The story of the NHS is a story of British talent and British ambition with some very Welsh roots, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said today as the service celebrates its 70th anniversary (Thursday 5 June).

Aneurin Bevan, from Tredegar became the driving force behind the establishment of the National Health Service as Health Minister in 1948. Since that moment, the principle of healthcare free at the point of delivery based on need, not wealth, has become firmly embedded into our national life.

Speaking ahead of the milestone, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said:

Wales has a long and proud association with the NHS and today we celebrate one of the greatest gifts that a Welshman has given our nation.

Since then, the nature of the service has evolved to tackle some of the greatest challenges to our health, making it the world-leading lifeline it is today.

The UK Government recognises the enormous importance this service has, not only to the health of our population, but also as a major employer to 78,000 people in Wales. That is why the Prime Minister recently announced an extra £20 billion a year by 2023/24 for health services in England, resulting in a £1.2 billion funding boost for the Welsh Government to spend on health services.

Today, on its 70th birthday, we salute the consultants, doctors, GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, cleaners, receptionists and managers who touch the lives of people right across the country, consistently rising to challenges and exceeding expectations of what is possible. A very happy anniversary to the great national institution.

Mr Cairns will recognise the valuable and important contribution of medical professionals from overseas at a British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Wales event on Saturday (14 June).

BAPIO provides a forum for a diverse group of doctors, dentists and medical and dental students of Indian heritage, with the aim of delivering professional excellence in patient care.

In his speech the Welsh Secretary will thank medical staff from around the world for their tireless efforts to improve the health of the Welsh population.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Every minute of every day there are medical professionals from around the globe working in our hospitals to save lives and drive up standards of patient care.

These people are the unsung heroes within our health service, whose experience and knowledge has always been welcomed here with open arms.

As we celebrate this significant milestone within our health service, I would like to thank BAPIO for its crucial role in recruiting doctors over the last 20 years, saving thousands of pounds in locum costs for the NHS every year.

The event comes as the UK Government announced plans for doctors and nurses to be excluded from the cap on skilled worker visas, meaning no restrictions placed on the number of medical professionals employed through the Tier 2 visa route.

The UK Government has also announced plans for EU citizens who arrive before the end of 2020 to apply for their settled status. The scheme will be phased in later this year, and opened more widely until its full launch by March 2019.

• New agreement will see countries’ leading research centres deepen collaboration
• National governments sign five-year accord to work together to improve digital services
• London start-up accelerator Entrepreneur First to open fifth international office in Paris

Digital Secretary Matt Hancock will today visit Paris to announce a package of measures to strengthen ties between the UK and France’s digital industries.

The aim is to boost both countries’ digital economies and forge closer links between cutting-edge companies from both nations.

Mr Hancock will address a landmark bilateral conference on data and the digital economy alongside his French counterpart, Mounir Mahjoubi. He will confirm the UK’s world-leading centre for AI and data, The Alan Turing Institute, is signing an agreement with the French institute, DATAIA, to promote collaboration between the French and British sectors.

It will see the two organisations pursue collaborative research in areas of shared interest – for example, in fairness and transparency in the design and implementation of algorithms.

They will also work together to share expertise, paving the way for visiting researchers to spend time at each Institute and hosting joint workshops and funding calls.

At the UK-France Digital Colloque – a summit of more than 350 businesses, researchers and officials from both countries – Mr Hancock and Mr Majoubi will also sign an accord on digital government. This will commit to extending their cooperation in the digital sector – on innovation, artificial intelligence, data and digital administration.

Mr Hancock will also confirm London-based Entrepreneur First, a beacon for the UK’s excellence in developing tech talent, is to continue its global expansion with a new Paris office. He will also bang the drum for British tech and promote the opportunities for business-to-business collaboration at a breakfast meeting with business leaders.

Digital Secretary Matt Hancock said:

The UK is a digital dynamo, increasingly recognised across the world as a place where ingenuity and innovation can flourish. We are home to four in ten of Europe’s tech businesses worth more than $1 billion and London is the AI capital of Europe.

France is also doing great work in this area, and these new partnerships show the strength and depth of our respective tech industries and are the first stage in us developing a closer working relationship. This will help us better serve our citizens and provide a boost for our digital economies.

Alan Wilson, CEO of The Alan Turing Institute, said:

The fundamental goal behind all our research is to build a data and AI enriched world for the benefit of all. In order to do this, it is critical to forge international collaborations and share our knowledge, expertise and ideas with other research centres around the world.

The Institute and DATAIA both share a vision for building research in data science and AI which crosses disciplinary boundaries and recognises the societal implications of data and algorithms. It is a pleasure to kickstart this engagement and we look forward to working with them to advance UK and French excellence in this area.

Matt Clifford, EF co-founder and CEO, said:

EF exists to enable the world’s most ambitious people build extraordinary companies. It was founded in London, where we’ve already helped spark the development of high growth companies from scratch.

As we continue our global expansion we’re looking forward to working with France’s future founders and strengthening the ties between business and investors in both countries.

Digital Colloque

The UK and France are world leaders in the digitisation of public services and are developing a data ecosystem which supports policy makers, corporates and startups using data from across the spectrum of closed, shared and open data.

The Digital Colloque will see leading policymakers and industry experts discuss the technologies revolutionizing the world.

It follows the commitment made by the President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Theresa May during the France-UK Summit in January 2018 to boost cooperation in these fields.

This Colloque builds on the success of the inaugural UK France Data Summit 2017 in London and the UK-France Summit in Sandhurst in January 2018, where both countries agreed to foster bilateral discussions on digital issues.

It comes ahead of the French presidency of the G7 in 2019 and British presidency in 2021 to promote their shared vision on Global challenges.

More than 350 businesses, researchers and officials from both the UK and France are due to attend the Colloque.

Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First (EF) was founded in London in 2011 by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck to connect the world’s most ambitious technologists to the best investors globally. EF’s bespoke programme, the first of its kind in the world, helps outstanding individuals to find co-founders and investment, and build high growth technology companies from scratch.

Entrepreneur First, started in London in 2011, is a beacon for the UK’s excellence in developing tech talent, and already has sites in Singapore, Berlin and Hong Kong.

Its alumni include Magic Pony Technology, led by Rob Bishop and Zehan Wang, which was acquired by Twitter for £150m. Magic Pony’s founders, Rob Bishop and Zehan Wang, studied together at Imperial College, and met at Entrepreneur First.

To date EF – which opened its Singapore office in 2016 and this year opened in Berlin and Hong Kong – has helped over 1,000 individuals build over 150 companies with a total valuation of over $1 billion. EF’s companies have been funded by some of the world’s leaving venture investors in Europe and Silicon Valley.

And EF itself has also raised from some of the world’s best investors,including Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn), Demis Hassabis (founder of DeepMind), Greylock Partners, Mosaic Ventures, Founders Fund, Lakestar and more.

Bus passengers up and down the country are set to benefit from easier journeys with up-to-the-minute information under plans to be announced today (Thursday 5 July 2018) by the Buses Minister.

Nusrat Ghani will visit Reading Buses to launch a consultation on legally requiring bus operators to share their data so that passengers can get real time information on bus routes, timetables and fares at their fingertips.

It will also look at making companies provide audio and visual information on buses, ensuring disabled people and the elderly are able to travel confidently.

Together, the 2 initiatives will ensure that passengers have the information they need, when they need it, regardless of their location and the company running the service.

Buses Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Nobody enjoys waiting at a bus stop for 20 minutes not knowing when the next bus is going to turn up, only for 2 to then pull up at the same time.

By requiring bus operators to share their data, we can make sure that passengers have the information they need to catch the bus with ease, equipped with the right information about the time and cost.

This move will also open up opportunities for innovation within the industry, support local services where demand is falling and help increase bus usage across the country.

Requiring bus companies to share their data would pave the way for improved information across all modes of transport, meaning quicker, easier journeys for passengers travelling on more than one form of transport.

Reading Buses is already using open data to improve bus journeys for people in the area. Through a number of initiatives to make information more easily available, the company has seen a 48% increase in passenger numbers since 2009.

During her visit the minister will travel on a Reading bus which includes accessibility features such as next stop screens, voice announcements and 2 wheelchair spaces.

John Bickerton, Reading Buses’ Head of Engineering and Innovation said:

We are delighted that the Department for Transport is highlighting the importance of open data for the bus industry. Here at Reading Buses, we have long been advocates of giving customers more information to help them on their journey – and importantly to help them decide to travel with us in the first place.

We have long had a commitment to on-board audio and visual next stop announcements and have put information literally in our customers’ hands with the Reading Buses app, which not only shows when buses are due, but can also show the buses moving in real time on a map of the route.

James White, senior campaigns manager at the charity Guide Dogs said:

Accessible information on board buses is absolutely vital to help people with sight loss travel with confidence.

We welcome this consultation as an important step towards a comprehensive and much needed network of talking buses.

Transport data is already widely shared within the rail industry and across modes in the biggest cities, with apps such as Trainline and City Mapper helping passengers make informed choices about their method of travel.

• Government-backed industry-led delivery panel to boost new legal technologies
• Industry experts to provide advice and support
• Builds on Government strategy to drive business innovation

In a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Dinner for HM Judges at Mansion House on Wednesday evening, the Lord Chancellor unveiled plans for a panel of industry professionals to support and accelerate the development and adoption of innovative new legal technologies.

Chaired by The Law Society’s incoming President Christina Blacklaws, the group will provide direction to the legal sector and help foster an environment in which new technology can thrive.

The Government recognises the importance of embracing cutting-edge initiatives to ensure the UK’s £24billion legal services sector continues to grow and retain its world-leading reputation.

The legal sector is already adapting to harness the power of these emerging technologies – with the Serious Fraud Office introducing a document review system, backed up by artificial intelligence, that can review 2,000 documents a day and law firms embracing automated digital contracts that allow for on-going monitoring of contract terms.

Lord Chancellor David Gauke said:

I am determined to ensure our world-leading legal services sector continues to thrive and that the UK remains the primary choice for international business.

The Lawtech industry is experiencing rapid growth and cutting-edge initiatives are already underway across the country.

It is of paramount importance that, working together, we foster an environment in which these new technologies are embraced and take advantage of every opportunity created.

The UK is the ideal place for LawTech to thrive – with its progressive regulation, world-leading professionals and financial services sector and huge tech talent pool.

Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s work to boost innovation and emerging technologies and create a thriving service industry.

In April of this year, the Prime Minister announced a £20 million fund to encourage work between businesses and researchers and help the service industry, including the legal sector, take advantage of new technologies.

The Home Office has also announced the launch of start-up visas for entrepreneurs looking to come to the UK.

Notes to editors:

More information on the Home Office’s start-up visa programme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-start-up-visa-route-announced-by-the-home-secretary

More information on the Government’s £20 million industrial strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-joint-research-and-innovation

The Western Balkans Summit began today with a meeting of Economy Ministers in Vienna. Held at the British Ambassador to Austria’s Residence and chaired by FCO Permanent Under Secretary Sir Simon McDonald and Austrian Minister of Economy Margarete Schramböck, the meeting brought together Ministers and representatives from the 14 Berlin Process countries, the European Commission, international financial institutions (IFIs), and regional and international organisations.

The meeting marked the start of the UK’s hosting of the fifth annual Western Balkans Summit convened under the Berlin Process launched by Chancellor Merkel in 2014. The Process encourages cooperation between the Western Balkans six – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – and likeminded European nations; Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, with Bulgaria joining this year because of the Sofia Summit they hosted in May 2018.

Discussions in Vienna focused on how the Berlin Process could best support economic growth in the region, including through the implementation of the Western Balkans Multi-Annual Action Plan for a Regional Economic Area Plan – a proposal agreed at the 2017 Berlin Process Summit to allow for the unobstructed flow of goods, services, capital and highly-skilled labour across the region, so as to promote investment and trade.

The meeting also discussed how the Berlin Process could support a digitalised future for the Western Balkan economies, including by addressing skills gaps; and the role that European financial hubs like London and IFIs can play in improving access to finance for small enterprises and start-ups in the region. The latter will be delivered through new funding – including from the European Investment Bank and the European Commission.

Speaking after the Summit, Sir Simon said:

It’s great to kick-off this year’s Western Balkans Summit alongside our Austrian partners here in Vienna. Our joint hosting of today’s Economy Ministers Meeting demonstrates how closely aligned UK-Austrian thinking and policies are towards the Western Balkans.

Collectively, with a wide range of partners we’ve made important steps today towards the promotion of growth and economic stability in the region. The Prime Minister and Chancellor Kurz, and other Berlin Process leaders, will now take up the baton of making further progress at the London Summit.

The Western Balkans Summit will continue next week in London with Interior Ministers and Foreign Ministers meeting on 9 July and leaders meeting on 10 July.