Farmers and rural businesses in the south-west are set to benefit from more than £7million in small grants to help boost their productivity, Farming Minister George Eustice announced today.

Across the country more than 3,500 grants worth £23.5 million have been allocated from the Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme (CPSG).

The scheme will help farmers to purchase the equipment they need to make their businesses more productive, with grants available to aid electronic identification of livestock, improve the application of manures, and introduce guidance systems to aid precision farming.

Farming Minister George Eustice, who is attending the Royal Cornwall Show today (8 June) said:

It is fantastic to see this scheme has proven so popular, with a collective number of grants now worth £23.5 million, and nearly a third of this funding going towards farms and businesses across the South West.

The equipment on the market today can revolutionise farms, saving time and increasing yields. This funding will enable farmers, regardless of the size of their business, to access some of the best kit available.

Projects which fall under the CPSG scheme include state of the art equipment such as the Shallow Injections System which can inject slurry directly into the soil surface thereby reducing ammonia emissions, increasing the uptake of nitrogen in plants and enhancing silage quality.

The scheme, which closed for applications on 14 March, initially allocated £15 million to contribute to the cost of farm equipment to boost productivity on farms. However due to the high number of quality applications Defra has increased the funding to £23.5 million. Farms and businesses in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire are set to receive almost one third of the total allocation.

There is equipment specific to cattle, sheep and pig farmers, as well as precision farming and resource management and efficiency equipment designed to make the lives of arable and livestock farmers easier.

The Small Grant scheme is one element within the £200 million package of RDPE funding announced last summer, which aims to boost growth and create jobs in the rural economy.

For more detail on how to apply for the scheme please see here.

Requests for provider bank detail changes have been reviewed and we now need more information to be supplied to make this happen.

Why are you doing this?

We’ve been reviewing our processes and believe this change will improve security.

What information do you need?

Your request should be made in the body of an official letter on headed paper and include both previous bank details and the new ones.

Two partners will need to sign the letter.

This is the format to follow in your email using an official letterhead:

Where do I send the information?

ProviderRecords-London@justice.gov – when emailing put ‘bank account change request’ in the subject field

Further information

Update your information with LAA

That is why, on Saturday 30 June 2018, the company will be throwing open the doors of its North East Regional Control Centre in Wakefield to give people an insight into what really goes on behind the scenes.

Parents are being encouraged to bring their children along to find out how a motorway is run from the control room, meet the traffic officers, some who may be a familiar face from the BBC documentary A1: Britain’s Longest Road, meet some of the project teams who carry out the engineering schemes and find out what initiatives are being planned to improve safety.

There will be a chance to look round one of the traffic officer vehicles, see the impact protection vehicles that protect the workforce and get a closer look of some of the portable signs.

The tyre scanners will be available to view, along with the new leaver driver’s app and online hub.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to talk to some of our road safety partners and look around cars and motorbikes which are involved in road safety work.

There will be a guided tour and people on hand to answer any questions people may have.

Highways England operations manager Kim Taylor said:

As part of our involvement in the Year of Engineering campaign we wanted to open the doors of the regional control centre and give people a real insight into the type of work we are involved in and what goes on behind the scenes to keep our roads running.

This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who is interested in applying for a job with us to find out more about how they can get involved, and for any future budding engineers to find out more. There really is something for everyone so I would encourage people to book on to one of the two sessions we are planning using the link below.

Unfortunately we are limited by numbers so I would encourage people to book soon to avoid being disappointed.

Two sessions will be held between 10am and 12.30pm and between 1pm and 3.30pm. There will be spaces for 100 people on each session. A waiting list will be set up if any further tickets become available.

To book a slot visit the event page.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

On Tuesday 29 May 2018, Graham Stuart, the Minister for Investment for the UK, met with the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, HE Eng Tarek Kabil in Cairo. They discussed, among other things, the Egyptian economy, UK investment and finance in Egypt and the future growth of trade and investment links between the UK and Egypt after the UK leaves the EU.

As the UK is in the process of exiting the EU, the Trade and Industry Minister welcomed the UK’s intention to avoid any disruption to trade. In particular, both parties welcomed the significant progress made so far in discussions to ensure continuity of the EU-Egyptian Association Agreement, which facilities almost £3 billion in trade between the 2 countries.

Both the Minister for Trade and Industry and the Minister for Investment welcomed the agreement reached between the EU and UK at the March European Council that the UK is to be treated as a member state for the purposes of international agreements during the EU-UK Implementation Period (1 April 2019 to 31 December 2020). This provides further certainty to both British and Egyptian traders that there will be no disruption to the existing trading relationship during the Implementation Period.

The Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart, said:

I was delighted to meet with Trade and Investment Minister Tarek Kabil on my visit to Cairo and to discuss the economic partnership between the UK and Egypt. The UK and Egyptian trade relationship continues to go from strength to strength, with the total trade between our 2 countries growing by nearly 6% between 2015 and 2016.

That’s why it’s important to ensure continuity and certainty in our current trade arrangements as we leave the EU, and UK and Egyptian officials have made excellent progress in this. I’d like to thank Egyptian officials for their cooperation and hard work.

As we leave the EU and create a new independent UK trade policy, we will build further on our £3 billion of annual trade with Egypt, and continue to work closely together to champion free trade.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Tarek Kabil, said:

Trade and investment between Egypt and the UK were always core pillars of our relationship. My meeting with Minister Graham Stuart confirms that this shall continue to be the case after the UK leaves the EU. I very much appreciate Minister Graham Stuart’s initiative in this regard.

We appreciate the efforts and co-operation of UK officials with their Egyptian counterparts, to ensure not only continuity and certainty on current Egypt-UK trade agreements, but that those principles form the basis of future bilateral Egypt-UK economic relationship under a new, independent UK trade policy. Egypt will thrive for a tighter relationship with the UK while maintaining its excellent relations with the EU and its member states.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, today (Friday 8 June) announced his nomination of Andy King for appointment as a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) and the appointment of Bronwyn Curtis OBE as the new non-executive member of the OBR board.

Pending the consent of the Treasury Committee, Mr King will take up his role at the start of September 2018 when Graham Parker steps down. Ms Curtis will take up her role immediately.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond said:

I am very pleased to nominate Andy King for appointment to the OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee. He has considerable experience and expertise in fiscal forecasting and a deep understanding of the UK economy and public finances.

I am also delighted to appoint Bronwyn Curtis as a non-executive member of the OBR, where her extensive management experience across the public and private sectors will be a valuable asset.

I would like to thank Graham Parker and Lord Burns for their significant contributions to the world-class work of the OBR over the last several years, and wish them all the best for the future.

The Chairman of the OBR, Robert Chote said:

I warmly welcome the Chancellor’s decision to nominate Andy King to the BRC and to appoint Bronwyn Curtis as one of our two non-executive members.

Andy has made an enormous contribution to the OBR already as Chief of Staff and his wide and deep knowledge of the public finances marks him out as a worthy successor to Graham Parker.

Bronwyn brings many years of experience as a private sector economist and executive and she will be a fantastic source of support and challenge, ensuring that we maintain and build on our reputation for independence, rigour and transparency.

Andy King said:

I am delighted that the Chancellor has nominated me for appointment to the OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee. It has been a privilege to support the work of Graham Parker and the rest of the BRC over the past five years. It would be an honour to continue that work as a member of the BRC, should the Treasury Committee wish me to do so.

Bronwyn Curtis said:

I am delighted to be appointed by the Chancellor as a non-executive director at the Office for Budget Responsibility. Lord Burns and the other past non-executives have done excellent work overseeing the work and reputation of the OBR, and I am honoured to take up the post.

About the OBR

The OBR was created in 2010 to provide independent analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR is led by the three members of the BRC who have executive responsibility for carrying out the core functions of the OBR, including any judgements made in the preparation of the economic and fiscal forecasts. The current members of the BRC are:

• Robert Chote (Chair)
• Professor Sir Charlie Bean
• Graham Parker CBE

The OBR’s oversight board consists of two non-executive members and the three BRC members and ensures there is effective risk management, governance and internal control of the organisation.

About the appointees

Andy King has been Chief of Staff at the OBR since 2013. Andy has worked in a range of macroeconomic policy roles at the Treasury, including in fiscal policy, macroeconomic policy, monetary policy and relations with international organisations. Andy also worked as a macro-fiscal advisor in the Liberian Finance Ministry. He was appointed to the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department’s panel of technical experts in 2014, and has since advised several Finance Ministries in Africa and Asia on approaches to fiscal governance, reporting and forecasting.

Bronwyn Curtis OBE is a global financial economist who has served in senior executive positions in both the financial and media sectors. She has served as Chairman of the Society of Business (now Professional) Economists and a Council/Board Member of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. She has also held a number of roles on boards of academic institutions and is a patron of ProBono Economics. Bronywn has worked as a consultant to the World Bank and UNCTAD on commodity projects in West Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

About the appointment process

The appointments have been made following an open recruitment process. Appointments to the BRC are conducted by the Treasury, appointments of non-executives are conducted by the OBR.

The interview panel for the BRC position was chaired by Clare Lombardelli (Chief Economic Advisor) and also included Robert Chote (the Chairman of the OBR), and an HR representative. The interview panel then made a recommendation to the Chancellor which informed his decision. Appointments to the BRC are subject to the consent of the Treasury Committee.

The interview panel for the non-executive position was chaired by Sir Christopher Kelly (Non-executive member of the OBR) and also included Robert Chote (the Chairman of the OBR), and Vanessa MacDougall (Director of Economics Group at the Treasury). The interview panel then made a recommendation to the Chancellor which informed his decision.

We are committed to appointing a diverse range of people to public appointments, including at the OBR. The gender breakdown for each appointment is below: