Work to de-activate a contraflow installed on the M20 in Kent as part of new resilience measures for people travelling in the county has been completed.

The re-opened lanes are in addition to 459 miles of roadworks that Highways England is removing across the country to help people enjoy the bank holiday weekend.

From 5am this morning (15 April 2019) three lanes had been restored at 70mph for coastbound traffic. Two lanes and a 50mph speed limit remain in place on the Londonbound carriageway in case Operation Brock needs to be activated again in the coming weeks.

The contraflow was part of Operation Brock, the name for additional arrangements for managing traffic in Kent when there is disruption at the English Channel and which was stood down last week in the light of the reduced threat of disruption to services across the English Channel.

Highways England special operations director Duncan Smith said:

I am pleased that we have been able to complete work to stand down the contraflow over the weekend and have these lanes reopened in time for the Monday morning peak. Completing this work now has added to the 99 per cent of Highways England’s road network that is roadworks-free this Easter.

Operation Brock gives the people of Kent a scalable set of measures that helps them to live, work and travel around the county when there is disruption to services across the English Channel. The deployment of the contraflow on the M20 has been a prudent measure reflecting the threat of potential disruption.

Scaling it back now is a sensible response to the changing outlook, and restores capacity on the motorway in time for the Easter bank holiday weekend. I would like to reiterate my thanks to drivers and residents in Kent for their patience while the contraflow was in place and for driving safely.

A steel barrier which was installed on the London bound carriageway to implement the contraflow between junction 8 and junction 9 will remain in place should Operation Brock be required again in the coming months.

Operation Brock remains available for use as an alternative to the older Operation Stack, and offers significant improvements by keeping the M20 open to traffic in both directions.

Operation Brock is the name for a package of measures aimed at helping to improve the resilience of the roads in Kent to the effects of cross-channel disruption. As well as the M20 contraflow it also includes Manston Airfield and the M26.

Highways England has worked in close partnership with Kent Police, Kent County Council and the Department for Transport to ensure that each phase of Operation Brock could be deployed sequentially and scaled up or down to meet demand.

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Welsh bioresearch company, Agroceutical Products, grows and harvests daffodils in the Black Mountains to help Alzheimer’s patients.

Powys-based bioresearch company, Agroceutical Products, is playing a role in the fight against Alzheimer’s by harvesting Wales’ national flower. Daffodils contain galantamine – a compound known to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Established in 2012, Agroceutical Products is owned by former sheep farmer Kevin Stephens. The company grows its daffodils 1,000 feet above sea level in the Black Mountains in Powys, which means they produce more galantamine than daffodils grown anywhere else due to the altitude.

Once harvested, the daffodils are processed and supplied to pharmaceutical companies to be crystallised into prescription tablets and capsules. The company’s team of five produces 20 kilos of galantamine per year, helping over 9,000 Alzheimer’s patients across the world.

Minister of State for Trade and Exports, Baroness Rona Fairhead said:

I’m delighted to see that the team at Agroceutical Products are bringing the medical benefits of Welsh daffodils to Alzheimer’s patients worldwide.

Home to over 5,500 life sciences companies, the UK is a global leader in scientific innovation. The Department for International Trade stands ready to help businesses expand their reach internationally. I would encourage all businesses to make the most of the offer set out in our Export Strategy, and to get in touch with our teams across the UK.

Agroceutical Products currently exports to pharmaceutical companies in the US and Canada, and now has plans to enter the New Zealand market with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

The company’s success is hailed by DIT at the start of the RHS Flower Show, Cardiff – showcasing the best of horticulture and demonstrating how gardens can benefit our health and wellbeing.

Kevin Stephens, co-founder of Agroceutical Products, said:

It’s amazing to think that the Welsh national emblem, the humble daffodil, has the potential to improve the lives of Alzheimer’s patients across the world, while providing an economic future for hill farmers and their families across Wales.

There has been greater interest in plant-based pharmaceuticals in recent years and there are many untapped plant compounds that could become very important drugs in years to come.

We’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received to navigate a difficult development pathway. The assistance from the UK Government, Welsh Government, multiple universities and many enthusiastic individuals has helped us develop a methodology that is sustainable, scalable and cost-effective.

Companies such as Agroceutical Products highlight the UK’s rich horticultural heritage, which will be on display during the Beijing Expo 2019 from April to October.

The Lord Chancellor, in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, has announced the appointment of Catherine Brown, Tim Sawyer CBE and Ian Hamer OBE as new lay members of the Board of the Legal Services Board (LSB).

Catherine Brown and Tim Sawyer are being appointed for 4 year terms with effect from 1 April 2019, and Ian Hamer OBE will be appointed on 1 October 2019 for a 4 year term.

The Ministry of Justice and LSB also announced today (11 April 2019) that non-lay members of the Board Jemima Coleman and Michael Smyth CBE QC (Hon) are being reappointed for second terms of office as Board Members with effect from 18 April 2019, and that lay member of the Board Catharine Seddon is being reappointed for a second term of office as Board Member with effect from 1 October 2019.

LSB is the oversight regulator for legal services in England and Wales. It was created by the Legal Services Act 2007 and came into being on 1 January 2009 taking on the majority of its statutory powers on 1 January 2010. It is independent of government and the legal profession and oversees 10 separate bodies, the approved regulators, which themselves regulate lawyers practising throughout the jurisdiction.

LSB also oversees the Office for Legal Complaints and its administration of the Legal Ombudsman scheme that resolves complaints about lawyers.

These appointments have been conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.