Personal injury claims boss jailed for 21 months after fraudulently removing company funds in the months before the courts would make a winding-up order resulting in the closure of the business.
Rollout of the new digital service in England and Wales will make the application process simpler, and reduce uncertainty while waiting for a decision by enabling people to track the progress of their case.
More than 2,600 applications have been received by the service so far. The number of appeals rejected because of errors in paperwork completed by appellants fell by 45%.
Throughout the development process, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has worked alongside the judiciary, with members of the public and with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make sure users’ needs are met. Applicants who used the new service report back that it’s easy to use and straightforward.
Comments from people lodging an appeal have included:
This is a totally new experience for me, and I never thought I could do it by myself, but I am so pleased at how easy it was.” – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) service user, September 2018
So straightforward and easy to use.” – SSCS service user, July 2018
No glaring issues, all in all a pleasant and easy experience.” – SSCS service user, August 2018
Regional Tribunal Judge Jeremy Bennett, Social Security and Child Support, London Region, said:
Those that have so far appealed online seem to find the system straightforward. The information provided on the online appeal form seems to be of a standard that allows judges to progress the appeals. The challenge is to find ways to make the online appeal form accessible to as many appellants as possible and to make it the appeal route of choice for SSCS appellants.
The service is part of HMCTS’s ambitious £1bn programme of reform, which aims to bring new technology and modern ways of working to what is – and will remain – the best justice system in the world.
On Sunday 11 November 2018, the British High Commission, Singapore along with partners from the Singapore Armed Forces Veterans’ League and with the support of the Inter-Religious Organisation hosted the annual Remembrance Day service at the Kranji War Cemetery. The day also marked the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I, which is also the day the Armistice was signed by the Allied Forces and Germany.
Some 1,800 members of the public, the diplomatic corps, the UK and Singapore military, religious groups and students attended the ceremony, paying heartfelt tribute to all who died in war. To mark Armistice Day and the five years of the war, a bell on loan from The Battlebox at Fort Canning in Singapore was rung by an officer from HMS Argyll.
Media covered the event with the main local English newspaper noting High Commissioner’s remark ‘urging people to never forget the sacrifice and suffering of those who had died in the war’.
Published 15 November 2018
For the first time, the Board of Trade will meet in Wales today (Thursday 15 November) to launch £240 million worth of Welsh energy and infrastructure projects to global investors.
The UK-wide Energy Investment Portfolio will be launched in Swansea. It aims to attract:
In addition, the UK Government will add two new projects from Wales to its multi-billion-pound High Potential Opportunities scheme, designed to fast-track investment into regions and sectors of the economy.
These are the nuclear sector in North Wales (where opportunities in decommissioning, advanced technology and Wylfa Newydd’s supply chain will be promoted) and Wales’ life sciences and wellness sector.
UK Government will promote these Welsh opportunities to investors in 108 countries to secure jobs, growth and prosperity.
Whilst in Wales, International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade Dr Liam Fox MP and Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns MP will also present eight companies with Board of Trade Awards (BOFTAs) to celebrate to celebrate their success in exporting and driving investment. These firms, ranging from furniture makers in Wrexham to beer brewers in Newport, showcase the very best of the Welsh economy.
Wales is a nation built on industrial innovation and today’s launch of the Energy Investment Portfolio alongside the High Potential Opportunities scheme will deliver growth in new innovative sectors, encouraging creativity, creating jobs and driving prosperity here in Wales and across the UK.
My international economic department has established relationships with the world’s most influential investors to ensure that the UK continues to be the top destination in Europe for Foreign Direct Investment – and today’s announcement is further proof that there is huge demand for Welsh projects from investors.
I am delighted to welcome the Board of Trade to Swansea today and look forward to a packed programme of activities tailored to supporting British businesses looking to achieve their global exporting ambitions.
From the eight Welsh Board of Trade Award winners to the high potential opportunities in the nuclear and life sciences sector, our announcements today show how the UK Government will continue to work on behalf of every hardworking business to drum up trade, encourage international investment and pave the way for growth generating jobs, security and a more prosperous Wales in the future.
Wales nuclear sector – Opportunities in the nuclear supply chain around in the short, medium and longer term. Decommissioning, Advanced Nuclear Technologies, Small Modular Reactors, and the proposed development of the Wylfa Newydd civil nuclear power plant by Horizon (Hitachi).
Llanelli Life Sciences Village – An opportunity for firms engaged in healthcare research and innovation. The Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village along with the new Institute of Life Science and Innovation presents a commercial opportunity for firms to work alongside NHS, researchers, academics and other life sciences firms to develop new technologies.
AerFin (Caerphilly) specialises in aircraft and engine aftermarket solutions to the commercial airline industry, providing fully integrated, cost-saving aircraft component and engine supply-chain services into a global airline, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) customer base.
Concrete Canvas (Pontypridd) manufactures 3 multi award-winning products, Concrete Canvas®, the all-in-one impermeable liner – CC Hydro™ and Concrete Canvas Shelters (CCS). All products are manufactured in the UK from where it exports to 80+ countries, through a network of over 40 international Sales Partners. This year, turnover is set to exceed £11m, of which over 80% is derived from export sales, with another year of strong growth forecast for 2019. The firm now employs over 50 people in six offices across the globe, the most recent of which to be opened being Milan and the UAE.
Flamgard (Pontypool) design and manufacture specialist dampers for a wide variety of industries. Their main industry sectors are oil and gas, nuclear and transportation (tunnels). Currently around 50% of their products are exported and they are looking to increase their exports to meet their increased turnover target. They employ around 62 people F/T from their HQ in Pontypool.
Laser Wire Solutions (Pontypridd) based in South Wales, is a pioneering tech company which designs and manufactures standard and bespoke laser wire-stripping machines to remove insulation from high quality wires and cables, no matter the size or complexity. The firm works in a range of sectors including medical, automotive, aerospace and data communications. The company were recipients of the 2018 Queen’s Award for International Trade.
Lumishore (Swansea) is a vibrant small business which manufactures innovative, high quality, underwater LED lighting systems worldwide, for all sizes and types of vessels, from small tenders to the world’s largest Superyachts. Based in Swansea, the company’s products include the world’s first colour changing leisure marine underwater lights, the world’s smallest thru-hull interchangeable unit, and their super yacht weld-in lighting system.
Markes International (Llantrisant) is a technology innovator that manufactures and sells scientific instrumentation for analytical chemists globally, in a wide range of business and research sectors for sampling organic chemicals from gases, liquids, and solids.
Silverlining Furniture (Wrexham) is a luxury furniture maker who employs 71 people at Wrexham, North Wales. Started in 1985, by furniture maker and CEO Mark Boddington the company’s vision is to be the world’s most inspiring furniture maker of the 21st century. The company is known for combining creative design and innovative craftsmanship with advanced manufacturing and materials, creating bespoke furniture for yachts and houses. Since moving to Wales in 2014 the company has achieved astonishing growth, growing from £2.2 to £7.8 million and creating 58 jobs. This year the company has won the Queens Award for Export and was listed in The Sunday Times Fastrack 100 Fastest Growing SME for Export. This year they have started to open up two new geographic markets in the Middle and Asia.
Tiny Rebel (Newport) is an independent brewery producing beer and related merchandise, based in Newport, Gwent. The company has recently confirmed an import agreement in New York, giving the company a foothold in the world’s most exciting beer market. A new customer in China has opened up one of the largest and fastest growing beer markets in the world.
Cefas and University of Exeter have launched a bluefin tuna tagging programme to try and find out more about the migration patterns of these enigmatic predators.
2018 represents the first year when the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter have run a sightings programme, asking members of the public to send in their records of Atlantic bluefin tuna. 2017 was a remarkable year for Atlantic bluefin tuna sightings and 2018 has been even more impressive.
Hannah and Duncan Jones of Marine Discovery Penzance, a local wildlife tour operator, said:
We’ve already seen bluefin tuna on 45 occasions this year and our season isn’t over yet. Most of those instances have been large shoals with a mix in the size of fish, but recently most fish seen at the surface have been large. We have certainly seen more this year than ever, which has been the case every year now since 2015!
This year, records have been sent in from the Scilly Isles, Scotland, Wales, England and even the Channel Islands and regularly detailing sightings of shoals of Atlantic bluefin tuna, hundreds of fish strong. During the beginning of the electronic tagging programme, observers have witnessed over 100 separate Atlantic bluefin tuna feeding events. Whilst seeing these predators back in waters of the British Isles is incredibly exciting, it’s clearer now more than ever how little is known about the local ecology of these animals.
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter are conducting a two-year scientific study, supported by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, to deploy state of the art animal tracking devices to find out where Atlantic bluefin tuna in UK waters go. Scientists will work with stakeholders including commercial fishers, recreational anglers, wildlife watchers, and NGOs, to share knowledge, and to deploy around 40 state-of-the-art satellite tracking devices. Tagging started in October, and the programme has been designed with the input and help of fishers.
The work will help scientists to understand:
The information will improve knowledge on Atlantic bluefin tuna, ultimately aiding in the conservation of these remarkable animals into the future.
Following a summer in which sightings of bluefin were once again common, Dr David Righton, lead scientist on the project for Cefas said:
This exciting collaboration will enable us to gather and share knowledge of this incredible species and uncover the role they play in UK waters. Cefas has a long history of investigating the behaviours and migrations of many species of fish, and we’re looking forward to using our expertise to address some of the fundamentally important questions that need answering about bluefin tuna.
Dr Matthew Witt, lead scientist on the project for the University of Exeter said:
This a ground-breaking project for the UK and another important step towards the use of evidence-based approaches for conservation in our coastal seas. These are huge, exciting, top predators, yet with an uncertain future. We’ve already learned a huge amount about bluefin from talking to wildlife spotters and fishers who are out on the water every day. Our tagging programme will help build an even more detailed understanding at the level of individual fish. The next few years will be challenging, exciting, yet hugely revealing regards their movements and biology.
Atlantic bluefin tuna are known for being amongst the biggest, fastest and most valuable fish in the sea. They were once a common sight in UK waters, ranging throughout the Celtic and North Sea. However, they largely disappeared from British waters in the 1990s, possibly due to overfishing, and are now recognised as an endangered species. In recent years they have been observed more frequently in our coastal waters, particularly during the late summer, autumn and winter as they move into coastal areas to feed on energy rich fish, such as sprats and herring, in waters off the south west of the UK.
Atlantic bluefin tuna can migrate over huge distances, moving over the entire Atlantic Ocean to North America and back again in a single year, crossing both coastal waters and the deep offshore. They are top predators of the seas and are fast, energetic and powerful fish with considerable commercial and conservation interest. However, despite historic evidence, we know little about their movements, for example how long they stay in British waters and where they go once they leave our coastal environment. Improving knowledge on the species is an important first step for securing a positive future for Atlantic bluefin tuna around the UK.
More information on the project can be found at https://www.thunnusuk.org/. A blog on the project has also been published today at: https://marinescience.blog.gov.uk/.