Tag Archives: GB

Last year saw a 17-year high in the number of cars built in the UK, official SMMT records have revealed. In 2016, 1.7 million cars came off the production line, up 8.5% on the year before.

Demand from overseas has helped to drive this increase with more than 1.3 million cars destined for export to over 160 countries. The manufacture of premium brands has helped make the UK the second biggest producer of premium cars after Germany.

With a car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds, and with over 163,000 people employed in the industry, the UK auto sector has seen a real revival.

Business Secretary Greg Clark welcomed the news:

Our modern industrial strategy will make the UK one of the most competitive places in the world to grow a business and these figures show why the UK automotive sector has such a vital role to play as we build on our strengths and extend excellence into the future. We are providing long-term investment and support, so that all our auto companies, and the vital supply chain it supports, can strive for even greater success in 2017.

Government is continuing to back the UK auto sector. That is why, on top of the £1 billion government and industry has committed to research and development, a further £390 million, announced at Autumn Statement, will be invested to develop and accelerate the transition to cleaner, connected and autonomous vehicles, strengthening the UK’s position as a leader in this vital sector.

Alongside this, the Automotive Investment Organisation, created in 2013, has already helped create or safeguard 20,000 jobs in the UK automotive supply chain and secured £1.5 billion in new capital investment.

read more

The Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore, spoke to students from Long Road Sixth Form college today about how they can raise awareness of voter registration in the lead up to the election for the first mayor of Cambridge and Peterborough.

Students engaged in lively discussion with the minister on what democracy means to young people living in the East of England.

Chris Skidmore, Minister for the Constitution, said:

I was impressed by the level of debate and interest shown by Cambridge’s college students today. This government is committed to a democracy that works for everyone and this means understanding the needs of young people, and other under-registered groups, on their own terms.

Over the coming months, people in Cambridge will be canvassed by different parties in the lead up to the election for the first mayor of Cambridge and Peterborough.

This is an exciting time in your local history and it’s crucial you register to vote so you can have your say. Whoever you are, whatever your background, wherever you live – your voice matters.

Christine Sherwin, College Principle, at Long Road Sixth Form college said:

We are delighted that Chris has chosen to visit Long Road Sixth Form College to hear about our initiatives to ensure that all our students register to vote.

We take our role in promoting democracy with our students very seriously, and our efforts begin on the first day that they join the college, when we show them how to register to vote and encourage them to do so at the same time. Our students are also encouraged to become involved with the UK Youth Parliament, with the majority wanting the Youth Parliament to campaign on obtaining the right for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in all elections and referenda.

The Minister is visiting Cambridge as part of his Every Voice Matters Tour.

The tour will see him visit every part of the country to understand how to tackle barriers to voter registration. As part of his trip to Cambridge, the Minister also visited the Winter Comfort homeless drop in centre to speak to users about how they can register to vote.

read more

Jack Sillence of Blackfield, Southampton was caught at Mopley Pond on 5 June 2016 and fined £660 (plus £127 costs and £66 victim surcharge leading to a total bill of £853). The exact same amount was charged to Nik Sinclair of Ringwood who was apprehended on 29 May 2016 at Hightown Lake. Andrew Turner of Southsea was caught at Broadlands Lake on 29 May 2016 and fined £660 (plus £127 costs and £60 victim surcharge). None of the above entered a plea.

Environment Manager Mike O’Neill said:

We are seeing higher and higher fines for fishing without a licence. It makes no sense to have the embarrassment of a court visit, a criminal conviction and a bill for over £800 when an annual licence is currently just £27. We think these cheats will think twice before picking up a rod illegally again and if they don’t, our officers are ready and waiting.

Kerry Farr of Eastleigh was caught at Broadlands Lake on 29 May and after pleading guilty was fined £440 (plus £127 costs, £44 victim surcharge). Kristofer Cairns of Andover was apprehended on 21 May 2016 at John O’Gaunt, Kings Sombourne, didn’t enter a plea and was fined £600 (plus £127 costs, £60 victim surcharge). Finally, Jonathan Ramsey of Chessington pleaded guilty having been caught on 29 May at Broadlands – he was fined £500 (plus £127 costs, £50 victim surcharge).

Mike O’Neill added:

Yesterday was a good day for the near million anglers that fish legally every year, respecting each other and the sport. There really is no excuse – if you don’t have a licence, pick one up from the Post Office or online before we pick you up.

The money from licence sales supports fish, fisheries and fishing and protects the future of the sport. A small number of anglers refuse to buy a licence, cheating the sport and their fellow anglers.

For the minority who flout the rules, the most common offence is fishing without a valid licence. Fishing without a valid licence could land you with a fine of up to £2,500 and a criminal record.

Overall, in 2015, Hampshire and Sussex enforcement officers checked 2,615 licences and reported 177 for fishing illegally. Last year in England, the Environment Agency checked over 62,000 rod licences and prosecuted more than 1,900 anglers for rod and line offences resulting in fines and costs in excess of £500,000.

Any angler aged 12 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence. A full rod licence costs from just £27 (concessions available). You can buy your rod licence online from the Post Office, at your local Post Office or by phoning 0344 800 5386.

Money from rod licence sales is invested in England’s fisheries, and is used to fund a wide range of projects to improve facilities for anglers including protecting stocks from illegal fishing, pollution and disease, restoring fish stocks through restocking, eradicating invasive species, and fish habitat improvements. Rod licence money is also used to fund the Angling Trust to provide information about fishing and to encourage participation in the sport.

To help crack down on unlicensed fishing the Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal activity by calling the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

read more

I’m delighted to be at the BETT show for the first time. As I’m sure you’re aware, this is the world’s largest edtech showcase, boasting nearly 40,000 visitors, some 12,000 of them coming from overseas to see all that the UK has to offer in this industry.

I would like to start by offering my thanks to all of you, not only for the limitless contribution that your industry makes to improving the lives of young people across the globe, but also for the huge service that you do for the United Kingdom

Thanks to your efforts, the UK is a world leader in education technology. Your contribution is not only economic, but also a priceless boost for Britain’s soft-power, and the way our country is perceived around the world. The products displayed at this showcase today will shape the world leaders of tomorrow.

My Department for International Trade (DIT) was created to make Britain a global hub of trade, the natural place of business for companies from every continent and every industry.

Our first priority in this is to assist, in any way we can, those industries such as yours where Britain is already a leading player, helping you to maximise opportunities and expand your overseas operations.

In 2011, the UK exported over £17.5 billion of education products, making the industry more valuable to the UK economy than insurance services or information technology.

I’ve travelled extensively in my first few months as Secretary of State, and one thing that has been crystal clear is that there is almost limitless demand for UK expertise overseas. The key for us to match demand with supply

The importance of edtech to the UK economy cannot be overstated, and it is the Department for International Trade’s ambition to see your industry play an increasingly central role in our export economy.

We intend to use the influence and expertise of Her Majesty’s Government, and the Department for International Trade to assist and promote UK edtech around the world.

We want to:

• help your businesses to identify export opportunities through the great.gov.uk online platform
• provide guidance to those companies who are exporting for the first time, or want to significantly expand their overseas operations
• to act, where it is necessary, as the official front for government-to-government activity
• to lead, where appropriate, on the establishment of industry consortia to take advantage of the largest strategic opportunities

One of my aims today is to impart to you the sheer number of opportunities that exist, across the world, for dynamic and innovative edtech businesses.

For example, colleagues from my department have recently visited Malaysia for a ministerial conference with the 10 ASEAN nations.

As most of you will be aware, this country already enjoys strong links with the Malaysian education sector, but there is significant scope to do more: Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand all expressed a strong interest in forging new links with the UK education sector.

Yours is an industry that already boasts significant success stories. I have just visited GL Assessment’s stand; their company is a fantastic example of how a truly innovative British product is changing global attitudes to pupil assessment.

• GL have recently invested in a programme with the Chinese government to trial their assessment tool with 25,000 students across 10 Chinese provinces
• If the trial is successful, the programme has the potential to reach over 16 million students across China; a true testament to the sheer scale of edtech opportunities that exist across the world, and the global appetite for British education products

We are truly starting from a position of strength; the UK education technology sector already enjoys an international reputation for innovation:

• our world-class educational establishments and training centres are producing the quality graduates that a successful edtech sector requires
• Britain is a global hub of edtech trade and collaboration. Its focal point is this event, the BETT conference, which attracts thousands of global partners to the UK every year
• last, but by no means least, is the sheer quality of you, our leading edtech companies. Not only are you innovating new education solutions, but you have the capability to deliver them globally, and the ambition to scale up and expand your operations overseas. You are a credit to your industry, and to this country

Lastly, I would like to encourage you all to engage with the great.gov.uk website and online resource.

For the first time, the government is working actively to put exporters such as yourselves in touch with overseas customers and opportunities, and offering help and support every step of the way.

As well as this, your details will be added to a globally-available directory of British education technology suppliers, allowing potential clients from across the world to contact you directly.

Lastly, you will be given help and advice on exporting to specific regions, and DIT will arrange key players from this sector to accompany us on overseas trips to regions where we have identified specific export opportunities.

What could be better?

I wish you an excellent and successful show, and look forward to working closely with the edtech industry as we secure Britain’s influence and prosperity for generations to come.

read more

Introduction

Good morning.

I’m really pleased to join you for this year’s National Roads Policing Conference.

Last night I was at a road safety event in the House of Commons meeting some of those who have lost friends or relatives in collisions on the road.

I also frequently meet bereaved families in my office in the Department for Transport.

These meetings are never easy.

Yet as I listen to people’s stories, I am filled with respect for the job that you do.

Often, you’re the first on the scene.

Often, too, you’re the first to break the news of tragedy.

Few can understand how tough that job must be.

Yet all of us must be grateful that you are there to do it.

With courage and professionalism.

So I would like to start by saying: thank you.

Thank you for being there in the aftermath of tragedy, and for supporting those tragedy touches.

Of course, dealing with the aftermath of tragedy is only one part of your job.

The priority is always to prevent it from happening in the first place.

And that’s why I was so pleased to see this year’s conference theme: enforcement.

And you’re covering a lot of ground today and tomorrow.

From older drivers, to emergency pursuits.

In my speech I’d like to focus on three specific areas of enforcement.

Drink.

Drugs.

And mobile phones.

Drink

First, drink driving.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come on drink driving.

50 years ago, it was tolerated, if not something anyone would be proud of.

Today, most people agree that it’s completely unacceptable.

So it’s no coincidence that, during these last 50 years, deaths caused by drink driving have been cut by over 80%.

80%.

But not 100%.

Yes, with the drastic fall in drink-related deaths over the last 50 years, it becomes more difficult to maintain the same rate of progress.

But there is still more we can do before we get that number down further.

That’s why, since 2015, in order for high-risk offenders to get their licenses back they’ve had to prove they’re not alcohol dependant.

Another frustration that you’ve told us about is drivers who fail a breathalyser test and then demand a blood test – in the hope that they’ll sober up in the meantime.

So we removed their automatic right to do so.

Making enforcement easier.

Of course, none of this is a substitute for people taking responsibility for their actions and their consequences. That’s why our message during Christmas was that a second drink can double the chance of a collision. Our message was complemented by police force’s own initiatives.

For example, Essex Police’s campaign focused on how it feels to live with the consequences of drink driving. And local forces carried out spot checks, deterring and catching drivers who were a danger to the public.

Drugs

In 2015 we passed Section 5a of the Road Traffic Act.

This put drug driving on the same legal footing as drink driving.

And we brought in set limits for 8 drugs, legal and illegal.

And I am pleased to be able to give you the interim results for 2016.

To put it in context, in 2014 there were 879 endorsements for drug driving.

In 2016 – the first full year with the new law – there were 8,500.

That’s 8,500 people you have caught and successfully convicted of drug driving.

8,500 dangerous drivers taken off our roads.

And, actually, the final total will be even higher, because the last 6 weeks of data aren’t yet included in the figures.

But that is approximately 10 times as many drug users who lost their licences in 2016 compared to 2014.

People who were a danger to the public, banned from our roads.

No doubt, lives saved.

That’s a fantastic result.

And it’s thanks to the efforts of road police officers up and down the country getting out and enforcing the law of the land.

To support your work, we’ve also provided £1 million to police forces across England and Wales.

That money has trained a thousand officers in gathering evidence of impairment caused by drugs. It’s also paid for roadside swabbing equipment, so when you pull over a suspected drug user you can test them for cannabis and cocaine immediately.

So our message to motorists is clear.

Drive under the influence of drugs and there’s a very good chance you will get caught.

Mobile phones

But I also have another message for those minority of motorists with a scant regard for the law of the land. It’s about mobile phones.

Most of you would never think of using your mobile whilst driving.

Talking. texting. checking updates.

You know that it’s a serious crime which destroys lives.

But for those motorists who don’t understand this, we’re increasing the penalties.

From March (2017), it’ll cost 6 points on your licence.

And the fixed penalty fine – doubled.

So our message to anyone thinking about using their mobile whilst driving is simple.

Don’t do it.

It’s a message that we’ll be reinforcing with a hard-hitting THINK campaign.

Earlier I mentioned the connection between social attitudes and the drink drive casualty rate.

Put simply, an increased stigma means fewer deaths.

So I want every motorist to understand that using your mobile behind the wheel is as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

Or drug driving, for that matter.

That’s why we will not only penalise such drivers, but we will also educate them about the consequences of their actions.

We want to work with police forces and with road safety groups to develop a practical model for education.

We’re determined to get this model right, including changing legislation if needed.

Our role, as the government, is to support enforcement and the work that you do.

So that we can continue to make progress on safer roads.

Conclusion

But while legislation and statistics are crucial, the words can sometimes sound rather dry.

You know better than anyone that every statistic represents a lost life and a devastated family.

It’s brought home to me every time I hold one of those meetings, or whenever I speak to a road police officer.

Yet I also never forget that due to your actions, there are many people who have been saved from such tragedies.

Each day and night of the year – whatever the weather – there are people who get to go home to their loved ones because the police are out on our roads.

Enforcing the law.

Protecting us from harm.

So thank you, once again, for the work that you do.

On behalf of the public, Parliament, and the government – thank you.

read more