Tag Archives: HM Government

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Press release: November 2017 Transaction Data

The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,774,223 applications in November compared with 1,740,068 in October and 1,644,163 last November, of which:

  • Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The December Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Monday 22 January 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.

  • The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and searches were completed, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.

  • Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.

  • Transaction Data excludes pending applications, withdrawn applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications.

  • Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. Discharge applications remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in the transaction data.

  • Most searches carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.

  • Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.

  • Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.

  • If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement:
    Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2017. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

  • HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

  • HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.

  • HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth more than £4 trillion, including more than £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles, which show evidence of ownership, covering more than 85% of the land mass.

  • For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry

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    HM Government

    News story: More frequent cattle testing to boost fight against bovine TB

    An image of cows in a field.

    Bovine TB will be caught and stamped out more quickly in England’s cattle herds under plans to strengthen testing in the highest-risk areas of the country.

    Six monthly routine tests will be introduced for all herds in the High Risk Area – mainly the South West and parts of the Midlands – with annual tests preserved for herds that have gone five or more years without disease, and farms accredited under the Cattle Herd Certification Standards (CHeCS) scheme, requiring tougher biosecurity measures to be observed.

    Grants to vaccinate badgers in the Edge Area of the country – the ‘buffer’ between the High Risk and Low Risk Areas – are also available now for schemes to run next year.

    These moves are part of the government’s comprehensive 25-year plan to eradicate bovine TB in England and come as recent peer-reviewed research shows badger control in Gloucestershire (58%) and Somerset (21%) – where culling began in 2013 – has contributed to significant reductions in the disease in herds.

    Results published today also confirm that all 19 licensed intensive badger control operations achieved the badger population reductions needed to realise disease control benefits.

    Farming Minister George Eustice said:

    Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB is delivering results. We are introducing more frequent testing of cattle to find and stamp out disease more quickly than ever before, to add to our tough restrictions on cattle movements to stop disease spreading. We are also addressing the disease in wildlife and it is encouraging to see early research shows badger control is having the expected results in driving down levels of TB.

    Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said:

    This year’s results show that badger control can be delivered successfully on a much wider scale, with all 11 new areas delivering effective operations. Expansion into further areas, alongside our robust cattle movement and testing regime, will allow us to achieve and maintain long term reductions in the level of TB across the South West and Midlands where the disease is widespread.

    In the Edge Area of the country, testing frequency will become more risk-based from January 2018, with more herds undertaking six-monthly testing. This will help vets identify and address outbreaks more quickly, helping to stop the spread of disease to new areas.

    The government is offering grants under the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme, which recommences in 2018 and aims to create a buffer zone between the highest- and lowest-risk disease areas of England. The scheme is open for the first round of applications until 19 January and successful applicants will receive a government grant for at least 50% of their costs from a fund worth £700,000 over four years.

    Dealing with Bovine TB in England costs taxpayers over £100 million a year, required the culling of more than 29,000 cattle in 2016 and causes devastation and distress for rural communities.

    Other measures announced today as part of the government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB are:

    • New compensation arrangements for pigs, sheep, goats, deer and camelids which have to be slaughtered because of bovine TB. The changes will come into force on 2 January 2018 and will bring statutory compensation in line with arrangements in Scotland and Wales.

    • Reduced compensation for animals which are unclean when presented for slaughter.

    • Delayed slaughter of pregnant cattle which test positive for bTB.

    Farmers can also access practical guidance on the TB Hub website, which brings advice from farming experts, vets and government together in one place.

    Background:

    1. The recent research paper referred to is Brunton et al (2017) Assessing the effects of the first 2 years of industry-led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in 2013-2015. Ecology Evolution. 7 (18). 7213-7230.

    2. The vaccination grants application page can be accessed here.

    3. The cull results can be accessed here.

    4. In September, the government awarded a contract to the Origin Group to deliver a new bTB advisory service. The easily accessible service offers clear, practical advice to help farmers in High Risk and Edge Areas to protect their herds from the disease and manage the impacts of a TB breakdown on their farm.

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    HM Government

    News story: Consultation on fees for marine licences

    Defra has today launched a consultation on proposals seeking to revise the marine licensing application fees applied to England and the Wales and Northern Ireland Offshore marine areas. Changes are needed in order to maintain marine licence applicant fee rates in-line with the costs incurred by the Marine Management Organisation in determining a marine licence application.

    This is being proposed to make sure the cost burden associated with administering licences for development lies with beneficiaries and not taxpayers.

    Detailed information on the proposals is included in Defra’s consultation document, but includes:

    • availability of self-service licences
    • a simplification of charges for a routine marine licence
    • an increase in the hourly rate charged for routine and complex marine licences (from £94 to £122 per hour)

    The proposals were previously discussed by the MMO’s Chief Executive, John Tuckett, during a hearing of the Environment Audit Committee in the House of Commons in January 2017. They are also part of a wider programme of improvements in marine licensing to make sure that the process it is as efficient as possible and proportionately manages risks to the marine environment.

    Businesses and industry representatives have been involved in this work and their views are being used to develop appropriate processes and services, such as a self-service approach for some marine licences, which is mentioned in the consultation document.

    The consultation runs until 2 February 2018. If any changes are agreed it is anticipated they will come into effect in March 2018. Further details will be provided in advance of any changes taking place.

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    HM Government

    Speech: New Year Message from British Ambassador to Maldives James Dauris

    The relationship that the Maldives and the UK enjoy is long-standing. We are connected through history, through shared interests and concerns and, perhaps most importantly, through people.
    This year British tourists have again made a very important contribution to Maldives’ economy. This year around a hundred thousand British holiday makers have visited your extraordinary country and I’m sure they will have enjoyed it. Of course a few people fall sick or get into difficulties and we are again grateful to the Maldives police and coastguard for the consular support they have given us during the year.

    Education has long been an important tie for us. I’m pleased that this year we have again been able to help talented young Maldivians to study at prestigious British universities through our Chevening scholarship scheme, and it’s great that we were able to sponsor a local journalist to join journalists from around South Asia for some training.

    On a quite different theme, the threat from terrorism is one that countries around the world face today, Maldives and the UK among them. We’ve done some great work this year with the Maldivian authorities on aviation security issues. And we’ve provided training for security managers of resorts all around the country. I’m looking forward to more of this sort of cooperation – sharing best practice and working together helps to keep us all safe.

    We have continued to support important work that is being done in Maldives on women’s issues. Through the year I’ve really enjoyed meeting lots of people, men and women, in Male and on other islands who share my belief that our societies are better off when women and girls are able and encouraged to participate in all sorts of activities, including in business and politics.

    Both as British Ambassador and as someone who has grown fond of your country over the two plus years that I’ve been in my position, I’ve seen things that worry me happen too. The freedoms to speak, to write, to meet, to justice, to choose are ones that should really matter, to all of us. We are hoping that we will see these freedoms start to flourish again in the coming year.

    Since I was young I’ve had a strong interest in the environment and in effective conservation. In Maldives, beauty and environmental fragility go hand in hand. Experiences of countries around the world show us that coral reefs destroyed are impossible to replace, areas of mangrove bulldozed almost impossible to re-establish. It’s because the Maldives are so unspoiled that many people choose to visit. Going forwards I think that getting the balance between economic interest and conservation is one that will need careful thought and principled decision-taking.

    Looking to 2018, everyone will agree that one of the most important events is going to be the presidential election. Almost every Maldivian I meet tells me of their hope that the election and the whole election process will be fair, and that voters will have a real choice and a free choice. In the UK, we share that hope.

    I trust that you will share my wish that, in Maldives, in the UK and around the world, we will see values that make our societies peaceful and prosperous, tolerant and fair, prosper in the year ahead, and our communities grow stronger and happier for it.

    May I wish you success and happiness in the coming year.

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    HM Government

    Speech: Christmas and New Year Message from British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris

    The relationship that Sri Lanka and the UK enjoy is long-standing, broad and enduring. We can see this reflected in what we’ve been doing in 2017. Take business for example. British Companies have been winning new business, investing in Sri Lanka and creating new jobs for Sri Lankans.

    Our long-established links through education have continued to grow. Around 30 British universities now offer degrees in collaboration with local universities, making their internationally recognised qualifications affordable and accessible for more students. Each year I enjoy meeting the winners of our Chevening scholarships before they head off for their post-graduate studies in the UK. The British Council established a new teaching centre in Matara earlier this year and its digital programme now reaches a million people across Sri Lanka. That’s a lot of people.

    I’m proud of the work my team has been doing in so many different areas with the Sri Lankan government and authorities. We have been contributing in lots of ways to the work that is going on around the country to promote reconciliation. To give you two examples, we’ve been funding work in the east to bring leaders of different faiths together, and we have been continuing to fund important humanitarian demining work in the north. We’ve been continuing our work with the Sri Lanka Police force on community policing and police reform. Our armed forces have been working together – earlier this month I met Sri Lanka Navy participants in a Royal Navy run course on marine resource management.

    We share the welcome given by people in every community in Sri Lanka to all the steps taken over the year to help achieve and advance reconciliation between communities. It’s to the government’s credit that the Right to Information Act came into force in February, that Sri Lanka again committed itself to advancing reconciliation and accountability at the United Nations in Geneva in March, that President Sirisena approved the Act establishing the Office of Missing Persons in July, that it deposited its accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture at the UN in New York earlier this month, and that it has signed up to the Ottawa Convention that prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines.

    I’m mentioning these things because I believe, and my government believes, that reconciliation really matters. With it will come the confidence and trust that will help to bring sustained and enduring peace and prosperity to all Sri Lanka and to Sri Lankans of every faith and identity.

    Looking towards the coming year, I’m encouraged that there will be local elections in February. Lots more women than before are going to be standing – something for us all to welcome. It’s going to be important for the government to push forward with steps that will move on its Geneva commitments quickly. I’m also looking forward to seeing the government take more of the sorts of steps that we saw in last month’s budget that will make Sri Lanka an easier place for everyone to do business and help to attract investors and win their confidence.

    Meanwhile, in the UK we are looking forward to hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in London in the spring. Sri Lanka hosted the summit in 2013, and the London meeting will allow us to commit with the Commonwealth’s other fifty members to a shared ambition for a vibrant grouping that serves the needs of future generations. Whatever our faith, whether we are Christian or Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim, each year Christmas brings us a message based on values that most of us share: a message of peace, joy and new beginnings, of tolerance, community and forgiveness. I’m sure you will share my hope that we will see these values prosper in the year ahead, and our communities grow stronger and happier for it.

    I wish you a joyful Christmas, and success in the coming year.

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    HM Government