Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels today (11th January) for high-level meetings focused on the Iran nuclear deal. He was joined in his discussions by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini.

Speaking ahead of the meetings, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The UK has always been clear: the Iran nuclear deal is a crucial agreement that makes the world safer. It is vital that we continue to work with our European partners to preserve the Iran deal, and with it the security and prosperity it is bringing to the people of Iran and the world. It is those shared interests which will drive our discussions in Brussels.

Of course there are areas where we disagree with Iran, not least on its destabilising regional activity and its ballistic missile programme. This will be an important part of our conversation.

I will be making it clear to Foreign Minister Zarif, on the subject of the recent protests in Iran, that the right to peaceful demonstration within the law is central to any truly thriving society. I will also raise all of our Iranian dual-national consular cases.

Further information

What do the reports show?

A wealth of important information about contractual performance is contained in each ‘Provider Activity Report’ (PAR). Some examples include:

• Defence Solicitor Call Centre acceptance rates
• rejects for claims submitted
• reconciliation statistics for standard and variable monthly payments

Why are you doing this now?

Your PAR is important to how we manage your contract and we want to be transparent about the information we hold.

The idea is to give providers the opportunity to review and monitor changes in performance using the same information that we hold.

You should already be familiar with the content of these reports through discussions with your contract manager.

We have been piloting the reports with providers in Bristol and London for the last few months and have listened to feedback. This has allowed us to refine the reports and our approach to sharing them.

Outcome of pilot

PARs were sent successfully to around 800 providers during August and September.

Feedback focused on making the reports as easy to use as possible e.g. increasing font size, removing excess pages, and using blanks rather than 0s for example.

We have also worked to:

• improve the guidance that sits alongside PAR
• make sure contract managers are equipped to answer more detailed questions or address concerns at annual visits

Timescales and next steps

All providers will be start receiving quarterly PARs by from January 2018.

Who will you contact?

We plan to email the designated primary contact email address we hold for your office in Contracted Work and Administration (CWA).

How can I check you have the right email address?

You can check the designated primary contact email address we hold for you by going into the CWA system.

There is a user guide on GOV.UK which sets out how to check and amend this information – see below.

Further information

CWA detailed user guides – download ‘CWA user guide admin’ and see page 7 ‘Primary Contacts’

A pledge to eliminate avoidable waste, introduce new safeguards for wildlife and connect more children with nature are among the ambitious plans for a greener future outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May and Environment Secretary Michael Gove today.

In a major speech today, the Prime Minister has launched the government’s landmark 25 Year Environment Plan, setting out how we will improve the environment over a generation by creating richer habitats for wildlife, improving air and water quality and curbing the scourge of plastic in the world’s oceans.

“A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment” sets out how over the next quarter of a century the government will:

• Crackdown on plastics by eliminating all avoidable plastic waste through extending the 5p plastic bag charge to small retailers, removing consumer single use plastics from the government estate, supporting the water industry to significantly increase water fountains and working with retailers on introducing plastic-free supermarket aisles.

• Help wildlife thrive by creating 500,000 hectares of new habitat for endangered species, supporting farmers to turn fields into meadows and other habitats, replenishing depleted soils and providing £5.7 million to kick-start a new Northern Forest.

• Be a world leader in environmental protection by investigating the feasibility of an anti-poaching taskforce to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, committing overseas aid to help developing nations combat plastic waste, and extending the UK’s network of marine protected areas

• Deliver a Green Brexit by consulting on a new environmental watchdog to hold government to account for environmental standards, and setting out a new approach to agriculture and fisheries management

• Seek to embed a ‘net environmental gain’ principle so development delivers environmental improvements locally and nationally, enabling housing development without increasing overall burdens on developers

• Connect people with nature by creating ‘nature friendly schools’ and reviewing National Parks to see how they can improve and whether the network should be extended.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Respecting nature’s intrinsic value and making sure we are wise stewards of our natural world is critical if we are to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.

Our Environment Plan sets out how over the next 25 years we will radically reduce the waste that is choking oceans and rivers, cleanse our air of toxic pollutants and create new habitats for our most precious wildlife to thrive.

Through this plan we will build on our reputation as a global leader in environmental protection, creating an environment everyone can enjoy and helping the next generation flourish.

In a world-first, the 25 Year Environment Plan also sets out how we will use a natural capital approach to help us see the additional benefits – whether that is improved health and wellbeing, or national prosperity – in every part our environment, helping improve and direct decision making, and guiding new development.

The Plan sits alongside existing work. A Call for Evidence on reward and return schemes for drinks containers, including plastic bottles, has closed. Its findings are now being assessed by the Working Group, who will make recommendations to ministers this Spring.

As announced in the Budget, the Government will also launch a further Call for Evidence shortly on how changes to the tax system or charges on single-use plastics can play a role in reducing waste.

The plan sits alongside the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, which sets out how the UK is leading the world in cutting carbon emissions to combat climate change and driving economic growth.

At MHRA we are always working to improve the transparency, responsiveness, usability and effectiveness of our services.

To make our systems easier to use, we have developed and successfully piloted a new online service which:

• offers customers a better way to do business with us
• provides a single online account with the Agency
• provides access to Devices Registration (DR) and Certificates of Free Sale (CFS) services via a new online portal
• allows our staff to access and provide information to customers more quickly and in a more joined-up way
• enhances our customer service to you

What do I need to do?

Our new online accounts began being rolled out to customers at the end of November 2017 and we aim to have everyone on the new system by the end of February 2018.

If you use our Device Registration service or you apply for Certificates of Free Sale you will be moved to the new system in groups and will receive information with your instructions and go-live date.

There is no need to re-register. Your existing registration will remain valid and we will let you know what action you need to take to update your new account.

Further information

Read more about our new system.

If you have any further questions, please contact: devices.transformation@mhra.gov.uk

@MHRAdevices

New statistics show that over 350,000 people across the UK have now used the government’s Help to Buy schemes to help them cross the threshold and buy their own home. First time buyers continue to flock towards the Help to Buy: ISA, with more than 1.1 million now opened, offering government bonuses of up to £3,000 on top of their savings.

Help to Buy statistics released today (Thursday 11 January) show that:

• over 350,000 completions have taken place using one or more of the Help to Buy schemes
• over 300,000 first time buyer households are now on the housing ladder thanks to Help to Buy
• over 93% of completions across the Help to Buy schemes have taken place outside of London

John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury said:

This government is dedicated to helping current and future generations buy their own home. The government’s Help to Buy schemes has helped make that dream a reality for more than 350,000 people so far, with the ISA currently being used by many more future buyers to save towards that goal. Help to Buy is part of our wider plan to tackle the housing challenge and ensure the next generation can get on and climb up the housing ladder.

Housing Minister, Dominic Raab, said:

This government is committed to helping more people get on the housing ladder, with the support of a range of low cost home ownership products.

Thanks to our Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme the dream of home ownership continues to become a reality for thousands more households across the country.

More than 140,000 completions have now taken place through the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme, which offers buyers up to 20% of a newly built home’s costs so they only need to provide a 5% deposit.

95% of first time buyers who pay stamp duty will also benefit from the Stamp Duty changes announced in the Budget. The government has abolished stamp duty altogether for first-time buyer purchases up to £300,000, and made this relief available for the first £300,000 of properties worth up to £500,000, providing help for people in higher value areas.

The Chancellor also announced that an average of 300,000 homes built each year will be delivered by the mid-2020s through new financial support and planning reforms. Together, this government action means annual housing supply is on track to reach to its highest level since 1970 by the end of the Parliament.

The most completions using the Help to Buy: ISA have taken place in the North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber. In total, 106,612 completions have taken place across the UK using the ISA bonus since its launch in December 2015.

The London Help to Buy scheme provides an equity loan of up to 40% for buyers in the capital with a 5% deposit. It has helped 5,715 buyers in the capital across 33 boroughs purchase their own property between February 2016 and September 2017.