Tag Archives: HM Government

In the last week the Environment Agency’s environmental crime team have dealt with two new incidents where farmers have been approached and asked if they want tarmac road planings that can be used to repair roads and farmyards on their land. After accepting the offer and cash they found bales of landfill waste dumped on their land instead of the expected road planings, leaving them with an environmental liability and a bill to transport and remove the waste to an authorised disposal site.

Farm insurance policies often do not cover poor business ventures. The first farmer had 25 bales deposited on his land this week, including transport and disposal of the waste to a permitted disposal site; this could cost the farmer approximately £3,000.

The second farmer had approximately 2,500 bales deposited on his land. The cost of disposal at a permitted disposal site could result in a bill of approximately £300,000.

The Environment Agency is urging all landowners to be wary and not become the next victim of illegal waste disposal and dumping.

Advice from the Environment Agency includes:

• use reputable agents and brokers
• carry out suitable checks and due diligence, i.e. get the individuals details, vehicle registration, ask where the waste is coming from (address, permit number, waste carriers registration)
• inform them you’ll be contacting the Environment Agency or call us whilst they are there
• don’t agree to accept any waste until you have carried out some checks and had a cooling off period to fully consider the offer

Peter Stark, Senior Enforcement Officer, said:

Criminals operating in and around the waste industry can be very convincing and persuasive, sometimes offering thousands of pounds in cash up front. Don’t be tempted by quick money, you could end up with an environmental risk, flies, polluting liquids running out of bales of waste and even fire risks alongside the massive disposal bill.

We will investigate these two illegal waste incidents fully and take enforcement action if we can. However these farmers and landowners may have to pay significant sums to remove the waste legally. Waste crime is a serious issue diverting as much as £1 billion per annum from legitimate business and treasury.

Although these specific incidents occurred in Lincolnshire, we would not be surprised if this scam was attempted in neighbouring counties due to convenient transport links.

The Environment Agency provides impartial advice to customers, individuals and businesses to help them grow, our local officers will be happy to talk to you, can make public register checks whilst you are on the phone or you can make checks on our website for free, or you can call our Customer Contact centre on 03708 506 506.

The Highways Agency and county council’s highways department and their contractors will always use legitimate waste carriers and sites for the reuse or disposal of waste. They may approach farmers and landowners to see if they want to reuse tarmac road planings or crushed rubble and concrete to repair road and yard areas but farmers need to register the U1 waste exemption with the Environment Agency and abide by the rules.

The vast majority of waste sites we regulate are well run and provide essential waste management services. The Environment Agency are here to help the legitimate businesses.

Waste stored inappropriately can create issues for neighbours like smells and pests. It can also have a detrimental effect on the environment and impact on rivers and streams. There is a high risk of waste fires due to the waste not being stored in the correct manner.

Everybody has a part to play to help solve the waste crime problem and make sure waste is managed responsibly. If you see or suspect illegal waste activities, report it anonymously to Crimestoppers or call 0800 555 111.

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Summary

At 22:57 hrs on 15 August 2016, a member of the public was struck by a tram between David Lane and Basford tram stops on the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) system. The person sustained fatal injuries.

The tramway between these two tram stops is not normally accessible to the general public. However, the member of the public had entered the tramway after alighting from a tram at David Lane tram stop. A tram driver had reported seeing the member of the public on this section of the tramway nine minutes before he was struck.

The supervisors in the NET control room implemented arrangements to warn tram drivers approaching the area between the tram stops. However, after a while, a supervisor formed the opinion that the member of the public had left this area of the tramway and stopped warning drivers between David Lane and Basford tram stops. This meant that the driver of the tram involved was not advised to reduce the tram’s speed or exercise caution in this section.

The member of the public was by that time lying motionless along the track. The driver passed through the section at normal speed and could not see the person in time to stop the tram before striking him.

The misunderstanding happened because the supervisor thought he understood from a reporting call handled by another supervisor that the member of the public had reached Basford tram stop. The audio reception of the call was poor and the basic principles of safety critical communication were not followed during the call. Furthermore, there was no effective exchange of information between the supervisors and the misunderstanding was not detected and challenged by others in the control room.

Recommendations

In light of the actions already taken by Nottingham Trams Limited since the accident, the RAIB has made only one recommendation which relates to NET’s on-going culture change programme. In addition, the RAIB has raised two learning points: one relating to using the full beam setting on trams and the other on the importance of effective safety critical communications.

Notes to editors

1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

Newsdate: 5 April 2017

PDF, 6.13MB, 35 pages

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@raib.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

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Government’s GREAT Britain campaign (GREAT) will see the campaign featured prominently on the McLaren-Honda MCL32 Formula 1 cars.

The partnership is designed to inspire people across the world and encourage them to visit, do business with, invest and study in the UK and comes after a successful run-out for the campaign at last year’s American and Mexican races.

The ‘Innovation is GREAT’ branding will feature prominently on McLaren-Honda cars at every race throughout the season, providing a unique high-profile platform and international audience for the campaign to promote the UK as a destination for trade, investment, tourism and study.

McLaren are world-leaders in applying innovative technology to improve lives. Through its Formula 1, high-performance road cars, and its fast-growing applied technologies arm, McLaren is a prominent example of a growing British-based, globally-focussed company exporting its expertise and products right around the world.

The year-long partnership will include a series of activations around key Formula1 races including the Malaysian Grand Prix later this year in October. These will focus on highlighting strengths in advanced engineering, technology, innovation – with both McLaren and the UK as strong advocates for promoting STEM education – and on promoting the UK as the home of great sporting moments.

Announcing the partnership in his keynote speech at a Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) event in Kuala Lumpur, International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox, said:

I am delighted that McLaren, a pioneer of innovation, has partnered with the GREAT Britain campaign for 2017, to inspire and encourage more visitors, businesses and academics to the UK. McLaren is a good example of a cutting-edge technology company drawing upon the UK’s technology expertise to attract the best world-class talent and bring audiences from across the globe to major sporting events.

The UK is truly open for business, and we’re committed to supporting companies large and small in taking advantage of the opportunities ahead of them to thrive.

Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa and Mansour Ojjeh, Executive Committee Principals, McLaren Technology Group, said:

We’re delighted to be collaborating with the GREAT Britain campaign over the course of the 2017 season to encourage the world to visit, do business with, invest and study in the UK.

McLaren is a UK-based global sports and technology brand with a strong presence and following across the world that is synonymous with technology and innovation so partnering with the ambition of the GREAT campaign is a natural fit. We have some exciting plans for the campaign to be announced over the course of the season.

From their expertise in data analysis honed in motorsport helping to transform patient care by spotting the early warning signs of problems, to improving the operational efficiency of business and beyond, McLaren has a proven record of creating solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.

The GREAT Britain campaign is the government’s most ambitious international marketing campaign ever, and showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer. It aims to encourage audiences to visit, study, invest in and do business with the UK, generating jobs and growth at home.

The campaign has delivered £2.7 billion of benefit to the UK economy to date, with a further £2.6 billion in the pipeline and has been commended by the National Audit Office.

The GREAT Britain campaign is active in over 144 countries, and in 2016 alone delivered 1,340 separate events and activities. The brand is independently valued at £234 million in 2016, and rising.

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The following list of standards were published by the European Standardisation Organisation, CEN, during the period January to March 2017, some of which are relevant to chemical measurement in support of regulation. The standards are divided into separate areas.

REACH regulation

The following two standards supersede existing standards published in 2012 and describe improvements in the analytical procedure and guidance on interpreting results.

EN ISO 14362-1:2017 – Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants – Part 1: Detection of the use of certain azo colorants accessible with and without extracting the fibres.

EN ISO 14362-3:2017 – Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants. Detection of the use of certain azo colorants, which may release 4-aminoazobenzene.

These two standards relate to entry 43 to Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 which prohibits the use of azo colorants in textile and leather articles which may come into direct and prolonged contact with the human skin or oral cavity, which, by reductive cleavage of one or more azo groups, may release one or more of 22 listed aromatic amines in detectable concentrations, i.e. above 30 mg/kg (0.003 % by weight) determined by gas chromatography.

The following two standards supersede existing standards published in 2007 and describe improvements in the analytical procedure.

EN ISO 17075-1:2017 Leather – Chemical determination of chromium (VI) content in leather – Part 1: Colorimetric method.

EN ISO 17075-2:2017 – Leather – Chemical determination of chromium (VI) content in leather – Part 2: Chromatographic method.

Some studies have shown that sensitised individuals may react to the low levels of chromium (VI) that might migrate from leather articles coming into contact with the skin at a concentration of 3 mg/kg. This limit represents the quantitative limit of the analytical methods described in EN 17075.

Food

EN 14176:2017 – Foodstuffs – Determination of domoic acid in raw shellfish, raw finfish and cooked mussels by RP-HPLC using UV detection.

Domoic acid is produced by different species of Pseudo-nitzschia and other marine organisms such as the red alga Chondria armata and can potentially enter the food chain by contaminating shellfish and other types of seafood.

The standard describes a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) system with a UV detector. The limit of detection is about 10 ng/mL to 80 ng/mL (0.05 mg/kg to 0.4 mg/kg), depending on the UV detector sensitivity.

EN 14526:2017 – Foodstuffs – Determination of saxitoxin-group toxins in shellfish. HPLC method using pre-column derivatization with peroxide or periodate oxidation.

Saxitoxin (STX)-group toxins are a group of closely related tetrahydropurines and have been detected in filter-feeding bivalve molluscs such as oysters, mussels and scallops.

Information on saxitoxin-group toxins in shellfish can be found in the EFSA Opinion on Contaminants in the Food Chain (Question No EFSA-Q-2006-065E): Marine biotoxins in shellfish – Saxitoxin group (The EFSA Journal (2009) 1019, 1-76).

Food Standards Scotland are currently performing a review titled: Shellfish Review: Bivalve mollusc classification and monitoring: consultation on changes to the official control programme and are inviting views on the proposed changes. The consultation closes on the 12 May 2017.

Fertilizer feeds

EN 16317:2013 + A1:2017 – Fertilizers and liming materials – Determination of arsenic by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) after aqua regia dissolution.

EN 16320:2013 + A1:2017 – Fertilizers and liming materials – Determination of mercury by vapour generation (VG) after aqua regia dissolution.

EN 15961:2017 – Fertilizers – Extraction of water-soluble calcium, magnesium, sodium and sulfur in the form of sulfates. This standard supersedes the existing standard published in 2011.

These standards are linked to EU Commission Mandate M/418 and M/335: Assigned to CEN concerning the modernisation of methods of analysis of fertilizers. The standards concern Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 relating to fertilisers which is currently the subject of review by the EU Commission.

EN 16877:2016 – Animal feeding stuffs – Methods of sampling and analysis. Determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins, Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone, in feed materials and compound feed by LCMS.

T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) are mycotoxins produced by fungi of the Fusarium genus and can be found in various cereal crops used as animal feed.

The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for HT-2 and T-2 toxin is ≤ 10 µg/kg, for DON ≤ 100 µg/kg, and for ZON ≤ 20µg/kg.

This is a new standard linked to EU Commission Mandate M/521: Methods of Analysis in the Field of Animal Nutrition Part I concerning Regulation (EC) No 882/2004: Official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules.

Animal and vegetable fats

EN ISO 6320:2017 – Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of refractive index.

EN ISO 663:2017 – Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of insoluble impurities content.

EN ISO 3960:2017 – Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of peroxide value. Iodometric (visual) endpoint determination.

EN ISO 8534:2017 – Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of water content. Karl Fischer method (pyridine free).

EN ISO 15774:2017 – Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of cadmium content by direct graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

Milk and milk products (or fat coming from milk and milk products) are excluded from the scope of all the standards.

All these standards are revisions superseding earlier versions.

Further information on food legislation can be found on the Government Chemist website in the series Food and feed law and legislation.

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The UK is set to become a leading partner for Saudi Arabia in delivering its ambitious “Vision 2030” programme for internal reform and modernisation.

The Prime Minister will meet King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh today where they are expected to agree:

• 6-monthly strategic dialogues between UK and Saudi Foreign and Trade Ministers to maximise mutual prosperity and build on existing security, defence and intelligence cooperation

• UK assistance to Saudi Arabia in building a reformed Ministry of Defence, reviewing Saudi defence capabilities and joint working across the Saudi armed forces

• a new UK-Saudi Policy Dialogue on education to share best practice

• a seminar led by UK experts on tax and privatisation standards, to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy and become less reliant on oil

• the sharing of healthcare best practice, including through the secondment of a UK expert based in Riyad

The Prime Minister is also due to meet Princess Reema today in Saudi Arabia. Princess Reema is Vice President of the Saudi General Sports Authority and is leading Saudi Government efforts to increase diversity and participation in sport. Ahead of their meeting, the Prime Minister is set to announce that the UK will provide support to Saudi Arabia to increase opportunities for men and women across the country to participate in sport.

The Prime Minister and the King are also set to agree UK support to increase culture, leisure and entertainment opportunities for the Saudi public, including sharing our skills in audience development and marketing as well as helping them attract and build world-class cultural events.

The British Council’s “Contemporary Collective” programme will train six young Saudi women in arts management, equipping them with the skills necessary to launch and run large scale cultural projects in the Kingdom.

Senior Cabinet members including the Chancellor, the International Secretary for Trade and the Foreign Secretary are expected to visit the Kingdom in the coming months to drive forward this important work across the board. The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Stephen Lovegrove, will also visit the Kingdom next month to progress discussions on Saudi defence reform.

Speaking ahead of her visit to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister said:

These new partnerships – on defence and security, trade and the economy, education, healthcare, culture and sport – evidence the breadth and depth of the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. We are firm supporters of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030”, an ambitious blueprint for internal reform that aims to deliver greater inclusivity for all Saudi citizens – something we agree is essential to Saudi Arabia’s long-term stability and success. As a world leader across a range of sectors, the UK is well placed to help Saudi Arabia deliver these vital reforms.

Further information

Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” is an ambitious blueprint for reform that expresses Saudi Arabia’s long-term goals and expectations, and is designed to build on its strengths and capabilities.

It is based on 3 pillars: Saudi Arabia as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds; creating an investment powerhouse; and building on its strategic position as a hub connecting three continents.

Specific goals include: + raising the share of non-oil exports in non-oil GDP from 16% to 50%; raising non-oil government revenue from SAR 163 billion to SAR 1 trillion + increasing women’s participation in the workforce from 22% to 30% + to increase household spending on cultural and entertainment activities inside the Kingdom from the current level of 2.9% to 6%

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