The Minister visited the £83 million Defence Fulfilment Centre (DFC) after touring the armoury and current logistic facilities on-site at MOD Donnington. The 80,000 square-metre centre, due to be fully operational in 2019, is the size of ten football pitches and will streamline distribution and storage.

It is set to deliver over £300 million worth of savings by 2028 by streamlining the way storage and distribution is delivered and restructuring the way contract negotiations are conducted for commodities.

With two warehouses and a support building, it will be a central hub for storage and distribution of defence’s £30 billion inventory, including spare parts, food, clothing, and medical supplies.

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said:

We’ve invested over £80m in this enormous Shropshire centre as we are determined to ensure our personnel have everything they need, from batteries to boots, wherever they are in the world. This hub will have a transformative impact on our troops once it is fully up and running next year, putting a truly state-of-the-art supply network at the fingertips of our brave men and women on the frontline.

The DFC is part of the Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation programme. In April 2015 the MOD signed a 13-year contract, worth approximately £6.7 billion, with Team Leidos to run the storage, distribution and commodity procurement functions formerly performed by the Logistics Commodities and Services Operating Centre.

Alongside special environmental storage, the DFC’s automated storage and retrieval system will be capable of picking more than 1,000 items an hour.

Roger West, Director Logistics Delivery at DE&S, said:

It was a privilege to welcome the Minister to MOD Donnington and accompany him on a tour of the site and the Defence Fulfilment Centre.

The DFC will make a significant contribution to us providing better, more efficient, storage, distribution and commodity procurement services for our armed forces.

The delivery of this facility is testament to the excellent relationship between DE&S and our delivery partner Team Leidos.

DFC is managed by Kuehne + Nagel on behalf of Team Leidos, and will use new warehouse management systems to maximise value for money and manage the complex supply chains of the 21st Century seamlessly.

Matt Wiles, Vice President Leidos UK, said:

It was an honour to welcome the Minister on behalf of Team Leidos to the Defence Fulfilment Centre (DFC).

Following the DFC’s official opening in April 2017, we have successfully installed and integrated new information systems with the MOD’s and started an 18-month programme to re-locate much of the MOD’s stock holdings into the new facility.

When fully operational, the DFC operated by Kuehne & Nagel on behalf of Team Leidos, will help deliver a modern agile, responsive and modern supply chain to the MOD at significantly better value for money.

The Commission reports today on its inquiry into Global Welfare Project which found that the organisation’s trustees failed to account for significant sums of charitable funds donated to it.

Global Welfare Project’s website described itself as a charity set up to help provide various forms of aid to Syria including water and sanitation, aid containers, and support to hospitals, orphans and widows.

In 2014 the Commission was notified by West Yorkshire Police of an organisation operating under the name Global Welfare Project which was appealing for donations from the public for charitable purposes. The Commission confirmed to the police that it was not a registered charity, nor had an application been received to register it. The Police conducted an investigation regarding individuals connected with the Organisation, which concluded in 2016.

Global Welfare Project was found to be using the registration number of another registered charity when it solicited donations from the public. The Commission found that the use of another charity’s registration number as its own was misleading. It is an offence to solicit money or other property with a representation that an organisation is a charity registered with the Commission.

On 19 May 2014 the Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the organisation. Shortly after that, the organisation made an application to register as a charity, but the Commission put that application on hold due to the ongoing Police investigation.

The inquiry issued an order under section 76 (3)(d) of the Charities Act 2011 preventing any funds being withdrawn or transferred from Global Welfare Project’s bank account unless authorised by the Commission.

As set out in the report, the inquiry found that the individuals running the organisation did not fulfil key duties under charity law by failing to maintain full and accurate financial records.

As a result of the inquiry, the remaining funds in the organisation’s bank account have since been applied, under section 85 of the Charities Act 2011, to a charity whose purposes are similar to that of Global Welfare Project’s.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Charity Commission said:

“Charities rightly have special status within our society. Our report makes clear that those individuals who held funds on behalf of the organisation were trustees of charitable funds with the duties of charity trustees. We found that they failed to monitor and fully account for the funds that were applied which is why we intervened to ensure the remaining funds are properly applied.

“This case serves as a reminder to trustees of charitable funds, that they must comply with charity law, and their behaviour has an impact on public trust and confidence in the charity sector.”

Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. Section 76 (3)(d) of the Charities Act 2011 allows the Commission to direct those holding charity property not to part with it without the Commission’s prior consent.
2. Section 85 of the Charities Act 2011 allows the Commission to direct those holding charity property to apply it.
3. It is an offence under section 63 of the Charities Act 1992 to solicit money or other property with the representation that it is for the benefit of an institution registered with the Commission when it is not.

Updated: Added updated outbreak assessment (27 September 2018).

The Parole Board is pleased to see the publication of the Victims Strategy, a cross-government strategy focussed on ensuring victims receive the support they need throughout their experience of the criminal justice system.

The Victims Strategy will give Victim Liaison Officers new training to deliver support to victims, and improve information given to victims about the Victim Contact Service and Victim Personal Statements, which is very much welcomed by the Parole Board.

We look forward to working with colleagues across the Criminal Justice System to ensure we deliver the Victims Strategy. Indeed, we have already contributed to the publication of the Joint Agency Guide to the Victim Personal Statement.

We were also pleased to see plans to consult on a revised Victims’ Code to ensure it better reflects the needs and rights of victims, and the changing nature of crime.

Further information on the Parole Board’s commitment to victims of crime can be found on our website.

Published 14 September 2018