Edward Norton was a Sergeant of the 7th Battalion Durham Light Infantry when he lost his life in September 1918. His body was never found. Today, the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre is appealing for his family to get in touch after a set of human remains were discovered near the town of Gavrelle in northern France, the place where he fell a century ago.

Born in Stotfold, Bedfordshire in 1881 to Augustus and Mary Ann Norton. Edward originally served in the Bedfordshire Regiment before transferring to the Durham Light Infantry. He married Susan Agnes Bushwell in 1907 and according to the 1911 census, his last known address was 22 Pondwicks Road, Luton.

Now an appeal has been launched by the MOD JCCC to trace Edward’s surviving relatives so they can be invited to undertake a DNA test to prove whether or not the remains are his. If there is a match, the family will be invited to attend a full military burial service in March.

Louise Dorr from the JCCC said:

As a result of our extensive research, these remains are very likely to be 1 of only 2 missing soldiers, so there should be a very good chance of identifying him. He is to be buried in France on 15 March. Rather than bury him as an unknown soldier, I would love to be able to identify him so that his headstone may bear his name.

She added:

There are still so many 1000s of men lost in the Great War who have no known grave. To be able to identify just 1 of them takes a huge amount of research. Most importantly, it brings their individual story to an end and fills in the gaps in their family history.

If you can help with tracing Edward’s family, please call Louise on 01452 712612 extension 5465 or via email: DBS-JCCCCommem4SO3@mod.uk.

Nicky Roche was a Senior Civil Servant until 2013, including within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She is now Director of Strategy for Sporting Assets, a social enterprise which works with communities to use sport for wider social benefit such as employment, health and education. She has been reappointed to the Board of UK Sport and will continue to chair their major events panel. She is a Trustee of the Rees Care Leavers Foundation and the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. She recently chaired the independent panel supporting DCMS in assessing English city bids to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Nicky was Chief Executive of TdFHUB2014ltd, leading the co-ordination of the first three days of the 2014 Tour de France from Yorkshire to London. In 2007, she became Director of Operations, Government Olympic Executive. Alongside being one of the leaders on the logistical delivery of the Games, as a member of the senior leadership team Nicky also helped ensure that the budget of £9.3bn was managed and outcomes were on time and to quality. Prior to this Nicky held the post of Director of Sport and Board Member for DCMS. Nicky was awarded a CBE for services to the staging of the London 2012 Games. She is a keen horse rider and an athletics fan.

The role is remunerated at £218 per day and this appointment is made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Nicola Roche has declared no personal political activity.

The Countryside Stewardship scheme has opened for farmers and land managers to request 2018 application packs today (15 January).

Four simpler, and quicker to apply for, offers are being introduced this year to complement the existing Higher Tier and Mid Tier offers and open up the scheme to even more farmers and land managers. Unlike existing offers, all landowners who make a valid application for any of the four new packages will be guaranteed funding though the scheme.

This application window is an opportunity for farmers new to Countryside Stewardship (CS), or those coming out of previous stewardship agreements, to sign up for an agreement that will be guaranteed for its lifetime, to protect wildlife, boost biodiversity and deliver environmental benefits for their local communities.

Earlier this month, Environment Secretary Michael Gove outlined government plans to replace existing farm subsidies outside the EU with a new system of public money for public goods. Ahead of this, the new CS offers are an opportunity for even more farmers to establish positive environmental practices on their land and prepare for the future.

The RPA and Natural England have been tasked with simplifying the scheme, to save farmers time and cut down on paperwork. As part of this, farmers applying for the new CS Offers who meet the eligibility requirements will be able to get an agreement to deliver as few as 3 options, or as many as 7 up to 14, depending on the offer applied for. The new CS Offers are a chance for those who’ve been put off the scheme in the past to look again at what’s on offer and what they might be able to achieve on their land.

The government has made clear its intention to go on supporting farmers for many years to come to deliver public goods, in terms of producing high quality food, boosting biodiversity and making our countryside a safe haven for our iconic wildlife.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

We’ve seen farmland birds recover in numbers and biodiversity boosted on farms signed up to Countryside Stewardship agreements, however we have listened to those who said the schemes had become too complicated. The new Countryside Stewardship offers available this year are much simpler to apply for and cover a full range of different farm types, so farmers can deliver environmental benefits wherever and whatever they farm.

My message to farmers who’ve been put off Countryside Stewardship in the last few rounds is to take another look and see what’s on offer this year. We’ve listened to farmers and we’ve simplified the offering to create a universal scheme to appeal to farmers new to stewardship and those coming out of ELS so they can continue the good work on their farms.

Farmers and land managers have until 31 May to request a paper application pack. Farmers intending to apply online this year will be able to create their Online Arable Offer application pack from 20 February. See further details of the new Offers for Wildlife.

Applicants can request more information on all the Offers available from Natural England Enquiries Team by telephone: 0208 026 1089; email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk; or writing to:

Enquiries, Natural England, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP

On 15 January 2018, a winding up order was made against Carillion Plc and the court appointed the Official Receiver as the liquidator. The companies involved in the liquidation are:

• Carillion Plc, company number 03782379
• Carillion Construction Ltd, company number 00594581
• Carillion Services Ltd, company number 02684154
• Planned Maintenance Engineering Ltd, company number 00737307
• Carillion Integrated Services Ltd, company number 03679838
• Carillion Services 2006 Ltd, company number 03011791

To ensure continuity of public services, the companies will employ workers on the same terms and conditions as before:

• employees should continue to turn up for work and will be paid as normal
• any employee worried about their pension situation can ring The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) on 0300 123 1047 for free and impartial guidance
• The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) has also set up a special helpline number for members of these pension schemes: 020 7630 2715. Those already receiving their pensions will continue to receive payment
• a dedicated website has been set up to provide information for anyone affected – see www.pwc.co.uk/carillion and a dedicated helpline – 0800 063 9282

Information for employees

I work for Carillion – what should I do?

You should continue to turn up for work as usual and you will be paid. Please visit www.pwc.co.uk/carillion for more information.

What about my pension?

Anyone worried about their pension situation can ring The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) on 0300 123 1047 for free and impartial guidance. TPAS has also set up a special helpline number for members of these pension schemes: 020 7630 2715. Those already receiving their pensions will continue to receive payment.

I’m worried about my job

JobCentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, stands ready to support any employee affected by this announcement.

Getting help with your application for redundancy payments

If you worked directly for the liquidated companies under an employment contract, and your employment ceases then you will be entitled to redundancy and other related payments from the Insolvency Service.

Self-employed contractors and agency workers who provide services to the companies are not eligible to apply for redundancy payments.

If you were an employee of the liquidated companies and your employment ceases you will receive from the Special Managers a case reference number (e.g CN12345678). Once you have this information you can apply online.

Further information

If you have any further questions, you can also contact the dedicated helpline: 0800 063 9282.

Information for suppliers

Customers, suppliers and sub-contractors should call their usual operational points of contact in the Group and visit the website www.pwc.co.uk/carillion.

Information for creditors

You will need to register as a creditor in the liquidation if:

• you haven’t been paid for goods or services you’ve supplied to the Carillion companies in liquidation
• you have paid these companies for goods or services that you haven’t received

Self-employed contractors and agency workers who provided services to Carillion are not entitled to redundancy payments and should speak to your usual point of contact in the companies.

What happened?

Carillion Plc entered into insolvency on 15 January 2018 along with a number of subsidiary companies in the group. All companies will continue to operate, providing continuity of public services, until further notice.

The Official Receiver has been appointed by the Court as liquidator of Carillion Plc and is now responsible for the day-to-day control and management of the liquidated companies in the group. Partners at PwC have been appointed as Special Managers to assist.

What contracts did Carillion hold?

Government contracts with Carillion include services for hospitals, schools, prisons and transport. Carillion delivered around 450 contracts with government, representing 38% of Carillion’s 2016 reported revenue. Key central government contracts are held with Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice and Department for Transport. These are not the cause of the company’s present financial difficulties.

Further information

If you have any further questions, you can contact the dedicated helpline on 0800 063 9282.

Today (15 January 2017) the Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster announced the government will continue to deliver all public sector services following the insolvency of Carillion PLC.

After meeting with their bankers and lenders, Carillion has announced its decision to initiate insolvency proceedings. The Official Receiver has been appointed by the court as liquidator along with partners at PwC that have been appointed Special Managers.

Government will provide the necessary funding required by the Official Receiver to maintain public services.

Those already receiving their pensions will continue to receive payment. A dedicated web page and helpline have also been set up for workers who may be concerned or have questions about their personal situation.

The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP said:

It is regrettable that Carillion has not been able to find suitable financing options with its lenders but taxpayers cannot be expected to bail out a private sector company.

Since profit warnings were first issued in July, the Government has been closely monitoring the situation and has been in constructive discussion with Carillion while it sought to refinance its business. We remained hopeful that a solution could be found while putting robust contingency plans in place to prepare for every eventuality. It is of course disappointing that Carillion has become insolvent, but our primary responsibility has always been keep our essential public services running safely.

We understand that some members of the public will be concerned by recent news reports. For clarity – All employees should keep coming to work, you will continue to get paid. Staff that are engaged on public sector contracts still have important work to do.

Since its inception in the 1990s private finance has helped to deliver around £60 billion of much-needed capital investment in infrastructure in the UK across a range of projects and we will continue to maintain partnerships with responsible firms in future.

Further information

1. For media enquiries on government’s response to Carillion insolvency contact Cabinet Office Communications: 020 7276 2210/07074 667 000 (out of hours).

2. Carillion held approximately 450 contracts with government, representing 38% of Carillion’s 2016 reported revenue. Key central government contracts are held with DfE, DHSC, MoJ, MoD, and DfT. For media enquiries about departmental services contact: DfE: 0207 783 8300/ 020 7783 8300 (out of hours) ; DHSC: 0207 210 3872/ 07050 073 581 (out of hours); MoJ: 020 3334 3536/07659 173 270 (out of hours); DfT: 0207 944 3021/ 020 7944 4292 (out of hours); MoD: 02072187907 (out of hours)

3. Anyone worried about their pension situation can ring The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) on 0300 123 1047 for free and impartial guidance. TPAS has also set up a special helpline number for members of these pension schemes: 020 7630 2715. JobCentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, stands ready to support any employee affected by this announcement.

4. The Official Receiver works for the Insolvency Service, which is an agency of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. He is liquidator of the companies and his job is to realise the assets of the company, deal with creditors’ claims, and investigate the cause of failure. The Official Receiver also has a duty to investigate generally the business, dealings, and affairs of the company. In his role as liquidator, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and is independent from government. The legal and practical consequence of liquidation is that the liquidator takes over the day-to-day control of the company. In liquidation, the directors will have no continuing role in controlling and managing the company. The liquidator’s primary duties are to the creditors and the cost of the liquidation are paid from the company’s assets. For media queries about the Insolvency Service call: 020 7596 6187