News story: HMRC’s top lawyer to leave department for new role at Oxford University

Gill joined HMRC in 2014 to lead the Solicitor’s Office and Legal Services, advising HMRC and HM Treasury, legislating for all aspects of tax law and leading a large litigation practice safeguarding tax revenues. Gill is also HMRC’s Social Mobility champion.

She has previously worked at the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs and the Department of Health, and is chair of governors at the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, North London.

Gill’s last day with HMRC will be 30 June. A recruitment exercise will begin in due course, and interim arrangements for the leadership of the Solicitors Office and Legal Services team will be confirmed shortly.

Gill said:

Law really shapes and changes lives and I have been fortunate in having a civil service career so close to the buzz of politics. I have been able to influence and support decisions which affect our lives and society.

HMRC Chief Executive Jon Thompson said:

I’m hugely grateful to Gill for her contribution to HMRC. She has led a very successful litigation team that has protected billions in revenue and has played a vital role in shaping complex tax legislation. She has helped to shape our departmental strategy and I’ll really miss her wise counsel.




News story: Civil/crime news: CWA bulkload spreadsheet version 1.23 update

You need to use version 1.23 of the bulkload spreadsheet to submit claims in Contract Work and Administration (CWA). This is now available for you to download on GOV.UK.

The updated version 1.23 has been amended in line with the Mental Health Changes that were introduced on 1 June 2018. It replaces version 1.22 which should no longer be used for submissions.

A new guidance document has been produced. You can find out more by downloading the latest guidance from GOV.UK.

Further information

CWA updates to reporting changing

Submit a CWA claim online – to download version 1.23 of the bulkload spreadsheet




News story: Safety Bulletin 2/2018 published

The MAIB has today issued a safety bulletin after the failure of a rescue line during a manoverboard drill on 24 March 2018.

The bulletin contains details on the background of the incident, the initial findings and the safety lessons, read more.

A full report will be published when the investigation is complete.

Request for information

To assist this investigation, it is requested that full details of any defective throw bag rescue lines discovered are also passed to the MAIB via throwbags@maib.gov.uk.

Press enquiries




Press release: Dalí’s Champagne Standard Lamps at risk of leaving the UK

Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on ‘A Pair of Champagne Standard Lamps’ by Salvador Dalí and Edward James to provide an opportunity to keep them in the country.

The lamps are at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £425,000 + £15,000 VAT.

They are a collaboration between Dalí, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and Edward James, Dalí’s patron and a keen promoter of the Surrealist movement. In the view of the Committee, the lamps were arguably the most original and important examples of modern lighting designed in the UK.

The pair are one of two designed for Monkton House, Sussex, which was built in 1902 – 03 for James’ parents and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was home to the most important and influential Surrealist interior ever created in Britain.

One pair of lamps were made to flank the marble fireplace in the dining room at Monkton and would have stood adjacent to the Mae West Lips sofa, recently acquired by the V&A after a temporary export deferral was placed in November 2017.

The other pair of lamps is still owned by the Edward James Foundation.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:

Salvador Dalí is one of the great artistic pioneers of the 20th century. These lamps were created in the UK by Dalí and it is important that we keep them here.

I was delighted that the V&A was able to acquire the Mae West Lips sofa and I hope that we are able to find a buyer for the lamps so that they too can be saved for the nation.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

RCEWA member Richard Calvocoressi said:

The lamps are everything one would expect of Dalí. Witty, erotic – the champagne cups can be read as female breasts – the lamps are also strikingly sculptural, standing about the height of a person, with the line of vertical cups resembling a spinal column: a brilliant example of fantasy lighting.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of the lamps’ close connection with our history and national life, their outstanding aesthetic importance and their significance for the study of furniture history, as well as the history of design and Surrealist art.

The decision on the export licence application for the lamps will be deferred until 31 August. This may be extended until 30 November if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase them is made at the recommended price of £425,000 + £15,000 VAT.

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the lamps should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

An image of the lamps can be downloaded via our Flickr site.

ENDS

For media information contact:
Faye Jackson
Communications Officer
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Tel: 0207 211 6263
Email: faye.jackson@culture.gov.uk

Notes to editors

  1. Details of the lamps are as follows:
    Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) and Edward James (1907-1984)
    A pair of Champagne standard lamps
    modelled as stacked champagne glasses with tray bases decorated with ivy, some ‘glasses’ with removable half-section inserts
    gold-painted and lacquered brass
    Height: 63 in. (160 cm.)

  2. Provenance:
    Made for Edward James by Green & Abbott in 1938.
    At Monkton House, West Dean Estate, West Sussex, until 1986, and then moved to West Dean House, West Sussex.
    The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, West Sussex.

  3. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.

  4. The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk.




News story: Civil news: medical report information and mental health claims

Providers will need to start reporting the number of independent medical reports for controlled work from their June 2018 submission onwards.

Why is this necessary?

We are now collecting information on the number of independent medical reports billed on each mental health controlled work claim.

The idea is to improve the quality of the data we hold in this area.

The changes will apply to all completed cases from 1 June 2018. Providers submitting claims will be asked to enter the number of independent medical reports billed.

Mandatory change

It will become mandatory to enter this information for work billed from your June 2018 submission onwards.

We have updated our ‘Guidance for reporting controlled work matters’ to reflect these changes.

You should read the mental health section of this document for further details on the information you now need to report.

We will also be publishing a new bulkload spreadsheet, as well as information on the changes that have been made to CWA to help you report this information.

Further information

CWA codes guidance – to download ‘Guidance for reporting controlled work matters’

CWA updates to reporting changes – for further guidance on the changes to CWA and bulkload spreadsheet