Mar282017

News story: UK and France strengthen defence cooperation with new weapon system agreement

MOD
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Signed during a visit by M. Collet-Billon to the Ministry of Defence, the agreement begins a three year concept phase to develop future long range weapons for the British and French Navies and Air Forces. Each country will contribute €50 million to this phase.

The Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme will look at options to replace and improve existing Naval and Air Force weapons systems in the next decade. Lasting up to three years, this will help to define the missile designs and reduce risks to inform decisions about the next stage of the programme

Alongside sharing costs, both sides will benefit from access to each other’s national technology expertise, trials and test facilities.

Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart with the French and British project teams from MBDA, including Antoine Bouvier, CEO.
Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart with the French and British project teams from MBDA, including Antoine Bouvier, CEO of MBDA. Crown Copyright.

Minister of Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

Our relationship with France is strong and enduring. We have a long history of cooperation in defence and security with our European Ally.

As demonstrated by having Europe’s largest defence budget, the UK is committed to European security and we will continue to collaborate on joint defence programmes across the continent. Today’s agreement will sustain 80 jobs in the UK.

Délégué Général pour l’Armement Laurent Collet-Billon said:

We are launching today a major new phase in our bilateral cooperation, by planning together a generation of missiles, successor to the Harpoon, SCALP and Storm Shadow. The FC/ASW (future cruise/anti-ship weapon) programme’s aim is to have by around 2030 a new generation of missiles.

This future capability is strategic, industrially as well as operationally. This new programme will be the backbone of our “one complex weapon” initiative.

The agreement is a further example of joint work under the Lancaster House Treaty of 2010 and builds on UK and French similarities in missile capabilities and delivery dates, providing significant efficiencies and securing value for money for the taxpayer.

Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart Laurent Collet-Billon meeting with members of the French and British project teams from MBDA.
Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart Laurent Collet-Billon meeting with members of the French and British project teams from MBDA. Crown Copyright.

During the 2016 Amiens Summit, the UK and France formally confirmed their intent to launch this project within 12 months. This agreement, which allows the Direction Générale de l’Armement to place the contract with MBDA, illustrates the dynamic nature of UK-France strategic cooperation.

UK-French cooperation already covers a wide range of fields beyond the FC/ASW programme, including research emerging from the partnership on innovation and missile technologies (MCM-ITP), work to align our capability plans, development and production centred on the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) and the mid-life update programme of the SCALP/Storm Shadow missile systems. This new project further strengthens MBDA’s industrial optimisation building on their new Centres of Excellence.

Mar282017

Consultation outcome: Bathing waters: removing Instow from the list of designated bathing waters

DEFRA
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Updated: Summary of responses added and decision made to remove Instow from the list of bathing waters.

We want to know what you think about removing Instow from the list of bathing waters designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1675).

The bathing water was classified as poor in 2015 and 2016. It is unlikely that the water quality of this bathing water can be improved.

We welcome comments, based on evidence, about the technical feasibility of improving bathing water quality at the beach to meet at least the minimum standards.

This consultation will be of interest to the recreation sector, leisure and tourism industries, farmers, environmental campaigners and beach users.

Mar282017

Press release: New agency to provide joined-up education and skills funding

HM Government
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The Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency are to merge to become one body, the Secretary State for Education announced today (Tuesday 28 March).

The new, single funding agency – to be called the Education and Skills Funding Agency – will sit within the Department for Education and begin to operate from April 2017.

The new body will continue to carry out the roles of the Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency and will therefore be responsible for effectively and efficiently overseeing:

  • the funding of education for pupils aged 5 to 16
  • education and training for those aged 16 to 19
  • apprenticeships and adult education
  • managing school building programmes

Its responsibilities cover these functions in England.

Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening said:

Creating the Education and Skills Funding Agency will mean we are able to provide a more joined-up approach to funding and regulation of schools, colleges and other providers, with improved accountability and better service.

We will be working closely with our staff, unions, stakeholders and the education sector to finalise and deliver our plans for the new agency.

Current chief executive of both agencies, Peter Lauener, has announced that he intends to retire following the merger and plans to recruit a successor are under way. Mr Lauener will carry on as chief executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency until a permanent replacement has been recruited and is in place.

Mar282017

There is a continuous need to modernise the police but caution is required with these plans – Diane Abbott

Labour
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Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on new
Government plans that would allow civilians to compete for chief constable
jobs, said:

“Caution
is required with these plans. There is a continuous need to modernise the
police, making it more diverse and representative of society as a whole, but
many able officers will now wonder whether their own career paths could be
blocked.

“This
Tory Government have already reduced officer numbers by over 20,000 and broken
their pledge to protect police funding in real terms.

“Neither
the police nor the public will want to see people recruited from outside the
service simply because of their willingness to implement further swingeing
cuts.”

Mar282017

The Government must act to close the funding gap in local services so that people are able to travel freely and safely throughout their communities – Teresa Pearce

Labour
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Teresa
Pearce MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local
Government,
commenting on an Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) report showing that one in six
roads in England and Wales are in poor condition, said:

“Up and down the country, motorists, cyclists and passengers regularly
have their safety compromised by dangerous and recurring potholes. Whilst
councils are doing their utmost to repair these swiftly, huge cuts to local
government budgets are making this ever more difficult.

“The Government must act to close the funding gap in local services so that
people are able to travel freely and safely throughout their communities. And
the utility companies who regularly dig up the roads must also be an active
part of the solution to this problem.

“The Tories’ chaotic and cack-handed approach to local government funding is
creating a system whereby councils can only afford to provide the bare minimum
in statutory social care, safeguarding and homelessness services. Consequently,
we are seeing everything else, from libraries to roads, suffer as a
result.”