PM Theresa May hosted the first meeting of the Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences Business Council at Downing Street

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is seeking applicants for two schemes in 2019. These schemes are:

1. North Sea Fully Documented Fisheries (FDF)
2. North East Nephrops Net Selectivity Scheme

Fully Documented Fishery (FDF) schemes have been run by the MMO since 2011. These schemes have demonstrated the effectiveness of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) in reducing discards and encouraging more selective fishing behaviour.

In addition, REM has proven to be a useful tool for gathering scientific data. The MMO has collaborated with the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) on exploring this use.

Due to there being a preference for a UK wide approach, we will not be offering Inter-Species Flexibility (ISF) as part of any English scheme this year.

This does not preclude the possibility of using ISF as a potential solution to choke at a UK level in future. However this will be subject to agreement across the Devolved Administrations.

Consideration will be given to a vessel wishing to take part in both schemes if requested.

Further details of these schemes can be found here

If you have any questions, please contact: ukcatchquota@defra.gov.uk or phone: 0300 123 1032

Children at two schools were treated to a visit from a team of road experts as part of the build-up to this weekend’s Rutland Country Show where Highways England is hosting a series of exciting activities and displays.

Pupils between the ages of eight and 11 took part in the Highways England fun sessions at the Brooke Hill Academy Trust and English Martyrs Catholic Voluntary Academy Trust in Oakham.

Building on their STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) knowledge, pupils were helped to plan, design and build their own road bridges as well as learning about the work that Highways England does. They were visited by experts from East Midlands Asset Delivery (EMAD) which is made up of Highways England and 22 partners including nmcn and Kier.

A government-owned company, Highways England plans, designs, builds, operates and maintains the 4,300 miles of motorways and major A-roads that form England’s strategic road network (SRN).

It also provides information and assistance to the four million road users on the network every day.

The school children were invited to design a poster reflecting that work with some of the best examples to be displayed in the Highways England marquee at the Rutland County Show on Sunday 2 June where a winner will be announced.

The best poster winner will net their school a team of workers for a day from EMAD. They will be available to clean up, carry out a bit of DIY, gardening or even decorating. And there will also be a £25 gift voucher for the winning artist.

Highways England is gearing up to host a range of demonstrations and activities for visitors to the Rutland County Show, one of the oldest events of its kind in the country.

A new ‘road’ will be laid where live demonstrations will take place enacting incidents which traffic officers and their emergency services partners often face.

On display will be a number of Highways England’s vehicles for people to see up close and even sit in, ranging from the huge gritters and construction machinery to safety and traffic officers’ vehicles. Traffic officers will also be around all day to talk about their role.

Some of the posters made by the schoolchildren will be on display in a huge marquee where there will also be various exhibitions covering the work of the Highways England, details of careers in the business and a focus on some of the safety campaigns now running. Highways England is committed to making the road network safer for both road users and road workers.

A centrepiece will be the environmental stand which will have some wildlife and small creatures to observe. There will also be activities for children including a treasure hunt and reaction tester.

Making a special appearance will be Phil the Bin who will be warning about the dangers of dropping litter. Around 200,000 bags of litter are collected from Highways England roads every year. Litter presents a serious safety risk besides being unsightly and a risk to wildlife and the environment.

Highways England’s Contract Collaboration Manager Mark Humpage said:

We were delighted with the response we had from the children who were very interested in our work and came up with some excellent, innovative bridge designs. It will be difficult to pick a winner from their very creative posters.

Being part of the Rutland County Show enables Highways England to provide an insight into our many varied and exciting roles and responsibilities. It gives visitors the opportunity to get up close and explore a wide range of our machinery and vehicles as well as taking on board some of our safety messages.

Please come along and visit our marquee and enjoy some of the demonstrations and activities on offer. It promises to be a great day out for the whole family!

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.

Highways England treated almost 100 pupils to a lively lesson in road building and gave them the chance to win a very special prize for their school.

I am absolutely delighted to see the huge range of ambitious businesses listed in this year’s SME Export Track 100. I firmly believe that small, dynamic companies such as these are the future of the UK economy, and of our export growth, so this is a great opportunity to celebrate their international success.

Exporting not only increases the profitability of businesses, it has a positive impact on its local economy, encouraging growth and creating jobs. This year’s cohort of companies employs 8,900 people and has created 3,000 jobs in the past two years – that’s 3,000 families with more secure, stable income thanks to exporting.

The SME Export Track 100 showcase the best of British innovation and entrepreneurship. I am especially pleased to see some familiar companies, such as such as Rarewaves (No 100), which has sold rare vinyl records, video games, books and CDs to buyers in more than 170 countries.

This company worked with the Department for International Trade (DIT) to build its overseas ecommerce strategy, and has benefited from specialist advice on launching in China and other complex markets.

Another is Joe & Seph’s (No 36), the popcorn maker. Co-founder Adam Sopher, 34, recently joined our Export Champion community, a network of inspirational business leaders who have expanded their companies through exporting, and are on hand to share practical advice to help turn exporting ambitions into reality.

There is a market out there for every business, no matter its size or sector, but it is crucial that companies are given the support and confidence they need to grow, in order to unlock their economic potential.

The DIT is committed to ensuring that more businesses seize global opportunities, which is why we launched our Export Strategy last summer. This was developed in collaboration with businesses to address the barriers they face to exporting. As we look to ramp up exports to 35% of GDP, it sets out how we will give UK companies the tools they need to enter international markets, offering not just encouragement, but finance, vital connections, and valuable advice on how to expand on the world stage.

Our website, great.gov.uk , has a tool to help companies identify and apply to sell through a wide range of international marketplaces. Users can also find information on financial support from our award-winning credit agency UK Export Finance (UKEF), plus live export opportunities from across the world.

In 2017-18, UKEF provided £2.5bn to help 191 British companies sell to 75 markets worldwide. Three-quarters of these were small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the IMF, 90% of global economic growth in the next 10 to 15 years will come from outside Europe, so it is no surprise that 45 businesses on the SME Export Track 100 are targeting future expansion in Asia, while 15 are looking at Latin America.

Take Nosy Crow (No 89), for example. Under founder Kate Wilson, the children’s book publisher is pursuing Latin American opportunities for its Portuguese and Spanish editions. Cleaning products company Mirius (No 67) recently secured a trio of new contracts its bio-security products to export to the Middle East, Taiwan and Brazil — assisted by a DIT grant that helped it secure the necessary accreditation.

Many emerging economies have a growing middle class, which is creating even greater global demand for British products. Analysis by Standard Chartered predicts that seven of the world’s top ten economies in 2030 will be made up of markets currently “emerging” — one of the reasons we have appointed nine trade commissioners to promote British trade and prosperity across the world.

There is no better time for companies to take advantage of the international demand for our products and services. OECD figures show that between 2016 and 2018, UK exports grew faster than those in Germany, France and Italy. UK businesses are already building a truly global Britain through their innovation, ambition and hard work, contributing to our growing economic performance and ensuring we remain the trading partner of choice for so many around the world.

The UK’s position in the global marketplace will be made stronger with the contribution of the SME Export Track 100, which hail from right across the nation.

No matter where you are in Britain, there is much to be proud of, and I look forward to seeing greater success for our world-beating companies.