MAIB’s report on the collision between the high-speed catamaran Typhoon Clipper and the workboat Alison adjacent to Tower Millennium Pier, River Thames, London on 5 December 2016, is now published.

The report contains details of what happened. subsequent actions taken and recommendations, read more.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (1 November 2017) paved the way for a huge new UK train programme by telling bidders new HS2 trains must deliver jobs and skills in Britain.

HS2 Ltd will tomorrow (2 November 2017) name the 5 shortlisted firms seeking to win the multi-billion pound contract to build some of the fastest trains in the world.

The Transport Secretary told companies in the race to be awarded the £2.75 billion contract to show how “huge opportunities” for British workers will be provided in their bid to build Britain’s fastest trains.

Chris Grayling said:

I am determined to see the great HS2 train building programme create huge opportunities for British workers and drive economic growth in our country.

Bidders need to push the boundaries and I want to see innovation and ambition in their plans to build the fastest trains in Britain – which I want to pave the way for a new generation of highly skilled British workers, boosting skills, generating employment and strengthening the manufacturing supply chain.

Britain’s new railway will carry more than 300,000 people a day, improve connections between our great cities, free up space on our existing rail lines, generate jobs and help us build an economy that works for all. But it is crucial that the benefits of HS2 resonate far beyond the opening of the new railway.

The new 225 miles per hour trains will provide a world-class passenger experience, while also meeting the highest international standards for noise reduction and environmental sustainability.

Starting from 2026, the trains will bring the benefits of high speed rail not only to the core network between London and the West Midlands, but also onward to places like Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Preston and Wigan. The successful bidder will maintain the fleet from the dedicated depot planned for Washwood Heath in Birmingham, which will also be home to the HS2 Network Control Centre – together creating hundreds of skilled jobs.

The announcement comes after the opening of the new National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham and Doncaster and after work began on Phase One of the project to connect London and Birmingham.

HS2 Ltd will now continue to work with the shortlisted bidders and potential UK suppliers to create opportunities, boost skills and encourage a wide range of people to join the HS2 workforce.

In total, construction of the full HS2 route to the north-west and Yorkshire will create up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships. Another 3,000 people will operate HS2 and it is estimated that growth around new HS2 stations will create another 100,000 jobs.

Invitations to tender are expected to be issued to shortlisted bidders in spring 2018 with contract award following in late 2019. A further competition will be run to provide trains for the second phase of the project which is due to commence services in 2033.

The government is delivering the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century and is determined to see Britain’s train building sector go from strength to strength. Rail industry leaders have forecast that thousands of new state-of-the-art trains will be rolling off UK production lines over the coming years.

Hitachi Rail Europe’s manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is building more than 100 Intercity Express trains which will be rolled out across the Great Western and East Coast lines over the next 3 years.

And earlier this year it was announced Derby’s Bombardier had secured a multi-million pound investment to build 90 new trains for South Western passengers. The trains will be based on the Bombardier Aventra platform, which is also being used for the 70 new trains for Crossrail – which is due to open in 2018 as the Elizabeth Line – and for new trains for the London Overground and East Anglia.

There are also commitments from other manufacturers to make substantial investments in facilities in Britain with Alstom developing their new train technology and manufacturing facility at Widnes and CAF manufacturing in Newport.

HS2 will also bring benefits including faster journey times to Scotland. Under Phase One of HS2, between London Euston and Birmingham, journeys from London to Glasgow will fall to under 4 hours. By 2027, and the opening of the expansion of the network to Crewe, the journey between Glasgow and London will be reduced by 45 minutes compared to today.

HS2 will also mean that by 2033 journey times between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh will be reduced to around 3 hours and 40 minutes.

This afternoon the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of senior executives from the UK and European automotive sector at Downing Street.

At the meeting the Prime Minister highlighted the success of the UK’s sector, noting that we are the third largest producer in Europe and the most productive of its big car manufacturers.

The opportunities presented by the transition to low-emission vehicles, the internet of things and wider developments in manufacturing technologies were discussed, and the role of the Industrial Strategy in making sure the UK is at the forefront of these developments was pressed.

Brexit, the challenges it presents and the priorities for industry were also discussed. The business representatives highlighted the importance of quick and seamless access to international suppliers as well being able to access the talent they need.

The Prime Minister and the Business Secretary reiterated the government’s aim for an ambitious economic partnership with the EU, as well as an implementation period that ensures businesses only have to adapt to one set of changes. The also agreed the need for continued engagement with the sector.

The government has launched a new compliance scheme for social care providers that may have incorrectly paid workers below legal minimum wage hourly rates for sleep-in shifts.

Social care employers will be able to opt into the new Social Care Compliance Scheme (SCCS), giving them up to a year to identify what they owe to workers, supported by advice from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Employers who identify arrears at the end of the self-review period will have up to three months to pay workers.

The government is committed to creating an economy that works for everyone, and ensuring workers are paid fairly according to the law. The scheme has been designed to help ensure workers are paid what they are owed, while also maintaining important services for people who access social care.

HMRC will write to social care employers who currently have a complaint against them for allegedly underpaying minimum wage rates for sleep-in shifts to encourage them to sign up to the scheme. Employers that choose not to opt into the scheme will be subject to HMRC’s normal enforcement approach.

The government is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. The government has opened discussions with the European Commission to determine whether any support, if deemed necessary, would be subject to EU state aid rules.

Earlier this year the government waived further penalties for sleep-in shifts underpayment arising before 26 July 2017. This was in response to concerns over the combined impact which financial penalties and arrears of wages could have on the stability and long-term viability of social care providers. Enforcement action for sleep-in shifts in the social care sector was temporarily suspended between 26 July and 1 November 2017.

Government reiterated again today its expectation that all employers pay their workers according to the law, including for sleep-in shifts, as set out in guidance entitled Calculating the minimum wage.

Read the updated on guidance sleep-in shifts here: National minimum wage law: enforcement.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister spoke to President Trump to express her condolences regarding yesterday’s terror attack in New York. The Prime Minister said she was deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of life and that her thoughts and prayers remain with all those affected. She reiterated that the UK will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States in defeating the evil of terrorism. The two leaders noted the very strong intelligence and security co-operation between our two countries.

The Prime Minister and President Trump also discussed the need for an international approach to tackling poisonous terrorist ideology online.