The UK and Ukraine have been engaging on the future growth of trade and investment links between both countries after the UK leaves the EU, including during the Ukrainian Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister – Trade Representative of Ukraine, Nataliya Mykolska’s, recent visit to London.

As the UK is in the process of exiting the EU, Ukraine welcomed the UK’s intention to avoid any disruption to trade. In particular, both countries welcomed ongoing discussions to ensure continuity of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), which facilitates more than £1.7 billion in trade between the 2 countries, once the UK leaves the EU.

The UK informed Ukraine on the UK-EU agreement, reached at the March European Council, that the UK is to be treated as a member state for the purposes of international agreements during the EU-UK Implementation Period. This should provide further certainty to both British and Ukrainian traders that there will be no disruption to the existing trading relationship during the Implementation Period, and that in particular the preferential terms of EU-Ukraine DCFTA will continue to apply to both parties during the Implementation Period.

Both countries agreed to work together to strengthen UK-Ukrainian trade.

• infringement levels down 7% points from 2015 for 16 to 24 year olds
• decrease of 5% points in the use of illegal services since 2013

While overall levels of piracy remain the same compared to 2017, there has been a drop in illegal activity by some groups. This is especially true amongst young consumers, with over half of 16 to 24 year olds now paying to access at least one subscription service.

The latest figures, from the Online Copyright Infringement (OCI) tracker, are published on British IP Day. The annual tracker measures the level of online copyright infringement in the UK. The UK has led the way in measuring online copyright infringement in this way with Australia, and more recently Canada, using the same method.

Sam Gyimah, Minister for IP, launched the report at the Alliance for IP British IP Day event. He said:

The variety of legitimate services now available to consumers is extraordinary and our world-leading creative industries have made great strides in meeting the demands of viewers and fans, so there really is no excuse for the ongoing use of illegal services.

Today’s findings are a positive step forward in stamping out online copyright infringement, but we cannot afford to be complacent. We are committed to tackling piracy and helping this vibrant sector go from strength to strength through our Creative Industries Sector Deal, a major part of our modern Industrial Strategy.

Key findings from the OCI tracker include:

• the UK has a lower overall infringement rate (25% of online content consumers) than both Canada (26%) and Australia (38%)
• levels of infringement varied by content type. TV programmes recorded the highest levels of infringement (23% amongst consumers of TV), with music (18%) and films (19%). Whereas infringement of software has decreased from 26% in 2017 to 20% this year. Infringement of sports content was 21%
• an increase in the share of consumers citing convenience, quality and fears of viruses/malware/spyware as reasons for choosing paid for services over free services
• 65% of those who consumed any of the six key content types during the past three months paid for at least some of it (an increase from 60% in 2017), this is partly due to increased spend on subscription services
• amongst infringers there was a decline in the use of BitTorrent software (from 11% of infringers in 2017 to 7% this year), while the use of Kodi remained relatively unchanged (used by 12% of infringers)

Eddy Leviten, Director General of the Alliance for Intellectual Property, added:

British IP Day is a celebration of the creativity that brings great products, brands, design and content to consumers worldwide. Today we are taking that message to Parliament and ensuring that MPs across the political spectrum understand the need to protect IP and support creators of all kinds.

The OCI Tracker is a valuable measure of progress in the UK in the use of legitimate content services but piracy levels remain at one quarter of the population, which is still far too high.

The Alliance and its members are active participants in the Sector Deal roundtables which can help to drive down piracy and counterfeiting and allow genuine content and goods to flourish. We look forward to working collaboratively to achieve concrete results.”

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Nick Court of the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Department (PIPCU) said:

It is encouraging to hear that consumers are favouring subscription streaming services and that illegal streaming is becoming less attractive, especially to the young.

Digital piracy is a problem that has a number of risks associated with it, including enabling children to watch inappropriate content, and we continue to encourage people to use legitimate services in order to avoid falling victim to such risks.

We are hopeful that the younger consumers who are using these legitimate services will lead the way in encouraging all users to do the same.

The government is taking action to tackle online copyright infringement through a range of activities:

• joint funding with DCMS for the Creative Content UK campaign, Get it Right from a Genuine Site

• IPO funding of over £7.5 million for the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit

• continuing to work with search engines and copyright owners to ensure that copyright infringing websites are removed from the front page of search results.

• worked with Industry to fund a campaign fronted by Crime Stoppers to raise awareness of the risks involved in using illicit streaming devices

• made commitments through the Industrial Strategy Creative Industry Sector Deal

• launched a new series of Nancy & the Meerkats to encourage children to think about ownership of IP, whether music, video or information on the web

• in a unique partnership with UK Music, launched Music Inc in 2013, an app to give gamers an insight into the modern music industry as well as education them on aspects of copyright

• in 2015 launched crackingideas.com a portal for free IP and copyright education resources from the IPO and industry including the Industry Trust, UK Music and ALCS

Note to editors

1. The UK survey was funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and was undertaken by Kantar Media. The survey was conducted between March and May 2018.
2. It’s the eighth wave of a large-scale consumer tracking study into the extent of online copyright infringement, as well as wide digital behaviours and attitudes, among people ages 12+ in the UK.

The University of Liverpool Mathematics College is set to become the first of its kind in the north of England and will follow in the footsteps of successful schools opened by King’s College London and the University of Exeter.

When the school opens, it will welcome 80 talented A level pupils per year to study subjects like maths, further maths and physics.

Minister for the School System, Lord Agnew said:

I am pleased that the University of Liverpool has risen to the challenge to give the mathematicians of tomorrow an opportunity to take their talents to the next level. I visited King’s College London Mathematics School earlier this year and was humbled by the students I met there – their ambition and ability is incredible.

Academic standards are rising, with 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. As we move forward, we want more leading universities to open maths schools and offer broader outreach in their region. This will give even more young people the opportunity to excel in maths, providing them with the knowledge and skills for future success.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss said:

Maths powers our economy. Studying it to A level and beyond could add around 10% to the future earnings of students, putting more money in their pocket and giving them more job opportunities.

Today we are hosting northern universities in Parliament because we know fewer students in the North of England study maths compared with the South, and we want to change this.

That is why we introduced the maths pupil premium, to help more students study maths for longer and put them in a great position to take up skilled jobs.

Professor Dame Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool said:

The University of Liverpool Mathematics College will be a hub for the most able young mathematicians in the Liverpool city region so they can develop their knowledge and skills through the study of maths and related subjects. In today’s global economy it is essential that the UK develops the potential of our most able maths students and this initiative will help respond to that challenge.

Once open in 2020, it will give gifted mathematicians from all backgrounds the chance to boost their skills and learn from some of the best minds in the country.

In partnership with local schools, the college will work to raise aspirations and attainment levels in mathematics across the region and, alongside other schools, colleges and organisations, will provide professional development programmes for maths teachers throughout the region.

The University will also work with employers in the region to establish partnerships, giving pupils the chance to gain real business experience and the opportunity to see how their skills will support their career choices moving forward

Maths is one of the most in-demand skills in the labour market and the Royal Society has outlined maths as the key skill required by employers by 2030. It is also already the most popular subject at A level, with over 84,000 pupils choosing to study it. This is an increase of 20% since 2010. The government is determined, through its modern Industrial Strategy, to increase the number of young people studying maths, helping them to secure good jobs and boosting the UK economy.

The University of Liverpool Mathematics College also supports the aims of the Northern Powerhouse, which will create a globally-competitive northern economy with a flourishing private sector, a highly-skilled population, and world-renowned civic and business leadership, all of which will be supported by a boost to maths skills.

The most selective maths universities in the country are being encouraged to consider opening a maths school. It will give pupils access to a stretching maths curriculum as well as excellent mentoring and careers guidance by specialists at the university. Maths schools will receive an additional £350,000 to support significant outreach work with a focus on students from disadvantaged backgrounds and girls. This will ensure that pupils from all backgrounds will have the opportunity to link up with some of the best maths institutions in the country.

A blueprint for a sustainable and profitable fishing industry that will regenerate coastal communities and support future generations of fishermen will be set out today.

Outside the EU, the UK will be an independent coastal state and will regain control of our waters and natural resources, as well as the flexibility to negotiate with other countries and ensure stocks are fished sustainably.

The Fisheries White Paper – ‘Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations’ – will chart our course for managing fisheries after Brexit. It will outline how powers to be proposed in the Fisheries Bill, which will be introduced in this session of Parliament, will give the UK full control of its waters and the ability to set fishing opportunities such as quota.

In particular the paper will set out how, as an independent coastal state, the UK will have the opportunity to move towards a fairer share of fishing opportunities – overhauling the current system where UK fishermen have received a poor deal that is based on fishing patterns from the 1970s. EU Member States currently land around eight times as much fish in UK waters than the UK does in EU Member States’ waters.

It will also propose a suite of measures to improve the sustainability of the fishing industry, supporting the next generation of fishermen while protecting our precious marine environment.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

As an island nation our fishing industry is the lifeblood of coastal communities around the UK.

I have been clear that when we leave the EU we will take back control of our waters, while ensuring we don’t see our fishermen unfairly denied access to other waters.

The plans set out today demonstrate the bright future in store as we build UK fishing industry for future generations by putting the importance of a healthy marine environment at its heart.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Leaving the EU creates a sea of opportunity for our fishing industry. Outside the Common Fisheries Policy we can take back control of our waters and revitalise our coastal communities.

We will be able to put in place our own systems, becoming a world leader in managing our resources while protecting the marine environment.

We will work closely with everyone who has an interest in this important industry to make the most of this historic opportunity.

While the UK will continue to abide by Common Fisheries Policy rules during the implementation period, from 2020 we will be negotiating access to waters and fishing opportunities as an independent coastal state.

The white paper will set out a number of methods to explore fairer allocation of fishing opportunities, such as zonal attachment – which is based on distribution of fish stocks, rather than historical data.

Sitting at the heart of the white paper will be the UK government’s commitment to sustainable fisheries, including ending the wasteful discarding of fish and making clear vessels will only be allowed to fish in our waters if they adhere to our high sustainability standards.

The paper will also commit to publishing an annual statement setting out the health of fish stocks and based on the latest scientific evidence. If stocks are struggling, the four UK fisheries Administrations will work together to put in place a comprehensive recovery plan to restore them to healthy levels.

Likewise, the paper will outline a new approach to tackling ‘choke species’– one of the biggest challenges facing the fishing sector and which occurs when fishermen have used up their quota for a specific stock. As fishermen cannot target a certain area for risk of accidentally catching the exhausted stock, they either have to stop fishing or risk breaking the law if they land the extra stock.

The white paper will propose two new approaches in England: a reserve of quota that could be used to offset choke species, coupled with a new scheme to help fishermen unable to find quota to set against their catch.

And, as set out in its 25 Year Environment Plan, the government will pursue an ecosystem approach to fisheries management that will minimise impacts on non-commercial species and the marine environment.

Barrie Deas, CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation, said:

Today the Government has presented a broad vision for post-Brexit fisheries that is clear and cogent – and importantly, is aligned with international law. I am sure that it will attract wide support across the industry and Parliament.

Outside the EU, the UK will be an independent coastal state and this will provide the basis to rebalance quota shares and implement effective and adaptive management measures for our fisheries.

We are pleased a partnership with the fishing industry is at the heart of the Government’s approach. There is much to do and we look forward to working within this framework of cooperation.

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation Chief Executive Bertie Armstrong said:

The white paper enshrines the important elements that we have been arguing for to forge a sustainable future for our industry: allowing the UK to become an independent coastal state, to take charge of who catches what where and to resist any and all attempts to link access to our waters to access to EU markets.

Of course, there is a long way to go, and we now need our governments to show real backbone in the Brexit negotiations to ensure that these aspirations become reality.

Our approach will benefit the whole of the UK. The UK government will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations to develop a new UK framework for fisheries management, which will maximise their power to manage their fisheries while maintaining the overall coherence of the UK’s approach. It will also ensure compliance with international obligations to manage our shared resources sustainably.

We do not yet know the outcome of the UK’s negotiations to withdraw from the EU or on a future economic partnership, and the white paper will be clear that market access for fisheries products is separate to the question of fishing opportunities and access to waters. Access to waters and fishing opportunities will be negotiated on an annual basis. This is consistent with the approach to fisheries taken by other coastal states including Norway.

Interested parties will now be invited to share their views on proposals outlined in the white paper during a 10 week consultation.