Tag Archives: GB

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News story: Almost £1 million awarded to 66 water rescue charities

Water rescue charities around the UK have been awarded £913,000 by Maritime Minister John Hayes today (24 January 2017).

This is the third round of funding provided under a 5 year, £5 million scheme, announced as part of the 2014 budget statement.

The grant supports charities running local lifeboat and rescue services, helping those in danger on and around inland and inshore waterways, including during flooding and other incidents. The money can be used to buy new lifeboats and other equipment such as lifejackets and safety gear.

Maritime Minister, John Hayes, said:

Every day countless volunteers in water rescue charities across our island nation carry out vital work during emergencies, not only around our coasts but also keeping our rivers, lakes and inshore waters safe.

It is imperative that we value and support their tireless efforts. I am delighted to be able to announce the latest round of funding, ensuring they have the equipment and resources they need to provide their round-the-clock lifesaving services.

An expert panel – including representatives from the devolved administrations, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and the Royal Yachting Association – assessed applications submitted to the Department for Transport on the basis of:

  • how the equipment or training will be used to support lifesaving, search and rescue operations and flood response capability locally and nationally
  • whether the funding will deliver wider community benefits
  • how the equipment and skills will bring sustainable benefits

Bids for funding were accepted from UK charities as defined in the Charities Act 2006. Other criteria are set out in the guidance notes published on GOV.UK.

The annual £1 million fund also covers administration of the scheme.

List of new grant recipients

Inshore and inland rescue boat grant recipients, 2016 to 2017

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Press release: New charity investigation: Beth Yosef Foundation

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into Beth Yosef Foundation, registered charity number 1071268. The inquiry was opened on 21 December 2016.

The charity has objects to advance the Jewish Religion, in particular as practised by Sephardi Jews. The charity was identified by the Commission for a compliance visit, as its objects suggested it might be operating in high risk areas and it had failed to submit annual returns to the Commission since February 2012. The Commission met with a trustee of the charity in November 2016.

The visit identified a number of serious regulatory concerns relating to the administration and financial management of the charity by the trustees. The Commission’s concerns include a failure by the trustees to submit their annual returns, whether the charity has any validly appointed trustees, loan agreements entered into by the charity and the sale of property owned by the charity.

The inquiry will examine:

  • whether the trustees are properly appointed and whether decisions made by current trustees regarding the administration and management of the charity have been validly made, in particular in relation to the disposal of charity property
  • whether any potential conflicts of interest have been identified and correctly managed by the trustees
  • the financial management of the charity and application of charitable funds, in particular relating to rental income received from a property owned by the charity and how rental income has been applied
  • whether or not the trustees have complied with and fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law
  • whether there has been any misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees

The Commission stresses that opening an inquiry is not in itself a finding of wrong doing.

The purpose of an inquiry to examine issues in detail and investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether there has been misconduct and mismanagement; establish the extent of the risk to the charity’s property, beneficiaries or work; decide what action needs to be taken to resolve the serious concerns, if necessary using its investigative, protective and remedial powers to do so.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

Ends

PR 04/17


Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.
  2. Search for charities on our online register.
  3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
  4. The Commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and with consideration of our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.
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News story: CMA updates competition law risk short guide

An updated risk guide for senior managers, directors and their advisers on how to avoid breaking competition law.

The guide was developed as a joint project with the Institute of Risk Management (IRM) and follows the first case of a director being disqualified after their company broke competition law.

In December 2016, a managing director of an online poster supplier gave an undertaking not to act as a director of any UK company for 5 years after their company was found to have been part of an online price-fixing cartel.

Alongside the updated risk guide the CMA has also published a one-page 60-second summary looking specifically at director disqualification with advice for company directors.

David Currie, CMA Chairman, said:

I am delighted that we are working with the IRM again to put the spotlight on the significant risks companies and their directors face if they don’t play by fair rules in business. Company directors have a special responsibility to be well-informed about their company practices and have a critical role to play in ensuring a business complies with the law.

In light of this I want to see anti-competitive behaviour taken as seriously by UK businesses and boards as the risks around bribery, fraud, health and safety and cyber crime.

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Press release: Supreme Court ruling on Article 50: statement

A statement was issued following the ruling today (24 January 2017).

A government spokesperson said:

The British people voted to leave the EU, and the government will deliver on their verdict – triggering Article 50, as planned, by the end of March. Today’s ruling does nothing to change that.

It’s important to remember that Parliament backed the referendum by a margin of 6 to 1 and has already indicated its support for getting on with the process of exit to the timetable we have set out.

We respect the Supreme Court’s decision, and will set out our next steps to Parliament shortly.

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Green Party responds to Supreme Court judgement

24 January 2017

Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, has responded to today’s Supreme Court judgement. 

She said: 

“This case is a win for parliamentary democracy, and a blow for those minister who planned to railroad Brexit through without any proper scrutiny.

“The spotlight now falls on MPs – and in particular the Labour Party – to properly scrutinise the Government’s plans and act accordingly. That must mean that Labour rethink the support they’ve given to triggering article 50 prematurely, and instead join those of us who refuse to be pushed into Theresa May’s artificial Brexit timetable.

“It’s astonishing that Ministers ever thought it was right to trigger Article 50 without a vote in Parliament – and their battle in the courts really does expose a contempt for the democratic process within the Conservative party.

“I will not be capitulating to the Tories over Brexit – and will vote against prematurely triggering Article 50 in the Spring. As the co-leader of a Party which stands for environmental, social and economic justice I will not support a Government offering no assurances to EU nationals living in Britain, threatening to turn this country into a tax haven and planning to throw us off the Brexit cliff edge by ending our membership of the Single Market and Customs Union.”

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