In 2017 just 1.3% of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) customers, living on metered estates, switched energy supplier. In response to these low switching figures, the CMA is collaborating with UKLPG, the trade association representing LPG suppliers, to remind customers of their switching rights and supply options.

The CMA has published a switching factsheet and short animation for LPG customers on metered estates. Both guides highlight what customers need to know and do in order to switch.

Alongside the CMA’s switching factsheet and animation, UKLPG has updated its guidance for members about how best to communicate with residents about their supply and switching options.

Peter Hill, CMA Assistant Director (Remedies):

Having choice is key to ensuring you get a good deal on your energy supply. Switching has to be a collective, unanimous decision on an LPG metered estate – this is why we are urging customers to join with neighbours to make switching decisions together and not to rush into a new contract without speaking to those who live around them first.

UKLPG’s Chief Executive Rob Shuttleworth said:

LPG provides low carbon gas to hundreds of thousands of homes not connected to the gas grid. On metered estates, LPG is stored in large communal tanks and then piped to homes to be used just like mains gas.

We welcome the CMA’s new publications for metered estate residents and to support this we have produced further Q&A guidance to equip customers with the information they need to fully understand their energy supply options, this can be accessed via our website.

International confidence in the UK’s automotive sector was bolstered today (Wednesday 28 February) as Toyota announced it will build its new generation Auris model at its Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.

In a further vote of confidence for UK engineering expertise, the majority of engines for the new model will be sourced from the company’s Deeside factory in north Wales, helping secure 3,000 jobs across the 2 sites.

Business Secretary Greg Clark welcomed the decision during a visit to the Burnaston factory earlier today, where he met teams who will be working on the new model. The decision was helped in part by government investment of more than £20 million announced last year to support the upgrade of the facility and the installation of a new production platform to make the plant more competitive and enable it to build more advanced vehicles.

The investment follows the publication of last month’s landmark sector deal between government and the automotive sector, a vital moment in establishing the UK’s leadership in meeting the Future of Mobility and Clean Growth Grand Challenges.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

We have been clear in our commitment to ensuring the automotive sector continues to go from strength to strength which is why, through the Industrial Strategy, we established a landmark Automotive Sector Deal that will see us working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new technologies and future investment decisions.

Toyota’s decision to build its new Auris model in Burnaston is testament to the highly-skilled and committed workforce that helps make the UK’s automotive sector one of the most productive in the world, and this government will continue work to create the best possible environment to maintain this fruitful relationship.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Toyota’s commitment to the UK is an enormous economic boost for Deeside and Wales as a whole. Toyota has played a crucial role in helping to demonstrate why Wales continues to be a prime location to invest and do business through its anchor status on Deeside.

I visited the company’s HQ in Toyota City in Japan last year where I was encouraged by the long term approach given to their investment decisions.

This major announcement is fantastic news and a massive vote of confidence for UK manufacturing and for Wales as a go-to inward investment destination.

Toyota has a long-established relationship with the UK, producing 4 million vehicles and 5 million engines over the last 25 years. Today’s announcement follows Toyota’s decision last year to invest over £240 million to upgrade Burnaston to improve the plant’s competitiveness by installing its latest production platform – the Toyota New Global Architecture – to ensure the plant produced the most advanced models for the European market. This will be the third generation Auris to be built at the Burnaston factory, underlining the skill and expertise of the plant’s world-class staff.

The UK’s automotive sector continues to thrive with the UK currently the third largest European car producer with the highest productivity among Europe’s automotive producing nations. The sector generates £14.6 billion, representing 8.2% of the UK’s total manufacturing gross value added.

SSE Retail and Npower propose to create a new company to serve their combined domestic retail customers.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will now assess whether this deal could significantly reduce competition in the supply of energy to domestic customers in the UK.

The CMA has been discussing the deal with SSE Retail and Npower since it was announced. Now that the companies have provided the information necessary to start an investigation, the CMA has launched its review.

The CMA will investigate the merger on competition grounds, in line with its merger guidance.

The deadline for the initial decision is 26 April 2018. Further details, including how interested parties can submit evidence, are available on the investigation case page.

Published 28 February 2018

Sir Malcolm Grant, Chair of NHS England, speaking at the India-UK Createch Summit

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is warning people who may have purchased a “natural” Chinese herbal medicine, Yiganerjing Cream, as a treatment for skin conditions to stop using it immediately as it has been found to contain an undisclosed steroid and two antifungal ingredients.

MHRA officials have been acting to stop the sale of this cream and have had it withdrawn from many websites and on-line market places but people may have purchased it in the past and still be using it.

Yiganerjing Cream is not a licensed medicine and has been marketed in the UK as a “natural” Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of a range of skin conditions, most commonly eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.

Our analysis found the presence of the steroid clobetasol propionate. This steroid is the active ingredient in Prescription-Only Medicines used for the treatment of a range skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Creams containing steroids should be used sparingly and as directed by the prescriber. It is contraindicated in children under 1 year of age.

We are also aware of the use, via a herbal clinic, of a product called Penny Orange Cream which has also been found to contain clobetasol propionate. While this product is no longer available, and we are not aware of its widespread use, it did contain an undisclosed steroid and should not be used.

If you are unsure about the safety of a medicine claiming to be “natural” or “herbal” you should check for a Marketing Authorisation (MA) or Product Licence (PL) number or Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) number / the THR logo. This means the product has been assessed by MHRA for safety and has been manufactured correctly. For more information, visit NHS Choices.

Dr Chris Jones, Manager of the Medicines Borderline Section at MHRA said:

The sale of potent steroid creams directly to the public is illegal for good reason. If used without medical supervision these medicines can be dangerous.

Steroids must be prescribed by healthcare professionals who follow strict criteria when prescribing them and monitoring patients using them. They can suppress the skin’s response to infection, can cause long-term thinning of the skin, and if applied long term over a wide area, particularly in babies and children, can cause other medical problems.

Our advice to anyone who is using Yiganerjing Cream, particularly on young children and babies, is to discontinue use immediately. If you have any questions, please contact your healthcare professional.

If you are aware of Yiganerjing cream being sold, please report it to MHRA at Borderline_medicine@mhra.gov.uk.