Infrastructure is a vital defence capability delivering accommodation, training facilities and critical assets such as runways and workshops to enable our armed forces to live, work, train and deploy. Recent DIO projects include building a jetty at Portsmouth Naval Base so the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth can dock, and resurfacing runways at RAF Akrotiri, RAF Gibraltar, and RAF Valley.

The defence estate is large, diverse and widely dispersed across the UK and overseas. In the UK, it covers around 230,000 hectares comprising military training areas, naval bases, barracks, airfields, supply depots, and offices. Construction on these sites is sometimes subject to specific defence requirements but the majority is similar to other sectors, so the new standards have been developed in accordance with comparators from industry and other government departments. They are designed to be used by MOD staff and industry partners responsible for the planning, costing and delivery of the infrastructure assets and projects funded by MOD.

The new standards, Joint Services Publication (JSP) 315, are expected to save up to 20% on construction costs by creating efficient standards, enabling faster and more cost-effective project development and delivery. They also recognise the success and cost savings DIO has achieved in recent years from increasing the use of modular construction and standardisation of designs, as well as utilising 3D digital and interactive technology.

Graham Dalton, DIO’s Chief Executive, said:

The new standards mark a step forward in how DIO enables our military to provide the most effective and efficient solutions and how we work better with the construction industry. The revised standards make it absolutely clear what our requirements are and will contribute to a significant cost and time saving on our infrastructure projects.

The new standards and supporting guidance set a series of reference designs for specific defence infrastructure requirements and benchmark capital and operational costs for the planning and delivery of MOD infrastructure.

The revised JSP 315 can be found here

As part of the government’s £15.2bn road investment strategy, Highways England is developing a scheme to improve the A45/A6 Chowns Mill junction, leading to more reliable and safer journeys for people and businesses by reducing congestion and increasing capacity on the road.

Work will include widening the A45 and A6 approaches to provide additional traffic lanes, creating an additional roundabout section on the south side of the existing roundabout and introducing traffic signals to manage traffic safely and effectively.

The work will:

• improve journey times by providing additional lanes
• improve safety by changing the junction layout and introducing traffic signals – managing the flow of traffic through the junction more effectively and reducing the chance of collisions
• support economic growth by encouraging continued investment in the regional economy and support new business and residential opportunities
• improve access for cyclists and pedestrians thanks to new signalled crossings which will make it safer to cross the junction – all crossing points will be designed for users with disabilities

The A45 is a key link between the A14 and M1, serving the growing Northampton, Wellingborough and Rushden areas.

As part of the scheme the junction will be redesigned as a half hamburger layout with a new link road connecting the A6 North and A5028 with the existing roundabout. This will improve the existing junction to allow better flow of traffic reducing congestion through the junction. All approaches will be widened to provide extra lanes and increase capacity.

Highways England project manager, Rachael Langfield, said:

Chowns Mill roundabout currently suffers from severe congestion at peak travel times, leading to long queues on all approaches. This congestion will increase as traffic levels grow.

The scheme we have developed will improve journey times and safety along the A45 and A6 corridors as well as boost capacity to support planned growth in the local area, which is great news for the local and regional economy.

There will be no need to purchase any additional land with improvements to the junction carried out within the existing roundabout boundary.

Construction is due to begin in late 2019 and is expected to be completed within two years.

Public information exhibitions take place tomorrow and Saturday where people can find out more.

The exhibition times and locations are as follows:

• Friday 6 April 2018 – 2pm to 8pm Park Road Baptist Church, Park Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0RG
• Saturday 7 April 2018 – 10am to 4pm Park Road Baptist Church, Park Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0RG

People can also ask questions about the scheme by:

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The roundtable with representatives from the food, drink and retail sector provided an opportunity to discuss Brexit, framework agreements, and sector priorities over the coming months.

From Friday (6 April 2018), millions of children across the UK will benefit from the government’s key milestone in tackling childhood obesity, as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy comes into effect.

The tax on soft drinks, commonly referred to as the ‘Sugar Tax’, has already resulted in over 50% of manufacturers reducing the sugar content of drinks since it was announced in March 2016 – the equivalent of 45 million kg of sugar every year.

Soft drinks manufacturers who don’t reformulate will pay the levy, which is expected to raise £240 million each year. This money will go towards doubling the Primary Sports Premium, the creation of a Healthy Pupils Capital Fund to help schools upgrade their sports facilities, and give children access to top quality PE equipment.

The levy will also give a funding boost for healthy school breakfast clubs.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick MP visited the Lucozade Ribena Suntory factory today (5 April 2018), which has led the way in reformulating its drinks alongside the likes of Tesco and Irn Bru.

He commented:

The Soft Drinks Levy is one part of our plan to tackle childhood obesity. From Friday, soft drinks which contain too much added sugar will need to pay a fee.

All revenues raised through the levy will directly fund new sports facilities in schools as well as healthy breakfast clubs, ensuring children lead healthier lives.

We want to persuade manufacturers to reformulate their drinks and lower the sugar content. In the time between announcing this policy and it taking effect today, more than half of all soft drinks have been reformulated to lower the sugar content, including many of the best known soft drinks. We hope that will continue in the months and years to come.

In England alone, a third of children are obese or overweight when they leave primary school, and evidence shows that 80% of kids who are obese in their early teens will go on to be obese adults.

Public Health Minister, Steve Brine MP remarked:

Our teenagers consume nearly a bathtub of sugary drinks each year on average, fuelling a worrying obesity trend in this country. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is ground-breaking policy that will help to reduce sugar intake, whilst funding sports programmes and nutritious breakfast clubs for children.

The progress made so far on our obesity plan is promising—but with one in three children still leaving primary school overweight or obese, we have not ruled out doing more in future.

Notes to Editor

• The aim of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is to encourage companies to reformulate their soft drinks. Since the levy was announced two years ago, the expected amount of revenue has gone down from £520m in Year 1 to £240m. Even before coming into effect, the levy is already working – over 50% of manufacturers have reformulated their drinks
• Even if revenue from the levy declines, funding for schools and children will stay the same
• The rates companies will need to pay are as follows:
  • 24p per litre of drink if it contains 8 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres
  • 18p per litre of drink if it contains between 5 – 8 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres

It’s over 20 years since Princess Diana walked through a heavily mined field in Angola, and changed the way the international community thought about this appalling and indiscriminate weapon of war. Shortly after that historic visit, the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction was signed, creating an established framework through which the world could work towards eradicating these barbaric weapons.

Mines and unexploded ordnance leave a terrible legacy of war, long after the guns have fallen silent. Hidden from sight, they continue to kill and maim innocent civilians going about their daily lives. Their very presence hinders development and prevents families and communities from being able to return to their land and rebuild.

Sri Lanka is no stranger to the long-lasting suffering that mines cause. In fact, by the end of the conflict, over 500km2 of land was contaminated by landmines. Today marks the International Day for Mine Awareness, the first one since Sri Lanka acceded to the Ottawa Convention in December 2017. Signing up to the Ottawa Protocol demonstrated the government’s commitment to meeting its ambitious target of becoming Mine Impact Free by 2020.

The UK supports Sri Lanka in its efforts to clear every single mine on this beautiful island. That’s why the British High Commission in Colombo has been funding demining work in Sri Lanka since 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, we will have spent over £6.2 million (LKR 1.2 billion) on demining all across the North and East of Sri Lanka. Working mostly through our partners, The HALO Trust, our goal is to clear more than 600,000m2 of land between 2016 and 2019, making it safe for people to move home and start cultivating their land again. Together with a range of Sri Lankan and international partners, we are making progress. Last year, we joined celebrations to mark the milestone of Batticaloa becoming the first District in Sri Lanka to be classified as mine “residual risk” free. Many organisations helped to ensure this significant result. We are proud that another British Demining charity, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), working alongside the Humanitarian Demining Unit of the Sri Lankan Army and others, made a major contribution to achieving this great feat.

In the last year, UK support helped clear 142,549m2 of land of mines, unexploded ordinance and stray and small ammunition; our clearance activity has benefited 5,215 people; a further 11,139 individuals, including women and children, have received UK supported mine risk education.

That’s what makes demining such an important part of the UK’s wider commitment to reconciliation and peace-building in Sri Lanka. Not only does it offer immediate humanitarian benefits, but it also accelerates recovery from conflict. Families can live and farm. Children can play without fear. In the short term, it also offers employment opportunities to some of the most vulnerable, including female heads of household. The HALO Trust for instance has a workforce that is over 50 percent female, helping young women affected by the conflict to make a real difference in the future of their communities.

Last year our Minister for Asia, the Rt Hon Mark Field MP, visited the North to hear from those working on the frontlines of the demining effort. I too visited last November, seeing for myself the scale of the challenge. With anti-personnel mines still covering the ground in great numbers, the risk is still very real, though significant progress has been made. The Halo Trust’s thorough and professional clearance operations mean that land can be handed back to those displaced many years ago. I met one family who had already begun rebuilding their lives in their old home. With new crops planted and a sense of optimism about the future, meeting them was a great reminder of exactly why this sort of work is so important.

Since 2010, much has been accomplished, and together we have dug many thousands of mines and unexploded ordnances from the ground. Thousands of mines that can no longer threaten the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans. Whilst we should take pride in this shared achievement, there is still much more work to be done. On International Mine Awareness Day, let’s redouble our efforts to realise the dream of a mine-free Sri Lanka by 2020.