At the recent United States-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Summit, President Trump and Kim Jong Un signed the Sentosa Agreement, which included a commitment to recover remains from the DPRK and return them to the US, where they will be identified.

The remains may include UK casualties and the DNA samples will be used to support identification, over a number of years, to make sure any UK personnel identified are ultimately given military funerals at the United Nations cemetery in the Republic of Korea. The MOD also intend to cover costs for immediate family members to attend.

UK personnel fought during the Korean War as part of the United Nations Command (UNC). The three-year conflict between 1950 and 1953 led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives from Korea, China and the UNC.

Family members of those missing personnel who have no known grave are asked to call the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre on 01452 854622/855258.

The Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division, and former Parole Board member, gave a speech, “Parole: 50 years and Counting”, at the Parole Board members’ Strategy Day on 18 July 2018.

This speech was to bring to a close the series of events marking the 50th Anniversary of the Parole Board.

The Charity Commission has today announced the appointment of an interim manager to Capricorn Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (inc. Aston, Hawarden Animal Aid) due to continued concerns about the governance and management of the charity.

Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Capricorn Animal Rescue and Sanctuary on 9 February 2017 to examine regulatory concerns about the governance of the charity, potential unauthorised trustee benefit, and whether the trustees have properly exercised their responsibilities under charity law – particularly their duty to account for the charity’s funds.

The Commission made an order under Section 76 (3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 on 30 July 2018 to appoint Guy Hollander of Mazars as interim manager to the exclusion of the trustees.

He will take on full control of the day-to-day management and administration of the charity from the current trustee until the Commission makes a further order.

Harvey Grenville, Head of Investigations and Enforcement at the Charity Commission said:

We are not satisfied that the current governance procedures and practices are working properly, or are likely to be rectified by the trustees. A decision by the Charity Commission to appoint an interim manager is not taken lightly and reflects the seriousness of our regulatory concerns.

Part of the interim manager’s duties will be to establish the viability of the charity and determine the most appropriate option regarding its future.

The Commission’s investigation continues.

Ends

1. This appointment is a temporary and protective power that will be reviewed at regular intervals. It will continue until the Commission makes a further Order for its variation or discharge.
2. The Commission is aware that the charity has been the subject of concerns from members of the public relating to the welfare of animals in the charity’s care; this does not fall within the Commission’s remit and concerns on this matter should be directed to the RSPCA. Their 24-hour cruelty and advice line can be reached at 0300 1234 999.
3. It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.
4. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK.
5. Search for charities on our online register.

An investment to better support early years education and child development spearheads a range of initiatives announced today to halve the number of children finishing reception year without the early communication or reading skills they need by 2028.

Latest research shows more than a quarter of four-and-five-year-olds (28 per cent) lacked the early communication and literacy skills expected by the end of reception year. The ‘expected level’ includes, for example, a child being able to express themselves clearly and read simple sentences.

In a speech to the Resolution Foundation, Education Secretary Damian Hinds set out his ambition to halve this number through a range of measures and a new coalition of organisations to look at ways of supporting parents with helping children learn new words and develop their communication skills.

He also unveiled details of a £30 million fund, part of an investment announced in the government’s social mobility action plan, to create more nursery places run by successful schools in disadvantaged areas so more children can access a high-quality early education. This fulfils a government manifesto pledge to help primary schools develop nurseries where they do not currently have the facilities to do so.

Schools will be invited to run projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers, with a focus on creating partnerships between schools and councils, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), or charities.

Alongside this another £20 million will be spent on training and professional development for early years staff in disadvantaged areas to increase their ability to support children’s early speech and language development. This work will drive up standards in the pre-school years, so more children arrive at school with the foundations in place to make the most of primary school.

On top of the new ambition and investment in early years provision, the Education Secretary announced other measures to improve social mobility:

• the Office for Students will look at how universities – particularly the most elite – can reach out to children from different backgrounds;
• a new data project building on Raj Chetty’s world-renowned work mapping social mobility in America, linking education and income data and breaking it down by region to directly show the impact of education on future earning prospects. The data will provide a map and measure of social mobility and help target interventions more effectively;
• a departmental review of non-GCSE qualifications for 14 to 16 year olds to make sure the courses on offer to students are of high quality; and
• new research by the Social Mobility Commission looking at the impact of extra-curricular activities on social mobility. This will help ensure the most effective practices are scaled up and targeted at the areas that need them most.

In his speech, Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

We need a country that works for everyone – because what is progress for our society, if we’re not doing more for the people who start out with the biggest disadvantages? A strong society, a strong economy, does not leave people behind.

It’s time to raise our ambitions, to expect more and to expect better for every child, whatever their background – and to build a country where everyone can make the most of themselves.

During the speech Mr Hinds set out his ‘Seven Key Truths’ that drive better outcomes for children by giving them the support, skills and character building experiences that will unlock their potential.

These include:

• the early learning from birth to age three;
• a good school education;
• high-quality teaching;
• making more extracurricular activities available;
• increasing access for university;
• second chances later in life; and
• developing resilience and emotional wellbeing.

The MAIB has today issued a safety bulletin following the failure of a shallow draught, lead keel fitted to a commercial yacht on 7 December 2017.

The bulletin contains details on the background of the incident, the initial findings, yachts fitted with similar keels and a safety lesson, read more.

A full report will be published when the investigation is complete.