HM Government

Following a competitive application process, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Alice Prochaska as a new member of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC) with effect from 1 October.

Dr Prochaska fills a vacant post on the Commission. She recently stepped down as Principal of Somerville College Oxford and brings many years’ experience of UK higher education to the role. Amongst the many public positions she holds are Chair of the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust and Chair of the Institute of Historical Research Trust (University of London).

Commenting on the appointment the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson MP said:

The Marshall Scholarship scheme is widely considered one of the most prestigious scholarships for US citizens to study in the UK. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall scholars strengthen the enduring special relationship between our 2 countries.

Marshall alumni go on to become prominent leaders in their chosen field. To date they include the CEO of LinkedIn, Supreme Court Justices, Members of the US Congress and Presidential Cabinet, the managing editors of TIME and CNN and even an astronaut. These alumni serve as a symbol of the success of the Marshall scheme.

I welcome Dr Prochaska as a Commission member, who I am certain will ensure that the vital contribution made by the Marshall Scholarship scheme to our special relationship continues for many years to come.

MACC Chairman Christopher Fisher added:

I am delighted that we have been able to attract such a high calibre individual to become a new Marshall Commissioner. The Marshall Scholarship programme has a fantastic track record in maintaining and renewing strong Anglo-American ties. The Commission is fully committed to sustaining the scale, quality and vitality of this programme.

Background

The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission administers the British Marshall Scholarship scheme, which finances young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the UK.

Up to 40 scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at a UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Commissioners serve for a term of 3 years, with the possibility of re-appointment for a second term. The appointment is unpaid.

You can read more about the Commissioners on the Marshall Scholarship site.

Further information

A new £15 million programme will see up to 1 million people trained in basic mental health “first aid” skills. The programme will improve personal resilience and help people recognise and respond effectively to signs of mental illness in others.

The campaign, designed and delivered by Public Health England (PHE), will help people assess their own mental wellbeing and learn techniques to reduce stress.

There will be an online learning module designed to improve the public’s knowledge, skills and confidence on mental health.

These are skills for life, as most of us will at some point either experience poor mental health or care for a loved one trying to cope. The campaign will aim to build resilience and give people advice, based on what has been shown to work, so that we can all be better at supporting people experiencing poor mental health.

The government will invest £15 million in the campaign. It will launch next year for 3 years. PHE will work closely with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England and other mental health organisations to ensure the campaign builds on the knowledge and experience of the sector.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

I want to use the power of government as a force for good to transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society, and at every stage of life.

Tackling the injustice and reducing the stigma associated with mental health conditions is a priority for me, which is why today I set the goal of providing 1 million members of the public with basic mental health awareness and first aid.

On World Day Against the Death Penalty, we reaffirm the UK’s strong opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.

It is over fifty years since the UK government abolished the death penalty. We believe its use undermines human dignity, that there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value, and that any miscarriage of justice leading to its imposition is irreparable.

More than 140 members of the United Nations have renounced capital punishment in law or practice. The death penalty is steadily becoming the exception rather than the norm.

We urge all states that retain the death penalty to move towards abolition. We will continue to work through our diplomatic network and with international experts to support those striving for reform of the death penalty and to make the case to those only at the beginning of that journey.

The Committee provides independent advice to government and Parliament on reducing UK emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Lord Deben has led the Committee since 2012. His 5-year term, due to end this year, has been extended for a further 5 years until September 2022.

Paul Johnson’s 5-year term, which also concludes this year, has been similarly extended for a further 5 years until 2022.

The reappointments were made by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, and agreed by the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Claire Perry, Minister for Climate Change and Industry, said:

I welcome the reappointment of Lord Deben as Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change and of Paul Johnson as Committee Member.

The UK was the first country to introduce legally binding emission reduction targets under the Climate Change Act and we have led the G7 group of countries in cutting our emissions, while growing our economy by more than two-thirds since 1990. The independent advice provided by Lord Deben, Paul Johnson and the entire Committee will help us continue to lead the world in clean growth.

Commenting on his reappointment, Lord Deben said:

Britain is a leader in the world’s battle against climate change and I am delighted and honoured to continue as Chairman of the Committee.

Since 2012, amongst many other tasks, the CCC has advised government on the fourth (2023 to 2027) and fifth (2028 to 2032) carbon budgets, advised the devolved administrations on emission reduction targets and reported to Parliament annually on UK progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

1. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is the independent statutory body established under the Climate Change Act (2008) to advise the UK government on building a low-carbon economy and preparing for climate change. Further information about the CCC is available at: www.theccc.org.uk.

2. Lord Deben was the UK’s longest-serving Secretary of State for the Environment (1993 to 1997) and has held several other high-level ministerial posts, including Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989 to 1993). He has consistently championed the strong links between environmental concerns and business interests. He also runs Sancroft, a corporate responsibility consultancy working with blue-chip companies around the world on environmental, social and ethical issues. In addition, Lord Deben is Chairman of Valpak Limited and Chairman of The Personal Investment Management and Financial Advice Association.

3. Paul Johnson has been Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) since January 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London. Paul has worked and published extensively on the economics of public policy, with a particular focus on income distribution, public finances, pensions, tax, social security, education and climate change. As well as a previous period of work at the IFS his career has included spells at HM Treasury, the Department for Education and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Between 2004 and 2007 he was deputy head of the Government Economic Service. Paul is also a member of the Banking Standards Board and of the executive committee of the Royal Economic Society. He was an editor of the Mirrlees Review of the UK tax system.

But as long ago as 1918, when the predecessor of Dstl (the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), was based at Farnborough, and the space race hadn’t been thought of, the RAE – working for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) – was at the forefront of rocket science research and development.

Launchers and rockets from the Skylark and Black Arrow were launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from as early as 1957, with increasingly heavy payloads. By 1962, satellite technology was at an experimental phase, looking into the effects of the atmosphere and the ionosphere on the newest satellite technology.

Early prototype materials like silicon solar cells and gas-jets were tested from the 1970s, and the Skynet satellite systems – which provided military communications support at home and overseas – began in 1969. The Skynet system was so successful that successive developments of the original were launched into LEO until 2012. Infrared telescopes and new solar panels, or cells, were brought from concept to use, and geolocation – which GPS systems used in applications such as satnav now rely on – was then developed.

When the Russians launched Sputnik 1 and then 2, the UK and its cold war allies were watching them, initially with an early radar system from RAF Lasham in Hampshire, which was processed at RAE Farnborough, by the Space Group, which is now part of Dstl.

The Space Object Identification Programme began in RAE Special Systems Department in 1982. The techniques developed at RAE used Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) to produce high resolution images of space objects using ground-based radar data. The Programme continued to provide valuable imaging data until 2001.

The Dstl Space Programme began in 2014 and has just been relaunched with an injection of £50 million over the next 5 years. The programme will continue to build on the historic achievements by Dstl’s predecessors, working on further research into the space environment for the defence and security of the UK.