Press release: Appointment of new Commissioners to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission
New Commissioners have been appointed to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission.
Press release: Even more people set to benefit from online court reform
- Courts and Tribunals (Online Procedure) Bill introduced to House of Lords
- sets up a new committee which will help people navigate online court systems
- cases will be progressed more efficiently and financial savings made
The Courts and Tribunals (Online Procedure) Bill forms part of the government’s ambitious £1 billion Reform Programme and will establish a judicially chaired committee tasked with developing new, simplified rules around online services in civil, family and tribunal proceedings.
More than 35,000 applications for divorce have already been made online since the system was launched in May 2018, reducing errors in applications from 40% to less than 1%.
In addition, almost 60,000 applications were made to HMCTS’ online civil money claims service during the past year with claims now taking, on average, 10 minutes to issue – down from 15 days using the former paper-based service.
The measures announced today will allow even more users to benefit from these online services.
Ministry of Justice Spokesperson in the Lords, Lord Keen, said:
From appealing their tax bill online to applying for divorce, every single day people up and down the country are already taking advantage of our ambitious court reforms.
This Bill will improve access to justice for all by providing clear and understandable rules to guide people through the many new digital processes we are introducing.
A dedicated Online Procedure Rule Committee will allow civil and family cases to be progressed more efficiently, as well as allowing financial savings across the justice system.
Easy to follow guidance will ensure online services are as simple as possible to navigate and increase access to justice while supporting the uptake of HMCTS’ online services.
Notes to editors
- The Online Procedure Rule Committee will prescribe the process for making online procedure rules, which would then have to be signed by a majority of the committee before being submitted to the Lord Chancellor for approval.
- The committee will be set up as soon as possible after royal assent of the Bill.
Press release: Even more people set to benefit from online court reform
New legislation making it even easier for court users to apply for small money claims or divorce online was unveiled in the House of Lords today (1 May 2019).
News story: Two unknown soldiers given military burial a century after their deaths in the Great War
Two unknown soldiers have been laid to rest more than 100 years after they fell serving their country during World War 1. The service took place on Tuesday 30 April at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Ovillers Military Cemetery, on the Somme in France.
The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of Defence Business Services, conducted by the Reverend Stuart Richards, Chaplain to the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (RRF).
Whilst 1 solider was identified as a Northumberland Fusilier through artefacts found with his remains, sadly no artefacts were found with the second solider. It is believed that he also died during the Capture of La Boisselle in July 1916. The second soldier was buried as an unknown soldier of an unknown regiment.
Both men were laid to rest by a burial party composed of members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Despite extensive research, it was not possible for the JCCC to identity either of these soldiers due to the high number of casualties.
Louise Dorr, JCCC said:
It’s a matter of great personal sadness that we have not been able to identify either of these brave men, return their names to them and bury them in the presence of their families. That said, their military family is here to mourn them both and lay them to rest with the dignity, respect and honour they deserve.
The remains of both soldiers were found in March 2015, within a ploughed field north of the village of La Boisselle in an area that was known as Mash Valley during the Battle of the Somme (July 1916).
The Reverend Stuart Richards (Chaplain to 1 RRF) said;
Although its over 100 years since the end of the World War 1, people are still moved to remember and honour the fallen, and as each year yields yet more bodies it is a deep privilege to take part in the burial of British soldiers and continue the tradition of a century of remembrance.
David Royle, CWGC said:
Although it has not been possible to identify these 2 soldiers, their service and sacrifice has not been forgotten. They have been laid to rest with respect and dignity alongside their comrades in Ovillers Military Cemetery. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will proudly mark and care for their graves, together with all of those who served and fell, in perpetuity.
Press release: Penny Mordaunt statement on fighting in Libya
International Development Secretary comments on recent violence in Tripoli and announces UK aid to provide vital medical supplies to help injured civilians.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
With many hospitals in Libya severely under-resourced and near breaking point, UK aid will provide vital medical supplies to help them cope with the increase in casualties. Today’s support will also help families to access critical primary health services and provide emergency surgical care for trauma victims.
I have been horrified at the repeated, indiscriminate attacks on residential neighbourhoods in Tripoli which have left several civilians dead, including children and healthcare workers. The UK remains deeply concerned about the potential impact on civilians if the fighting moves further into densely-populated urban areas.
All parties to the conflict must do all that they can to prevent any further loss of life, including by respecting their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and engaging with the UN and humanitarian community to get aid to those in need and for the wounded and those at risk to be safely evacuated.
Notes to editors
- The UK’s Department for International Development will provide £1 million to the UN Flash Appeal for Libya, launched in response to the fighting in Tripoli, which has been ongoing since 4 April. The World Health Organisation (WHO) will deliver lifesaving medical care, including surgery in frontline referral hospitals, and supplies for 150,000 patients.
- We will also provide an expert to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to help negotiate improved access for agencies to deliver aid on-the-ground.
- On 17 April 2019 the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, released US$2 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving assistance to civilians caught up in the escalating fighting in Libya, including vulnerable refugees and migrants. The UK was the biggest donor to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2018, providing £ 114.3 million.
- The UK is also providing an £5m over three years to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for humanitarian protection and assistance for migrants and refugees in Libya, as part of our £75m Safety, Support and Solutions – Phase II programme.
Published 1 May 2019
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