News story: Extra checks make form DS1 more secure

We have started to make more checks when customers apply to remove a mortgage from a title register. The new checks will help to identify and prevent fraudulent applications at the earliest opportunity, but some applications to remove a mortgage may take longer to complete.

Property fraud is a risk that is constantly evolving. The new checks are a necessary part of the continuous improvement to our counter-fraud processes and systems.

Customers can apply to remove a mortgage from the register by using one of 3 ways:

When customers apply to remove a mortgage with form DS1, the extra checks mean it may take us longer to complete the application.

Customers can help by removing mortgages from the register using an e-DS1 or an electronic discharge. These are submitted directly by the lender or their agent and help to reduce the risk of property fraud. They will also help customers avoid delays with their applications.

Lenders can also help by responding quickly to our checks.

Maintaining the integrity of the Land Register is vital because it provides:

  • a reliable record of information about the ownership of and interests affecting land and property

  • land and property owners with a title which is guaranteed by the state

  • the financial sectors capability to secure lending against property



Notice: SBRI competition guidance: protecting nuclear decommissioning operators

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition. It is open to organisations of any type and size, from any sector. 100% funding is available to successful applicants.

Please read the full competition scope before you make your application.



News story: Don’t be a victim of ‘Insolvency Service’ telephony scam

Don’t be a victim of ‘Insolvency Service’ telephony scam – GOV.UK

Members of the public are being warned not to fall for a telephony scam which asks you to make unnecessary and premium-rate calls to the Insolvency Service.

A screenshot of the rogue website

The Insolvency Service has been made aware of a scam where members of the public are receiving telephone messages to make unscheduled and unnecessary calls to the Insolvency Service.

Not only are unsuspecting members of the public being asked to make unnecessary calls but they are being asked to dial a telephone number that although does connect to the Insolvency Service, is not one of our official numbers and is a premium-rate number that costs a lot of money.

The scam appears to be instigated by a website based outside of the UK, helplinecall.com, which provides direct telephone numbers of businesses in the UK but when used, will cost the caller a lot of money.

The following tips will help prevent you being made another victim of telephony scams:

  1. If you’re being asked to call the Insolvency Service but you are not going through a bankruptcy or insolvency matter – be careful as it could be a scam phone call

  2. Take a look at the number you’re being asked to call – if it looks like it’s a premium rate number then it might not be legitimate

  3. If you’re still unsure about the number, check the official Insolvency Service website to see if it is one of our numbers

  4. You can also check numbers using a standard search engine as if it is a legitimate number you will be taken to an official website

  5. If you think you’re a victim of a scam – report it to our friends at Action Fraud (0300 123 2040) or to the Insolvency Service directly

Published 3 April 2018



Guidance: Definition of Waste Service checklist

Use this checklist with the IsItWaste tool to support your definition of waste assessment.



News story: SpaceX delivers UK missions to International Space Station

International Space Station. Credit: NASA.

In the cargo hold is a UK-built satellite that will test different approaches to removing space junk from the Earth’s orbit, as well as an international science package to study powerful lightning from space.

Led by the University of Surrey, built by the world’s leading small satellite manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, and with technology on board designed by Airbus, the RemoveDEBRIS mission will experiment with cost effective technologies that could be used to tackle the problem of space junk.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

“Space debris is one of the key challenges we face and it’s great to see a British university and some of our innovative space companies leading the way on the search for solutions. It’s also a fantastic example of the unique expertise found in the UK’s growing space sector and the value that it adds to international projects.

“The UK Space Agency continues to work closely with industry to develop new technologies and infrastructure to grow our share of the global space market as part of the Government’s industrial strategy.”

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite will be deployed from the International Space Station and attempt to capture simulated space debris using a net and a harpoon, while also testing advanced cameras and radar systems. Once those experiments are complete, it will unfurl a drag sail to bring itself and the debris out of orbit, where it will burn up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

The experiment is important as there are thousands of pieces of space debris circulating the planet – many travelling faster than a speeding bullet – posing a risk to valuable satellites and even the International Space Station itself.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, Director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said:

“It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened. Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of the space debris has to be addressed.

“We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDEBRIS could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem – answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future.”

Also on board the SpaceX Dragon capsule is a science experiment known as the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), which will study high-altitude lightning above severe thunder storms. Scientists are interested in these electrical discharges which can produce bright colours – sometimes called red sprites and blue jets – as they can alter the chemistry of the stratosphere and potentially affect the Earth’s climate. ASIM is travelling to the International Space Station in the trunk compartment of the Dragon capsule. Once it arrives, the station’s robotic arm will transfer the payload from the capsule to the external payload facility on the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Columbus module.

Dr Martin Fullekrug, the lead UK scientist on the project based at the University of Bath, said:

“I have been researching and investigating space and lightning events for over 15 years and the launch of ASIM feels like the pinnacle of my journey into understanding this phenomenon.

“This is the first time such a detailed and technologically-advanced measurement device will be flown into space to observe lightning and will hopefully provide us with new knowledge about how lightning is initiated and how the properties of lightning can affect our daily lives in so many different ways.”

The experiment, part funded by the UK Space Agency through our investment in ESA and built by the Danish company Terma, will be operated by ESA with involvement from scientists in the UK.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency said:

“This experiment will give scientists all over the world the opportunity to study the effects of powerful lightning storms from the unique vantage point of the International Space Station. It’s another exciting moment for international space collaboration and commercial spaceflight, which the UK Space Agency supports through the Government’s Industrial Strategy.”