Jul242017

The Government’s promise of battery technology investment is a re-announcement of funding – Long-Bailey

Labour

Rebecca
Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy, commenting
on the Government’s industrial strategy announcement, said:

‘’Today’s
‘announcement’ is something of a damp squib. The Government’s promise of
investment in battery technology is simply a re-announcement of funding
promised back in April as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, and
their record of supporting emerging green industries is abysmal.

“Labour’s
plans for energy market reform would see consumers’ bills slashed by £120 and
our industrial strategy to create one million good jobs and ensure that we find
60 per cent of our energy from renewable sources by 2030 has real teeth, backed
up our £250 billion National Transformation Fund.

“This
scale of vision and investment is what is needed to transform the UK economy,
not a re-announcement of the same small pot of funding.’’

Jul242017

Over seven million people will lose out by £10,000 each under Government’s plans for state pension age change

Labour

New analysis by the House of Commons Library has revealed that
7.6 million people will lose out by nearly £10,000 each under the Government’s
plans to bring forward changes to the state pension age. 

The change will affect all men and women currently between the
age of 39 and 47, who will be forced to work a year longer before they can
access their state pension entitlement.

The Government’s announcement of their plans to bring forward
the state pension age last Thursday came more than two months after their legal
deadline, 7 May 2017, evading debate on the issue leading up to the General
Election.

The announcement was heavily criticised, as it followed evidence
from the renowned expert on life expectancy, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who
just days before had described how a century-long rise in life expectancy
was “pretty close to having ground to a halt.” Professor Marmot pointed
to 2010 as the turning point, when the Government began its austerity
programme.

Just over a week ago, the Government’s own advisory body, Public
Health England, had published data showing significant disparities in Healthy
Life Expectancy. For example, it showed how on average a man living in
Nottingham would be only be expected to live in good health until the age of
57, a full eleven years earlier than the Government’s newly timetabled state
pension age increase to 68.

A Director of Public Health England described how the average
pensioner will now have to deal with a “toxic cocktail” of ill health
throughout their whole retirement, and for some years before.

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:

“This is a disgraceful and unjustified attack on the state
pension by this Government, who are asking millions of people to work longer to
pay for their failing austerity plans.

“The latest research on life expectancy, published days ago,
shows that there is no evidential basis for bringing the state pension age
further forward.

“That’s why Labour want to take a measured approach, leaving the
state pension age at 66 while we review the evidence emerging around life
expectancy and healthy life expectancy, considering how we can best protect
those doing demanding jobs and the contributions they have already made.”

Jul242017

News story: Prime Minister Reappoints National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund (NHMF/HLF) Trustee

HM Government

Perdita Hunt OBE, DL has been reappointed by the Prime Minister as a Trustee of NHMF/HLF for a term of three years, ending on 21 July 2020

Perdita was, until recently, Director of the Watts Gallery Trust where she spearheaded the restoration of Watts Gallery and the Watts Studios and created an Artists’ Village in the Surrey Hills. She is currently undertaking a number of projects in the arts and heritage sector. Perdita is a Tutor on The Recess College – a leadership programme for senior executives, Consultant for Leadership Insight, a Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey, member of Arts Council England’s South East Committee, Chairman of Surrey Hills Arts Advisory Committee and Trustee of the Baynards Zambia Trust. Perdita is also a member of the National Trust Advisory Committee on Acquisitions and Collections. Perdita is a trained arts administrator. She has worked in senior positions at the Arts Council, HLF and WWF-UK. Prior to this she worked as Theatre Projects Co-ordinator at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, Marketing and Development Director at the Aldeburgh Foundation in Suffolk and Press Advisor to Suffolk Crafts Society.

The role is remunerated at £6,560 per annum. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Perdita Hunt has declared no such political activity.

Jul242017

News story: Explosion inside an equipment case, Guildford

HM Government

At around 14:37 hrs on Friday 7 July, an explosion took place inside an under-floor equipment case on the 14:37 hrs Guildford to London Waterloo service, as the driver applied power to depart from Guildford station.

There were no reported injuries. However, debris, some quite sizable, was deposited on public platforms and the car park.

The train comprised two four-car class 455 units coupled together and the explosion took place under the third carriage of the leading unit.

Class 455 trains are undergoing a programme of retrofitting new traction equipment, which started in May 2016. The traction equipment involved was of the new design and the mechanism which caused the explosion was believed to be understood by the industry parties involved. Similar, smaller explosions, have occurred on at least two previous occasions where debris scatter was much more confined. The previous occurrences had been attributed to a manufacturing defect, leading to a build-up of explosive gas within the traction equipment. Industry parties were in the process of devising possible solutions to the problem at the time of the 7 July accident and are continuing to do so.

Since the immediate cause of this accident is already understood, our investigation will focus on:

  • the change management processes that were applied to the retrofitting programme
  • the response to the previous similar incidents
  • the adequacy of any risk control measures that had been implemented
  • any other relevant underlying management factors

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports.