Feb272017

Press release: Cabinet office: new senior appointments and changes

HM Government
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Sir Mark Lyall Grant will retire from the Civil Service and his role as National Security Adviser on 13 April 2017.

He will be succeeded by Mark Sedwill who is currently the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. Philip Rutnam will in turn move from the Department for Transport to become the new Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.

Commenting on Sir Mark’s retirement the Prime Minister said:

I would like to thank Mark Lyall Grant for his long years of public service, in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, at the United Nations and also in particular for his work since 2015 as National Security Adviser. Mark has made a huge contribution and I wish him every success for the future.

The Prime Minister added:

Mark Sedwill’s experience means that he is ideally qualified to take up the critically important role of National Security Adviser. As well as his recent time in the Home Office, he has served in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and has wide-ranging experience of foreign and security policy issues.

The Home Secretary said:

I would like to thank Mark Sedwill for his distinguished tenure as Permanent Secretary of the Home Office. He has worked hard to achieve our mission to cut crime, prevent terrorism, control immigration and protect the vulnerable. His dedicated public service has helped keep our citizens safe and our country secure. I know he will continue that mission in his new role.

And I am delighted to announce Philip Rutnam’s appointment as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. Philip brings a wealth of leadership and delivery experience, including working on major projects and addressing the long term needs of the UK. I look forward to working with him when he takes up his new role.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary, echoed the comments from the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, paying tribute to Sir Mark’s time as National Security Adviser, and welcoming Mark Sedwill and Philip Rutnam to their roles:

Mark Lyall Grant’s work over recent years, in the Cabinet Office and before that the UN, has been immensely important in promoting the UK’s national interests and keeping this country secure. He has served with great distinction two Prime Ministers and the National Security Council, providing strong leadership to the whole national security team. I thank him for his service and wish him all the very best for the future.

I congratulate Mark Sedwill and Philip Rutnam on their new roles, and look forward to working closely with them. They are both experienced Permanent Secretaries with a strong track record of leadership and achievement.

A Civil Service Commission-led competition has been launched today to find a successor to Philip Rutnam.

Jonathan Moor, Director General for Resources and Strategy at the Department for Transport, will be acting Permanent Secretary at the Department of Transport from 3 April, until a successor is in post.

Feb272017

China inspectors find widespread pollution control violations

East Asia
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The environmental authority has uncovered 140 problems during an air pollution inspection of 18 cities in north China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region and nearby areas.

Inspectors were despatched on an unannounced check of 363 government agencies and businesses, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Monday in an online statement.

Many local authorities need to elaborate on and improve their pollution response plans, the MEP said.

In Huairou District, Beijing, enterprises were found to be operating despite being ordered to halt or reduce production when air quality worsens. Only two companies in Suning County, Cangzhou City, north China’s Hebei Province, are subject to the restrictive measure.

The cities of Tianjin, Hengshui, Taiyuan and Dezhou were also criticized for “inadequate efforts.”

The MEP also named and shamed enterprises that violated official policies.

Fengshi Metallurgy Material Co., in Dengfeng City, central China’s Henan Province, falsified emission data to meet requirements. Zhuyou New Wall Material Co. in Suning blocked the door of its boiler room, hoping to fool inspectors.

China has started to intensify the fight against air pollution as cities suffered from more smoggy days in January, with northern areas the worst affected.

The share of days with good air quality in BTH was a mere 36.2 percent last month, a year-on-year drop of 19.6 percentage points.

Feb272017

Press release: One month to go until new vehicle tax rates come into force

HM Government
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DVLA is reminding motorists that there is just one month to go until new vehicle tax rates come into force for all cars and some motor homes that are first registered from 1 April 2017.

Rohan Gye, DVLA Vehicle Service Manager, said:

These changes won’t affect any vehicles that are registered before 1 April 2017. So, for anyone who already owns a car or is thinking of buying a used car the rates of vehicle tax will not be changing. However, anyone considering buying a new car that will be first registered from 1 April should check the vehicle tax rates table on GOV.UK to find out how much they’ll pay.

Under the changes, vehicle tax for the first year will continue to be based on CO2 emissions. After the first year, the amount of tax to pay will depend on the type of vehicle. The new rates are:

  • £140 a year for petrol or diesel vehicles
  • £130 a year for alternative fuel vehicles (hybrids, bioethanol and LPG)
  • £0 a year for vehicles with zero CO2 emissions

In addition, for vehicles with a list price of more than £40,000, the rate of tax is based on CO2 emissions for the first year. After the first year, the rate depends on the type of vehicle (petrol, diesel, zero emission etc) and an additional rate of £310 a year for the next 5 years. After those 5 years, the vehicle will then be taxed at one of the standard rates (£140, £130 or £0) depending on the vehicle.

There is also further information available on the changes.