HM Government

Figures from popular public information site GOV.UK give an insight into what people were thinking about on Christmas Day last year, from taxing their cars to searching for a new job.

Top 10 pages viewed on Christmas Day 2016 were:

1. Bank Holidays – 41k pageviews
2. Check UK visa – 34k pageviews
3. Dartford Crossing charge – 28k pageviews
4. Vehicle tax (taxing your vehicle) – 22k pageviews
5. Check vehicle tax (checking if a vehicle has tax) – 22k pageviews
6. Check state pension age – 18k pageviews
7. Job search – 15k pageviews
8. Check MOT history – 14k pageviews
9. Check child maintenance – 13k pageviews
10. Get vehicle information from DVLA – 13k pageviews

Bin collection – Other popular information over the festive period included details on bin collection day, which hit a peak of over 20,000 visits on 27th December 2016 (compared to only an average of 3,000 visits per day during the rest of the year). For this sought after information, visit https://www.gov.uk/rubbish-collection-day.

Caroline Nokes – Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency said:

“People turn to GOV.UK to check information at the click of a button. From taxing your vehicle, to checking local bin collections and renewing your passport – there are many services now available online, replacing laborious paperwork.

“And we intend to continue adding to the services available, and improving how we set them out clearly and simply – making it even easier for people to access what they need.”

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The Department for Education is launching a new service designed to give more vulnerable children the chance to attend some of the country’s highest quality independent and state boarding schools.

The Boarding School Partnerships Information Service – which is being launched in collaboration with the Boarding Schools’ Association – will link local authorities up with a host of children’s charities and boarding schools so they can work together to identify more young people on the edge of care who can be put forward for bursaries and scholarships, helping them attend some of the country’s best schools.

The government is committed to enabling all children – regardless of their background – to reach their full potential, and this announcement builds on wider programmes to support vulnerable children in all schools. This includes named headteachers who are responsible for supporting their education and almost £2.5 billion funding this year for state schools to support them through the Pupil Premium.

It follows the recent launch of the Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential plan by the Education Secretary, designed to create opportunities on every young person’s doorstep and boost social mobility.

Launching the new partnership, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System Lord Agnew said:

Children who have previously been in care or are at risk of care have often gone through difficult, challenging experiences that can have a lasting impact throughout their lives. These placements won’t be right for every child, but the pastoral care and educational support provided by our top boarding schools can have profound benefits for some young people.

I’m delighted that so many organisations are working with us to help create more of these opportunities for these children, helping them to get the best start in life and to go on to reach their full potential, no matter what their background.

Latest figures show the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers is narrowing – by more than 10% at Key Stage 2 and 7% at GCSE since 2011. However, vulnerable children – including who have previously been in care, have left the care system or are at risk of care – still often have poorer educational outcomes. Research shows a correlation between the boarding environment and improved educational outcomes for vulnerable children.

A boarding school placement can offer these children the possibility of term-time respite that also helps them to develop relationships with the adults working at those schools, alongside a home environment they can return to during the weekends or holidays. These types of arrangements can be particularly beneficial where children are living with parents experiencing mental health difficulties, or with extended families who are unable to cope full-time with a child.

The partnership will aim to create more opportunities for children on the edge of care in addition to the 1,000 young people who are already supported by charities and boarding schools. The service is in collaboration with the Boarding Schools’ Association, Buttle UK, Reedham Children’s Trust, Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation and King Edward’s School in Witley.

King Edward’s School is one school already involved in the partnership. It already provides boarding places to several pupils in, or on the edge of, care.

John Attwater, King Edward’s Witley Headmaster said:

We know from long experience that boarding can provide a life-transforming opportunity for vulnerable children and their families, and it is core to our founding mission as a school. I am delighted that this service will give local authorities and others the information they need to consider boarding as an option for children who need it, and put them in touch with schools such as King Edward’s and charities that can make it happen.

Robin Fletcher, Chief Executive of the Boarding Schools’ Association said:

Britain’s boarding schools provide an unrivalled education and the kind of individual attention, security and structure that can especially help young people who have had a difficult start to their lives. The involvement of charities and local authorities in boarding school placements shows just what can be achieved and we look forward to doing even more.

Chief Executive of Reedham Children’s Trust, Sarah Smart said:

Reedham Children’s Trust seeks to help disadvantaged and vulnerable children living in desperately difficult circumstances, whose families are struggling to care for them. Very special care is taken to find the right boarding school to meet the needs of the individual child. In such cases, boarding school is a second home for the child or young person, providing a nurturing, supportive and stimulating environment.

The service is being overseen by an expert voluntary board, comprising of children’s services professionals, head teachers, charity executives and government officials. Together they will support local authorities, charities and schools to create these opportunities for young people.

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I am delighted to be able to send this personal message to the people of the Falkland Islands this Christmas

This year marked the 35th anniversary of the conflict to preserve your freedom and independence. So as we remember the 255 UK servicemen and three Falkland Islanders who gave their lives in defending your liberty, I want you to know that I will never allow anyone to compromise your right to self-determination – a right you freely expressed in the 2013 referendum; and a legacy for which so many paid the ultimate price.

I am equally committed to supporting your vital work to address the legacies of the conflict and to advance the broader prosperity of the Islands.

So I want to thank you and your government for your continued help in enabling the identification of Argentine soldiers killed in the conflict and buried at Darwin. I believe this shows all that is best of the Falklands – fierce in defence of self-determination but always ready to help those in distress whoever they may be. And the work done by the International Committee of the Red Cross on this sensitive humanitarian matter should, I hope, bring some peace to those Argentine families who lost their loved ones.

Building closer links with all countries in the region brings unprecedented opportunities to ensure a better, long-term and sustainable future for the Falkland Islands. I continue to believe there are non-sovereignty related areas where we can work together with Argentina for the benefit of all concerned. Whilst progress has been slower than anticipated, we will continue to work with Argentina to ensure delivery of all Joint Communiqué commitments, including the removal of restrictive measures against the Islands.

I am also pleased to see further progress to tackle another of the conflict’s legacies. The current phase of demining, represents a significant increase in our demining efforts to date, backed by £20 million of additional funding. Since commencing in October 2016, work on the project has cleared over 3,200 anti-personnel mines and over 100 other items of unexploded ordnance.

The results of your latest census, and your new legislation on same-sex marriage, demonstrate a growing, diverse, and prosperous community in the Falklands today. You have an increasing international presence. Your students had their best educational results ever this year. And we will do all that we can to support your government’s new economic strategy will see the start of a transformational process in the Islands’.

I also want to congratulate all your newly elected Assembly Members following the elections last month. I was delighted to meet one of them – Teslyn Barkman – in Downing Street last month as part of my annual meeting with representatives from all the UK’s Overseas Territories.

We discussed the UK’s departure from the European Union where I reaffirmed the commitment of the government I lead to secure a deal with the European Union that is right for the whole United Kingdom and all our Overseas Territories. We also discussed the work to support the recovery effort in our Caribbean communities following the devastating hurricanes and we warmly welcomed the financial contribution from the Falkland Islands.

Finally, this last year also saw the passing of both Sir Cosmo Haskard and his wife Phillada. I know Sir Cosmo was a much admired former governor, a pioneering defender of your sovereignty and a great believer in a bright and exciting future for these very special islands. I share that belief and my message to you this Christmas is very simple: You can count on me as a UK Prime Minister who will do everything possible to support you in realising the full potential of these Islands.

With that, let me wish you and all your families a great Christmas and a very happy and prosperous 2018.

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Watch the Prime Minister’s message to the Armed Forces.

I want to send a message of thanks to every member of our armed forces and your families, wherever you are in the world this Christmas.

Earlier this year I joined the centenary commemorations for the Battle of Passchendaele.

Gathered in Flanders, we remembered the hundreds of thousands of young men who gave their lives on that battlefield in the cause of freedom.

Through a century of great change since, the high standards and devotion to duty of our armed forces have remained constant.

Today, as we face new threats, your work continues to make the world a safer place.

I saw that first hand this month in Iraq, when I met British soldiers training and supporting the Iraqi Security Forces as they fight against Daesh.

Thanks to their efforts, and the skill of the Royal Air Force, Daesh no longer holds significant territory in Iraq or Syria and a better future is in prospect for that region.

In the Caribbean, the Royal Navy, supported by the other services brought disaster relief to those suffering in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

And twice this year, after acts of terrorism here at home, we deployed troops on the streets of the UK to help keep us safe.

Whenever you are called upon – regulars or reserves – you always give of your best and inspire us all with your service.

The enormous debt we owe to our armed forces and veterans is enshrined in the Military Covenant.

And the Covenant also recognises that your achievements are made possible by the love and support of your families.

Partners and children are often called on to make huge sacrifices of their own – from a change of school or job, to coping with extended periods of separation.

That separation is especially difficult at Christmas time, and we should all be immensely grateful for that sacrifice.

At the Passchendaele memorial service at the Menin Gate this July, those gathered sang the Ypres hymn: ‘O Valiant Hearts’.

This Christmas, as people across the United Kingdom celebrate this special time of year with their families and friends we will do so secure in the knowledge that the valiant hearts of our servicemen and –women, many far away from their own loved ones at this special time of year, are working to keep us safe.

Thank you all for your service and I wish you a very happy Christmas.

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International child abduction is when one parent takes or keeps their child outside the country in which the child usually lives, without the permission of the other parent. Many parents don’t realise this could be classified as abduction and that they may be committing a criminal offence and could face a prison sentence.

If you suspect that your child may be abducted, you should contact the charity Reunite, which provides advice and information to parents and families whose children have been, or might be, abducted overseas. You can call them at any time on 01162 556 234.

You can also contact the FCO on 020 7008 1500 at any time. Assistance the FCO can offer includes providing information about overseas lawyers who speak English, arranging consular visits and contacting overseas courts to express interest in a case and ask about progress.

In 2016/17, the FCO provided assistance in 449 new child custody and international parental child abduction cases and so far in 2017/18 the FCO has dealt with 301* new cases.

Rory Stewart, FCO Minister for Consular Policy, said:

With the school holidays coming up, it is important to highlight the impact abductions can have, especially at Christmas, when many families go abroad to visit relatives.

We assist hundreds of families going through this ordeal every year as once children are taken abroad it can be extremely difficult to secure their return.

Our consular staff in the UK and overseas are committed to giving British people high-quality, helpful and supportive assistance in these cases.

Alison Shalaby, CEO of Reunite, said:

International parental child abduction can cause great distress to a child who is removed from their home country and taken away from one parent, their extended family and friends, and everything that is familiar to them. This can cause long lasting harm to a child’s wellbeing and is something that may continue to affect them well into adulthood.

Saying that, there is almost always the possibility that such cases can be resolved positively for all involved, especially the children. We would urge parents to seek help and support as through co-operation, mediation or swift court action, many children do return home and are able to continue to have a meaningful relationship with both parents.

1. More detail on FCO support relating to child abduction is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-parental-child-abduction
2. Reunite (http://www.reunite.org/) is a charity specialising in parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders.
3. *Data covers period from April to November 2017

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