News story: Alun Cairns joins Aston Martin to promote careers in STEM to St Athan pupils

Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns joined engineering apprentices from Aston Martin to promote the value of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subject careers to pupils from St Athan Primary School on Monday 25 September.

This came as the luxury car manufacturer announced last year that its first Welsh-made cars will roll out of the St Athan factory in 2019, creating around 750 new jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan site, with a likely further 1,000 across the supply chain and local businesses.

Pupils were excited to come face to face with the brand new DB11 model and a Rapide S, as they learnt more about the work of the apprentices and history of the firm. Apprentices Luca Freemantle, Varun Mudan and Neath-born Adam Hill spoke to pupils about the company’s four-year scheme, and how they were looking forward to moving into the Welsh site over the next couple of years.

The new St Athan site will manufacture two four door models exclusive to Wales; the Rapide E electric model and the DBX, Aston Martin’s first ‘crossover’ sports utility vehicle.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Aston Martin’s move to Wales is hugely significant in making St Athan an important centre of employment, bringing with it valuable skills and a lasting legacy for the entire region.

I hope that pupils like these will take an interest in STEM subjects to become the apprentices, manufacturers and business leaders of the future, contributing to the UK’s rich automotive export history, and making Wales a great place to invest and do business.

Aston Martin’s decision to invest in Wales shows that we are creating and supporting the right conditions for industry investment. The UK Government’s comprehensive industrial strategy will build on that success, ensuring that we have the right infrastructure, skills and support in place for our world-leading industries as well as support for new emerging sectors to flourish.



Press release: PM meeting with Donald Tusk: 26 September 2017

The Prime Minister began by re-stating her wish for a bold and unique new economic partnership with the EU, based on a joint commitment to free trade and high standards.

Returning to the theme of her speech in Florence last week, the PM said the UK and the EU should be imaginative and creative about the way this new relationship is established. The PM said she was optimistic about a joint future which benefits both the EU and the UK.

President Tusk welcomed the PM’s speech, which he described as constructive in progressing talks between the UK and the 27 member states.

The PM and President Tusk welcomed the good progress that had been made on citizens’ rights in the talks so far, and restated their commitment to finding a positive solution to the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The PM also stressed the importance of agreeing a period of implementation once Britain leaves the EU in March 2019. She said this would build a bridge to that new relationship that ensures the process is smooth and orderly and creates as much certainty as possible for everyone.

At the end of the meeting, the PM said her Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the ongoing talks. She said it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.



News story: Decommissioning milestone at Oldbury nuclear site in Gloucestershire

A total of 109 low level waste skips, the containers which were used to hold fuel elements once they had been removed from the reactor, have now been safely taken out of the ponds; processed and packaged for storage.

It marks a significant step along the journey to fully decommissioning the cooling ponds.

Work at the site will now focus on removing the pond furniture and remaining skips, which are currently storing other components, before the end of the year.

This will be followed by draining of the pond water and stabilsation of the surfaces, due to take place in 2018.

Rob Taylor, Magnox Ltd Ponds Campaign Manager at Oldbury, said:

The work was completed in challenging conditions but was delivered ahead of schedule.

The achievement is a significant one for the site as we work towards decommissioning the facilities that once allowed it to operate, in a safe and efficient manner.

Ponds decommissioning milestone delivered at Oldbury site

Find out more about Oldbury nuclear site in South Gloucestershire

Find out more about radioactive waste in the UK



News story: Decommissioning milestone at Oldbury nuclear site in Gloucestershire

Decommissioning of the former used fuel cooling ponds at Oldbury site has reached a major milestone.

A total of 109 low level waste skips, the containers which were used to hold fuel elements once they had been removed from the reactor, have now been safely taken out of the ponds; processed and packaged for storage.

It marks a significant step along the journey to fully decommissioning the cooling ponds.

Work at the site will now focus on removing the pond furniture and remaining skips, which are currently storing other components, before the end of the year.

This will be followed by draining of the pond water and stabilsation of the surfaces, due to take place in 2018.

Rob Taylor, Magnox Ltd Ponds Campaign Manager at Oldbury, said:

The work was completed in challenging conditions but was delivered ahead of schedule.

The achievement is a significant one for the site as we work towards decommissioning the facilities that once allowed it to operate, in a safe and efficient manner.

Ponds decommissioning milestone delivered at Oldbury site

Find out more about Oldbury nuclear site in South Gloucestershire

Find out more about radioactive waste in the UK



News story: Asian hornet identified in Devon

The National Bee Unit has confirmed a sighting of the Asian hornet at an apiary near Woolacombe in Devon.

The Asian hornet is smaller than our native hornet and poses no greater risk to human health than a bee. However, they do pose a risk to honey bees.

This is the first confirmed sighting since last year, when a nest was discovered in the Tetbury area in Gloucestershire. That Asian hornet incursion was successfully contained by bee inspectors who promptly tracked down and destroyed the nest.

Work to identify, destroy and remove any nests is already underway, which includes:

  • setting up a surveillance zone around North Devon

  • opening a local control centre to coordinate the response

  • deploying bee inspectors across the area who will use infrared cameras and traps to track hornets and locate any nests

  • readying nest disposal experts who will use pesticides to kill the hornets and destroy any nests

Nicola Spence, Defra Deputy Director for Plant and Bee Health, said:

While the Asian Hornet poses no greater risk to human health than a bee, we recognise the damage they can cause to honey bee colonies. That’s why we are taking swift and robust action to locate and destroy any nests in the Devon area following this confirmed sighting.

Following the successful containment of the Asian hornet incursion in Gloucestershire last year, we have a well-established protocol in place to eradicate them and control any potential spread.

We remain vigilant across the country, working closely with the National Bee Unit and their nationwide network of bee inspectors.

A local control centre will be opened this week in North Devon and bee inspectors from APHA National Bee Unit will be carrying out surveillance and monitoring initially in a 1-2 km radius around the initial sighting.

They will be supported by nest disposal experts who will use an approved pesticide to destroy any hornets and remove any nests.

The free Asian Hornet Watch reporting app, launched last March and downloaded 6500 times already, allows people to quickly and easily report possible sightings of the invasive species and send pictures of suspect insects to experts at the National Bee Unit.

  • The cost of eradication on private land will be met by APHA.

  • Anyone who believes they have found a nest should not go near it and report it using the Asian Hornet Watch app which is available to download from the Apple and Android app stores.

  • The hornet found near Woolacombe is currently undergoing both DNA testing at the National Bee Unit in North Yorkshire to help establish how it arrived in the UK.

  • Members of the public can also report sightings by email to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk with a photo or on the Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat website.

  • The Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat is a joint venture between Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government to tackle the threat of invasive species. More information can be found on their website.

  • For details on the appearance of an Asian hornet please can be found on Bee Base guide or the non-native species identification guide.