The contract, worth £23 million, will upgrade the existing runway, improve drainage and install new arrestor beds to improve safety. The resurfacing work will extend the life of the runway by 10 to 15 years.

RAF Northolt is the RAF’s strategic site in London, home to 33 supported units from all 3 armed services and wider government. 32 (The Royal) Squadron are the resident flying squadron at the unit, who provide air transport to UK government and military leaders on official business.

Clement Adekoyejo, DIO’s Project Manager for the work said:

We are pleased to have successfully awarded the contract for this vital project for military capability to Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure as the main contractor, and Mott MacDonald as our Principal Support Provider. DIO plays a crucial role in maintaining infrastructure to allow the armed forces to live, work and train. We appreciate the public support for the station and will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum.

RAF Northolt’s Station Commander, Group Captain Mike Carver said:

RAF Northolt is home to the last remaining military airfield within the M25 and the flying operations that take place here provide a vital contribution for defence, wider government and the United Kingdom. The runway resurfacing works will assure those flying operations for decades to come.

James Aikman, Operations Director, Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure said:

Having successfully recently completed RAF Gibraltar, RAF Akrotiri and now nearing completion at RAF Marham. Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure are delighted to have been awarded the runway refurbishment contract at RAF Northolt. We are pleased to be afforded the opportunity to continue our collaborative working relationship with the DIO, which has proven to be successful over the years. Our experienced and dedicated team look forward to delivering yet another interesting project safely, on time and within budget.

The airfield works are expected to take around six months with the runway being closed for renovation from spring to autumn 2019. During this time, military aircraft will operate from RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire and civilian aircraft will operate from other civilian airports.

Strengthening family ties can play a crucial role in helping offenders to turn their lives around beyond the prison gates, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said today following a visit to HM Prison and YOI Parc in Bridgend.

The visit to HMP Parc – which is the only privately-run prison in Wales – comes in the year following the publication of a UK Government-commissioned report, which identified family relationships as the “golden thread” running through the reforms across the prison estate.

Mr Cairns met with Parc prison director, Janet Wallsgrove and prison staff to see first-hand how incorporating family members into the prison’s innovative rehabilitation schemes is having a significant impact on preventing prisoners from reoffending after release.

In September 2016, Lord Michael Farmer, in partnership with the membership charity Clinks, was commissioned by the UK Government to investigate how connecting prisoners with their families can improve offender wellbeing, assist in keeping the public safe and reduce reoffending.

During the visit to HMP Parc, the Secretary of State met Corin Morgan-Armstrong, head of family interventions for G4S Central Government Services in the UK, who highlighted how the success of the prison’s ‘Invisible Walls Wales’ project has helped to inform the Farmer Review, and outlined the tangible results the scheme is having on the rehabilitation of offenders.

Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns said:

Safe and secure prison environments are just the foundation for successful rehabilitation. But as Lord Farmer’s review outlined last year, building and nurturing family relationships is also fundamentally important if people are to change.

It has been inspiring to meet the passionate staff at HMP Parc and to experience how they are pursuing trailblazing initiatives like ‘Invisible Walls Wales’. It’s also been an experience to listen to prisoners who have taken up the opportunities available, using their own drive and determination to change as they look towards life beyond the prison gates.

Backed by Big Lottery Fund investment and working in partnership with Barnardo’s Cymru, the Invisible Walls Wales scheme helps prisoners to strengthen family ties and maintain healthy family relationships as well as providing them with advice on issues such as debt, housing, training and moving towards employment.

Janet Wallsgrove, Director of HMP & YOI Parc said:

Initiatives such as Invisible Walls Wales, and the wide range of educational and training programmes which are offered at HMP Parc, all play a key part in supporting prisoner rehabilitation. Our aim is to reduce reoffending after release by providing prisoners with the right skills and support during their sentence, and by strengthening their ties with the community.

Today’s visit was a great success, and we’d like to thank the Secretary of State for taking the time to meet our staff, and allowing them to demonstrate how outstanding results can be achieved through innovation, service excellence and teamwork.

Notes to editors

• For further information about HMP Parc contact the G4S media team on 020 7963 3333.

• For information on the prison estate and reforms, contact the Ministry of Justice newsdesk on 020 3334 3536.

• HMP Parc is a category B men’s prison and young offenders institution near Bridgend, and is the only privately-run prison in Wales. It is managed by G4S and is one of the largest prisons in the UK, with over 1,700 prisoners and 800 members of staff.

• To read Lord Farmer’s review on the ‘Importance of strengthening prisoners’ family ties to prevent reoffending and reduce intergenerational crime’ click here

The government has extended the appointment of Dame Deirdre Hutton as Chair to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to serve for an additional 12 months from August 2019 when her current appointment expires.

During her time as CAA Chair, Dame Deirdre has overseen a huge amount of organisational change within the CAA. Over the next year she will continue to steer the CAA’s modernisation and change programmes.

Dame Deirdre became Chair of the CAA in August 2009 and previously served as Chair of the Food Standards Agency, Chair of the National Consumer Council and as a member of the Board of HM Treasury.

She has served on a number of other public bodies, including the Better Regulation Taskforce, and has extensive experience of corporate governance, risk-based regulation and consumer policy.

She is honorary Vice-President of the Trading Standards Institute and sits as a Non-Executive on the board of Thames Water Utilities Ltd and Castle Trust and is also Pro-Chancellor of Cranfield University.

The process of identifying the next Chair of the CAA is expected to commence in the autumn of 2019.

Published 25 October 2018