment Advisor for Highways England, at a ribbon-cutting event, and this was followed by the planting of four oak trees by Councillor Mathews, Tina Barrington, Designated Funds Environmental Lead for Highways England, Mark Rands of South West Highways and Kier’s David Olorenshaw.

Highways England is committed to a national Biodiversity Plan which is being supported by a national investment programme over the next five years.

The plan recognises road verges and associated land can be managed to provide areas of habitat, relatively free from human access, that may be scarce in the surrounding landscape.

These road verges can also be used to connect fragmented habitats in the wider landscape, enabling plant and animal populations to move and interact, and so become stronger and more resilient.

The Government allocated £675 million of funds to Highways England over a five-year spending period covering 2015 to 2020 – a series of ring-fenced funds designated to address a range of issues including Environment, Cycling, Safety and Integration, Air Quality and Innovation.

The Highways England Environmental Designated Fund of £225m has been set up to improve the environmental performance of the Strategic Road Network. It is to be used for projects that are ‘beyond business as usual’ which will help achieve benefits for one, or preferably a combination of areas including: cultural heritage, biodiversity, landscape, flooding and water quality, carbon emissions and noise pollution.

Elsewhere in the South West, designated funding is also helping Highways England to support Stroud District Canal and the Cotswold Canal Trust in a £4 million project to restore a section of the Cotswold Canal near M5 junction 13, assisting Cornwall Council to deliver a number of cycling, habitat and heritage projects alongside the A30 and supporting Sustrans to deliver a number of cycling initiatives around the new M49 junction scheme at Avonmouth, as well as funding a cultural heritage project to enhance the historic Stoke Park landscape alongside the M32 in Bristol.

For more information please visit the Highways England Designated Funds page.

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Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.