Author Archives: HM Government

The Government is undertaking an assessment of the impact of the voluntary industry measures introduced in November 2015 to improve the transparency of connected party pre-pack sales in administration and will be contacting a variety of interested par… read more

The Home Office will today begin seeking the views of interested parties as part of the air weapons review in England and Wales, announced by the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd. The review was announced in October following a recommendation by Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Suffolk, Dr Peter Dean, who wrote to the Home Office requesting a review after the death of Benjamin Wragge, aged 13, who was accidently shot by an air weapon.

The review will seek feedback on whether existing controls are sufficient to prevent children getting hold of air weapons and the potential for placing extra requirements on adults regarding the security of air weapons when children are present.

The review will also ask for views on:

• the storage and safe-keeping of air weapons, including possible requirements for increased security e.g. trigger locks or locked cabinets
• whether further measures are needed on manufacturing standards to prevent accidental discharge of air weapons or to prevent modification of air weapons post-sale in order to increase their power; and
• evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland, where air weapons are subject to a licensing regime

The Home Office is writing to a number of families who have raised the issue of air weapon legislation with their MPs as well as police forces and relevant charities and representative bodies such as the RSPCA, the Gun Control Network, the British Shooting Sports Council and the Gun Trade Association.

These interested parties and members of the public can share evidence on the topics in the review by 6 February 2017 and write to firearmsconsultations@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.

The Foreign Ministers of the UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia, with senior officials of the US Government, met on 10 December in Abu Dhabi to discuss the concerning situation in Yemen.

They expressed outrage at reports of indiscriminate killings and intimidation by the Houthis in Sana’a, including against members of the GPC and their families. They called upon the Houthis to cease actions to suppress or eliminate other political parties in Sana’a.

In the context of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, the members discussed means of providing greater assistance to the Yemeni people, and facilitating the entry of humanitarian and commercial goods. The members agreed to enhance their efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Yemen.

The members urged all Yemeni parties to unify their efforts in search of responsible solutions for a stable and united Yemen.

They agreed to meet frequently to monitor this concerning situation.