In December 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined Balmoral, a supplier of steel water tanks, £130,000 for taking part in an exchange of competitively-sensitive information on prices and pricing intentions with 3 other competitors. The exchange took place at a single meeting in July 2012 at which Balmoral was invited to join a long-running cartel to allocate customers and fix prices. Balmoral refused to take part in the customer allocation and price-fixing cartel, but exchanged competitively-sensitive information with its competitors. That meeting was secretly recorded by the CMA.

In October 2017, the Competition Appeal Tribunal upheld the CMA’s fine on Balmoral, in a judgment which highlighted the risks for businesses tempted to share information with competitors. Balmoral had sought to challenge the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s ruling that the discussions breached competition law and its decision to uphold the penalty imposed. The Court of Appeal today dismissed the challenge in its entirety, and fully upheld the CMA’s decision.

The CMA’s Executive Director of Enforcement, Michael Grenfell, commented:

This important judgment from the Court of Appeal sends a clear and unequivocal message, not just in this sector but to all businesses across the UK. If companies exchange competitively-sensitive, confidential information – even at just one meeting – that is itself a breach of competition law.

The CMA is committed to using the full range of its powers to crack down on such illegal behaviour, which includes issuing fines.

Further details are available on the case page.

Under new rules, personnel from all three services serving from outside the traditional area of operations, such as operators of RAF Reaper remotely piloted aerial systems, will receive the Operation Shader medal without clasp.

The announcement comes as Mr Williamson attends a meeting of defence ministers in Munich from nations within the Global Coalition against Daesh. Daesh is currently struggling to hold its last pocket of territory in eastern Syria, as the UK and its coalition partners continue to support the Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground.

The award of the medal reflects the changing nature of modern conflict and recognises the vital contribution that personnel working from outside the operational area of Iraq and Syria have made to the campaign.

The personnel to be awarded the Op Shader medal without clasp include RAF Reaper crews, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire and Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, US. This is the first time that Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems crews have received formal medallic recognition.

Ground crew serving at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where UK airstrikes over Iraq and Syria are launched from are also eligible, as well as Army and Navy personnel providing logistic and communications support.

The changing character of warfare means that personnel based outside an area of military operations increasingly play a vital role in allowing the UK to be successful militarily overseas. For example, ground crew based at RAF Akrotiri play a key role in ensuring that RAF Tornado and Typhoon fast-jets are able to conduct air strikes over Iraq and Syria, through their maintenance, engineering and weapons technician skills.

Last year Her Majesty The Queen approved the extension of the eligibility criteria for the medal to new groups of personnel.

The Op Shader medal is the first operational service medal to be created since 2003 and has its own distinct ribbon; it is fitting recognition of those who have contributed to the fight against Daesh. Operation Shader is the name of the UK’s military contribution to the campaign to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Our Armed Forces can be extremely proud of the campaign against Daesh.

The expanded medal criteria means that those personnel who have played a vital role in defeating Daesh but have been based outside the conventional area of operations will receive the recognition they deserve.

This new medal reflects the changing character of warfare. I am very pleased that personnel who previously would not have received an operational medal, will now do so.

Alongside this milestone, RAF Akrotiri recently saw the last of the operational Tornado fighter jets fly home for the final time as they approach retirement after 40 years of service.

Despite recent success over the last year, the operation continues and fast jets continue to fly out of RAF Akrotiri and remotely-piloted Reaper aircraft continue to provide support to the Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground who are clearing the last remaining pockets of Daesh terrorists in Eastern Syria.

Since 2014 the UK Armed Forces have taken a leading role in the counter-Daesh Global Coalition. The RAF has so far conducted airstrikes against Daesh terrorist targets and units from across the Armed Forces have helped train over 77,000 Iraqi Security Forces in infantry skills, counter-IED, engineering, and medical expertise. As a result, their capacity to defeat Daesh has increased considerably, contributing to the success of this campaign.

Currently around 1,400 personnel still play an important role in the Global Coalition’s counter-Daesh operations in the wider region.

Communities across the country are set to benefit from a £6 million funding boost to help them build more of the homes that their area needs, Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP has announced today (15 February 2019).

The Community Led Homes Programme – managed by 4 leading housing charities – will provide local people with funding to kickstart community-led housing developments that will benefit their neighbourhood.

Funding of up to £10,000 will be provided to groups to cover start-up costs such as legal fees, and a further £3.5 million will be made available to provide technical advice and support to guide communities through the process of building the housing they urgently need.

Today’s news is part of a wider, comprehensive package of measures to increase local housebuilding, and builds on ongoing government action to reach the ambitious target of 300,000 properties a year by the mid-2020s.

Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, said:

For too long, governments of all stripes have failed to build the homes our country needs, but we are turning that around.

Last year we delivered over 222,000 homes but we need to deliver more good quality properties, and the community-led housing programme will help us do just that.

Alongside £6 million of funding, the programme will also provide crucial training and advice to local groups, ensuring that we are not just building better homes but also building better communities.

Head of Community Led Homes, Samantha Jones, said:

Communities want to play their part in tackling the country’s affordable housing crisis and many are forming community led housing groups to do so.

In the next 5 years the movement will build over 5,000 affordable homes. We’ve created the Community Led Homes programme to help this figure increase further still, and in time, for community led housing to become a mainstream housing option.

Community-led housing enables communities of all shapes and forms to take the lead in building and renovating homes, helping people to come together to solve their own housing challenges and build high-quality, affordable homes.

The new programme will strengthen the vital role that community-led housing can play in delivering much-needed affordable housing, helping the sector to play its part in getting Britain building and delivering the homes our country needs.

The department is looking to commit £6 million over a 2-year period. The payment of the full allocation in 2019 to 2020 will depend on the full and appropriate defrayal of the £2 million allocation in 2018 to 2019. This must be in line with the project as defined in the funding agreement and the satisfactory delivery of the project against project targets.

Community Led Homes aims to make community-led housing a mainstream housing option and will provide training, funding and practical support to housing groups, councils and developers.

It is run by 4 leading community-led housing organisations:

• Confederation of Co-operative Housing
• Locality
• National Community Land Trust Network
• UK Cohousing

They have come together with the aim of making it easier for communities to access support for building community-led homes.

More information about the programme, including how to apply for a grant, can be found at www.communityledhomes.org.uk

The measures will be instrumental in helping to deliver the Government’s commitment to nationwide full fibre broadband coverage by 2033 and increasing geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2022.

Consumers rely more than ever on fixed and mobile connectivity in their everyday lives. However, concerns around mobile coverage, availability of high speed, reliable broadband, and unfair business practices in some areas, has led to lower customer satisfaction than in other sectors.

In a consultation being published today, Government has set out its strategic priorities for Ofcom which will improve digital infrastructure and customer satisfaction, including:

• Ofcom’s planned 700 MHz spectrum auction to materially improve mobile coverage across the UK, particularly in rural areas and on the UK’s major roads
• Tackling the “loyalty penalty” which sees loyal customers who do not shop around typically pay higher prices than more savvy consumers. The combined effect of the loyalty penalty incurred by customers of broadband and mobile is £1.3 billion per year. Ofcom should address this, and Government will consider new legislation if the regulator believes it does not have sufficient powers.
• Examining the costs and benefits of options to introduce mobile roaming in rural areas in a bid to improve consumer choice and tackle partial not-spots (areas where at least one operator is present, but all four are not)
• Ensuring that regulation supports investment in reliable, gigabit-capable broadband networks across the country

DCMS Secretary of State, Jeremy Wright, said:

As the UK’s telecoms regulator, Ofcom has a critical role in realising our shared connectivity aspirations for the UK. As well as ensuring the necessary improvements to broadband and mobile services, consumers must also be protected. I urge Ofcom to tackle harmful business practices and remove barriers to switching.

As set out in the Digital Economy Act in 2017, Ofcom will be required to take account of the Government’s new Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) when carrying out its regulatory duties. This will bring the legislative framework for Ofcom into line with other sectors such as energy and water for the first time.

The SSP follows the publication of the Government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR) in July 2018 and reflects the conclusions of that review. The FTIR set out a national, long-term strategy for digital infrastructure in the UK, with the aim of securing world-class connectivity that is gigabit-capable, reliable, secure and widely available.

The SSP sets out Government priorities in four areas that Ofcom will now have to reflect in their work going forward:

• World-class digital infrastructure: Building world-class digital infrastructure for the UK, reflecting the conclusions of the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review
• Furthering the interests of telecoms consumers: Safeguarding the interests of telecoms consumers, including the vulnerable and less engaged, by ensuring they are better informed and protected
• Secure and resilient telecoms infrastructure: Ensuring the UK’s telecoms networks and services are secure and resilient
• Postal services: Protecting a universal postal service and making sure industry and Ofcom to work together to secure the long-term sustainability of the sector

The consultation closes on Wednesday 27 March 2019.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Government has set out clear, ambitious targets for the availability of new digital networks in the UK. Those targets include: Making gigabit-capable networks available to 15 million premises by 2025, with nationwide coverage by 2033; increasing geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2022 to address ‘not-spots’ and improving the connectivity on the UK’s main roads and railways; and becoming a world leader in the next generation of 5G mobile technology, with deployment to the majority of the country by 2027.
2. The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR) set out the changes that need to be made to the UK telecoms market and policy framework to help secure world-class digital infrastructure. The review’s conclusions support the UK Digital Strategy’s ambition for this country to be the world’s best place to start and grow a digital business. They also underpin the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy, which set out four Grand Challenges in areas where the UK can lead the global technological revolution.
3. The FTIR’s recommendations form the basis of this Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications and the management of radio spectrum. The SSP also sets out the Government’s strategic priorities and outcomes in relation to safeguarding the interests of telecoms consumers, the security and resilience of telecoms networks, and postal services. In relation to consumers, the Government is determined to work with Ofcom, industry and other stakeholders to improve the quality of consumer experience in the sector.
4. The power for the Government to designate an SSP for telecommunications, spectrum and post was introduced in the Digital Economy Act 2017. This is the first time the Government is exercising this power.
5. Ofcom must have regard to the statement when exercising its regulatory functions. The introduction of this power brings the legislative framework for Ofcom into line with other sectors such as energy and water, where the Government also has the power to designate a Statement of Strategic Priorities.
6. If Ofcom is unable to consider regulatory options that would contribute to achieving the strategic priorities set out in this SSP due to the existing statutory framework, the Government will consider legislation to allow it to do so.