Ahead of the forthcoming anniversary of the first media stories about the Haiti case, and further to my ministerial statement of 25 October, I would like to update the House on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in the aid sector.

1. Delivering 18 October summit commitments

My last statement was shortly after the international summit I hosted in London on 18 October where donors representing 90% of global Official Development Assistance, NGOs, suppliers, multilateral organisations and others agreed robust actions to deliver root to branch change in the way the international aid sector tackles these issues and I announced specific initiatives supported by DFID.

The five-year project with Interpol to stop perpetrators of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment moving around the aid sector is getting underway. It will strengthen and digitise criminal record checks, improve information sharing between countries and train staff, so ensuring a more robust law enforcement response against predatory individuals.

The Disclosure of Misconduct Scheme will prevent individuals with a record of misconduct from moving around the NGO sector undetected. Fuller details were published in December and more NGOs are signing up.

DFID is supporting work to verify that our partners meet the global standards on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse as agreed by donors agreed in October.

The Resource and Support Hub will provide guidance, training and support on safeguarding to smaller charities which are those most likely to need it. There has been strong interest from potential suppliers and DFID expects to sign a multi-year contract by August.

We are working with the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate to develop a statement of victims’ rights for publication this year which will help survivors of abuse and exploitation better understand the redress and support available to them.

In November, the UK NGO platform Bond incorporated the UK NGO summit commitments into the Bond Charter, so covering over 450 organisations.

DFID is working with Dutch counterparts on an action plan for the ombudsman proposal.

2. Recent cases

The case at the International Planned Parenthood Federation underlines the value of the much tougher safeguarding standards I introduced last year. Those standards have required the reporting of this case and robust action to be taken. The case is ongoing and DFID’s Safeguarding Investigations Team created last year is looking at it in more detail.

Charity Commission figures show an increase in safeguarding cases reported by charities last year. I expect to continue to see more reports as people feel safer to speak up and organisations take their obligations seriously. DFID continues to coordinate closely with the National Crime Agency on shared objectives. The draft Domestic Abuse Bill proposes that more types of sexual offences committed abroad by a UK national can be prosecuted in England and Wales. We have recently seen other countries take action against suspected criminal sexual activity in the aid sector.

3. Looking ahead

DFID continues to meet regularly with representatives from across the aid sector and are working with them to develop appropriate accountability mechanisms for the commitments announced at October’s summit.

I plan to participate in meetings on safeguarding at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March, the World Bank Spring Meetings in April and the UN General Assembly in September to drive forward progress. DFID is leading a process in the OECD to agree a mechanism this year to monitor the performance of all 30 major global donors on safeguarding.

I welcome the International Development Committee’s continuing focus on safeguarding and look forward to my discussion with them in May. DFID continues to work across Government to drive a coherent approach to safeguarding in ODA projects and to improve the capability of staff.

I sent a clear message a year ago that the whole sector must make zero tolerance on sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment a reality. Today, I repeat that message.

Work led by DFID in the past year has generated good momentum, domestically and internationally. But there is much more to do, and we will continue to lead the way and work with others in the months and years ahead.

The Parole Board welcomes the findings from the Review of the Parole Board rules and Reconsideration Mechanism, which were announced today by the Secretary of State for Justice.

Caroline Corby, Chair of the Parole Board said:

“The outcome of the recent consultation and rules review builds on the work already undertaken to improve transparency and efficiency of the parole system.

“I am particularly pleased to see that the new reconsideration mechanism proposed is workable and will be properly resourced. We will be working with the Ministry of Justice to create and deliver a service that is transparent, timely and straight forward for victims and prisoners to use on the rare occasion that cases need to be looked at again.

“We are always striving to improve how we work and the upcoming Tailored Review provides us an opportunity to evaluate the way we are currently set up, ensuring that we have the most fair and independent parole system possible.”

What is the reconsideration mechanism?

The reconsideration mechanism will allow any party to the hearing to be able to ask for a case to be reconsidered if they believe a parole decision was unlawful, for example if:

• Proper procedures weren’t followed;
• The law has been wrongly applied;
• Important information wasn’t available to the panel at the time;
• The decision was unreasonable giving the information available to the Parole Board

A victim or a member of the public can ask the Secretary of State to make an application on their behalf, if they believe the decision was unlawful, but it is up to the Secretary of State to refer cases to the Parole Board

The reconsideration mechanism only applies to indeterminate and Extended Sentences.

Judicial Review is still available, but the aim is to provide a quick and free service to allow for problems to be resolved without the need to go to Court.

This mechanism isn’t available yet, but more information will be provided in due course.

For more information – please go to the MOJ website.

What is the Tailored Review?

• This is an opportunity for the Ministry of Justice to look at whether the Parole Board should continue to sit as an non-departmental public body.

• It is a Cabinet Office requirement to review public bodies during each Parliament. The Parole Board was last reviewed in 2014/15 and would need to be reviewed again before the end of 2019/20.

• It will be looking to bolster the ‘court-like’ status of the Parole Board.

• It will consider internal and external accountability, including governance arrangements.

• The Parole Board will be publishing its response to the review in due course.

For more information, please see the MOJ announcement on GOV.UK.

On behalf of the British Army, we are trying to better understand the current market capability in meeting this challenge in order to fully scope and better design a potential future concept demonstration event or competition. This will provide us with an understanding of what potential gap crossing solutions already exist as well as emerging novel solutions. This request for information is not a commitment to subsequently launch a formal DASA competition.

Background

Gap crossing is critical in maintaining military mobility. In the past this capability has been delivered by specialist equipment and systems, however it is perceived that with changes in materials and manufacturing techniques, combined with the changing operational landscape, there is an opportunity to do things differently. The current capability is delivered through obstacle crossing techniques including the use of fascine (bundled plastic pipes or tubes tethered together, used to cross natural or man-made gaps which could be dry or wet) and conventional bridging.

What we want

Technologies with the potential to meet the system characteristics highlighted below (either fully or partially).

Requirement – A single system enabling both tracked and wheeled platforms to transit the following:

• A dry gap – no more than 3m deep and of a width between 3-6 m
• A wet gap – water of an unspecified depth and flow rate not exceeding 2 m/s, with a width between 3-6 m.

System characteristics

What we don’t want

We are not interested in literature reviews, paper-based studies, consultancy, non-technical solutions or marginal improvements to existing capabilities. This is not a competition and therefore we are not asking for costed proposals at this stage. This is a market engagement request for information exercise and we do not commit to subsequently launch a formal DASA competition.

How to submit a Capability Submission Form

Complete DASA Capability Submission Form – Crossing The Gap (MS Word Document, 888KB) (noting the word limits) and then email it to accelerator@dstl.gov.uk by 1200hrs on 4 March 2019 with “Crossing The Gap” in the subject line. Please only provide details of one product/capability per form. If you have a number of potential solutions then please submit multiple forms.

If you have any questions then please email accelerator@dstl.gov.uk with Crossing the Gap in the subject line.

How we use your information

Information you provide to us in a Capability Submission Form, that is not already available to us from other sources, will be handled in-confidence. By submitting a Capability Submission Form you are giving us permission to keep and use the information for our internal purposes, and to provide the information onwards, in-confidence, within UK Government. The Defence and Security Accelerator will not use or disclose the information for any other purpose, without first requesting permission to do so.

Employment rates of ex-service personnel have risen, according to new figures released this week by the Ministry of Defence. Figures reveal 88% are either back in employment, education, or volunteer work within 6 months of transitioning back into civilian life, following support from the MOD’s Career Transition Partnership (CTP).

In 2017/18, the employment rates of ex-forces personnel who leave service early – after four years or less – increased from 79% to 83%, thanks to the Future Horizons program, which provides a bespoke service to early leavers.

Ex-service personnel are just as likely to be employed as the general population, according to new figures published by the Ministry of Defence which show that the employment rate among veterans are recorded at 79% in line with the national average.

The new figures analyse the employment outcomes for those who have received support from the CTP, which provides career guidance through a range of career and employment support services including skills development workshops, vocational training courses, career consultancy, one-to-one sessions and job finding support.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Ellwood said:

Our Armed Forces embody a range of invaluable qualities, such as leadership and dedication, making them assets to any civilian organisation.

It’s fantastic to see service leavers putting their skills to use in the civilian workplace, and I urge all employers to tap into this exceptional pool of talent.

Since its launch twenty years’ ago, the CTP has supported over 250,000 service leavers transitioning into the next stage of their careers for up to two years prior to leaving the Armed Forces.

Ex-serving personnel can also access CTP support for two years after they have transitioned back into civilian life, ensuring the adjustment process is as smooth as possible.

Along with online career resettlement guides, personnel can also access advice on wider aspects of the transition process, including housing and pensions, managing finances, and moving abroad. This guidance is part of the broader resettlement support on offer to bridge the gap between military and civilian life.

The MOD is committed to ensuring that all ex-forces personnel and their families are supported, and last year launched the ‘Strategy for Our Veterans’ produced jointly between the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments. A UK Government consultation is ongoing, which welcomes all views, including from charities, employers, local authorities and the veteran community.

Any veteran in need of advice can call the Veterans’ Gateway – a 24 hour helpline (0808 802 1212) which acts as the first port of call for veterans and their families. The MOD has recently launched a new outreach service where it will proactively call those who have served, to check on their wellbeing and remind them of where support can be found.