News story: Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith appointed new Chief of the General Staff

Updated: new pic

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has today confirmed that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of the new Chief of the General Staff.

Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith CBE is to be promoted General and will succeed General Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen in June 2018. General Carter is taking up the post of Chief of the Defence Staff, succeeding Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach who is leaving to become Chairman of the Military Committee at NATO.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

I’m delighted to offer my congratulations to Lieutenant General Carleton-Smith on his appointment of Chief of the General Staff.

Lt Gen Carleton-Smith has played a leading role in many of our recent operations at home and abroad, including our campaign to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria, our support to British Overseas Territories affected by Hurricane Irma and the military’s support to areas badly affected by the snow earlier this year.

I have no doubt that Lt Gen Carleton-Smith will be an outstanding leader of the Army at this crucial period, as we look to strengthen and further modernise the Army to deal with intensifying threats.

Diving Information Sheets (DVIS) revised

HSE – Publications: Free Leaflets – Diving

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General diving hazards Diving Information Sheet No. 1 (This has now been withdrawn)
Diving system winches Diving Information Sheet No. 2 (This has now been withdrawn)
Breathing gas management Diving Information Sheet No. 3 (This has now been withdrawn)
Compression chambers Diving Information Sheet No. 4 (This has now been withdrawn)
Exposure limits for air diving operations Diving Information Sheet No. 5 (Rev 1, published 01/18)
Maintenance of diving bell hoist ropes Diving Information Sheet No. 6 (This has now been withdrawn)
Bell run and bell lock out times Diving Information Sheet No. 7 (Rev 1, published 01/18)
Diving in benign conditions, and in pools, tanks, aquariums and helicopter underwater escape training Diving Information Sheet No. 8 (Rev 0, published 10/10)
Divers’ breathing air standard and the frequency of tests Diving Information Sheet No. 9 (Rev 2, published 01/18)
Diving cylinders: Guidance on internal corrosion, fitting valves and filling Diving Information Sheet No. 10 (Rev 0, published 12/07)
Diving cylinders: Guidance on their manufacture, inspection and carriage Diving Information Sheet No. 11 (Currently under review)
Cleaning of diving equipment Diving Information Sheet No. 12 (Rev 1, published 01/18)
Differential pressure hazards in diving Diving Information Sheet No. 13 (Rev 1, published 01/18)
The noise exposure of working divers Diving Information Sheet No. 14 (Rev 0, published 03/11)

2018-04-06

Single Market defeat sends a clear message

The Government have received their eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth defeats in the House of Lords during the Report stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill.

A vote on an amendment to ensure our future interaction with EU law and agencies was passed by a cross-bench majority of 298 to 227

A further vote on an amendment to remove the exit date from the bill passed by a cross-bench majority of 311 to 233.

And finally, an amendment that would keep Britain in the single market passed with a cross-bench majority of 245 to 218

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Bus stop east of Harris Academy moved – trial basis

For some considerable time, along with nearby residents, Harris Academy and its Parent Council, I have suggested to the City Council that the westbound public bus stop on Perth Road that lies just east of Harris Academy should be moved very slightly west to in front of the school.

This would have the following advantages :

+ Far better standing area for passengers waiting for a bus as the plaza in front of the school is spacious.

+ Less crowded situation than where the current bus stop is when passengers are waiting at the stop and school pupils are exiting the school at the end of the school day.

+ The existing bus stop is extremely close to the School Crossing Patroller; in front of the school is not.

There has been a lengthy debate with council transportation officers about this but, at last, a trial move has been agreed to ascertain how well this works – this will commence today.

This update was sent by a City Council transportation officer to Harris Academy last week which fully explains the trial period arrangements :

“I refer to the Harris Academy Parent Council Meeting of 8th March 2018 where (we) agreed to investigate the possibility of moving the bus stop for a trial period to monitor the effect of the bus stop move especially at the end of the of the school day. I am pleased to confirm that we have agreed to move the bus stop into the bus lay-by in front of the main school entrance for a trial period to commence from Wednesday 9th May until Friday 1st June inclusive.

Discussion have been ongoing with the bus operators who have agreed to the trial period being put in place. The parking team has also been informed of this change and the necessary changes to the plate will be carried out on Tuesday 8th May 2018. During the trial period the bus stop will be enforceable between the normal times of 0700hrs – 2300hrs where only buses will be legally able to wait. The parking team have agreed to be in attendance on occasion during the trial period.

Can you please notify staff and parents that the bus stop will now be out of action for general vehicles use during the trial period and that any misuse may result in the vehicle receiving a Parking Charge Notice (PCN).

The transport team will monitor the effect of the local bus services using the revised stop during the trial period with a view to making a decision about the trial period becoming the permanent stop location.”

During this period, I would welcome any feedback from residents – many thanks.

How to negotiate with the EU

As someone who negotiated at 21 Councils of Ministers in the EU, I learned that a country needs to be firm and clear about its intentions, and must decline to accept an unhappy compromise.

As we have seen from the former senior civil servants in the Lords, they have a very different approach. Their view is that because the EU is larger than the UK we just have to ask them what they intend to do and then claim it as our own. I fully accept that Prime Ministers and Ministers are responsible for the way the UK sought to renegotiate its relationship under David Cameron, and again they are responsible under Mrs May and Mr Davis for the current negotiations. It does however look as if the general thrust of civil service advice now as then has similarities to the attitudes the former senior officials express in the House of Lords. Now they are legislators they have to accept that their views will be subject to refutation and rejection by those who disagree.

I have never understood why so many senior officials think we need to give in each time to the EU. At every Council I attended there was remorseless pressure to reach an agreement about some new law – always an extension of EU power – when there was no need for a new law and when many interested parties were against it or wanted it changed or watered down. We can see the dangers of the approach in the failed renegotiation conducted by David Cameron. Let us adopt the convention that the PM himself chose this route. We do not need to claim he simply followed civil service advice. What is clear is no-one senior in the civil service warned him that his negotiating stance would not work, or sought to get him to ask for more or to dig in more. If they had I am sure leaks would have told us about it. What he did he did with civil service agreement.

So what did he do wrong? He asked for too little and settled for even less. The method appeared to be to tour the main capitals of the EU and ask what they might offer us. The answer was a uniform not much. He then asked for not much, and was promptly told that was too much! Legitimate requests to control numbers of migrants and to decide who was entitled to UK benefits were turned down. He thought Germany would help him, but Germany saw little need to and felt the UK with an opt out from the Euro and Schengen already had enough special treatment. As a result he was greeted with universal disapproval by the Brexit majority in the country who decided the deal was simply not good enough.

It is very important that Ministers and the civil service understand why this went wrong and do not do the same again if they want a sensible deal from the EU. We have been told the EU wants money we do not owe them, wants us to continue to obey laws we might wish to amend, and thinks we should “compromise” over freedom of movement. Many Brexit voters see no need to do any of those things. If the EU stays so unhelpful and offers nothing decent for the future relationship the government will find many voters think No Deal preferable to the deal the EU has in mind. Are there any voices in the civil service close to the PM telling her that I wonder?