The Lord Chief Justice, The Right Honourable The Lord Burnett of Maldon, will open this inaugural forum in London on 3 December 2018.

He will welcome delegates and speakers from over 20 countries to the two-day event to discuss the successes, challenges and technological advances being made in justice systems globally.

The Lord Chancellor, The Rt Hon David Gauke MP, will also address delegates. He will emphasise the importance of reform to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of justice systems in a digital age, and reinforce the UK’s place as a global leader in legal services.

The forum will be jointly chaired by Susan Acland-Hood, Chief Executive of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and Professor Richard Susskind, President of The Society for Computers and Law.

The first day will focus on international representations about online courts and other advanced technologies.

The second day will look forward and generate discussion around some of the central issues that will face policymakers, judges, technologists, and lawyers, who are planning or introducing online courts. Discussion panels will be chaired by leading legal figures from the UK.

The event will be hosted by DLA Piper UK LLP in London on 3 and 4 December 2018.

Susan Acland-Hood commented:

We’re continuing to look closely at the experiences of our international counterparts in designing and delivering our £1bn reform programme to transform the justice system in England and Wales, making it more effective and accessible for all using modern technology and ways of working. “We’re delighted that both the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor will be welcoming leaders from across the world to London to share their experiences, debate ideas and create new collaborations and partnerships.

Professor Richard Susskind OBE FRSE, President of the Society for Computers and Law, Forum Co-Chair added:

I have no doubt that the work of courts around the world will increasingly be conducted online. Here indeed will lie the key to providing greater access to justice. I am therefore hugely excited that the Society for Computers and Law is co-hosting this pioneering international gathering devoted to online courts.

For further details, including the full programme and registration details, visit the Society for Computers and Law.

More details are available about the HMCTS reform programme and other reform events.

Air pollution can have a huge and potentially fatal impact on human health, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and people suffering from lung and heart conditions.

A new competition from Innovate UK is to invest almost £5 million to reduce the cause of emissions from vehicles, minimise the amount of particulates produced and improve air quality.

Many of the particulates in the air come from vehicle and surface wear, as well as non-road vehicles and equipment. Addressing these sources will help to reduce harmful emissions and create cleaner air for everyone.

Commenting on the importance of tackling air pollution, British Lung Foundation Director of Policy, Alison Cook said:

The UK’s poor air quality truly is a public health crisis. We know that air pollution affects us all, and that children, the elderly and people with heart and lung problems are most at risk.

That’s why finding new solutions to clean up the air we breathe is so important. This competition is a fantastic initiative from Innovate UK and could ultimately result in a healthier future for us all.

We recently released a report on particulate matter around UK health centres. The findings revealed that over 2,000 hospitals and GPs are in areas of unsafe air pollution according to limits set by the World Health Organisation.

Particulate pollution is extremely harmful to our health, as the particles are small enough to pass through the lungs and into the bloodstream. It’s not right that hundreds of thousands of patients are breathing in dirty air as they seek medical care, and it shows just how crucial it is that we solve the UK’s pollution problem as soon as possible.

Non-exhaust and non-road pollution

Organisations can win funding to work on ideas that go beyond exhaust and road vehicle fumes:

• emissions, either from road vehicle brake and tyre wear or road surface abrasion
• industrial equipment and non-road vehicles used on construction sites, such as excavators, bulldozers, front loaders, cranes and compressors with combustion engines
• refrigeration units in vehicles including vans or heavy goods vehicles

Projects in this competition should develop and demonstrate products or services in these 3 areas.

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition that is being run in 2 phases.

Up to 6 projects can get funded contracts for feasibility studies in the first phase, where there is up to £300,000 available. The best projects will be invited to apply to a second phase, worth £4.5 million, to take their ideas further, develop a prototype and test its effectiveness.

Part of the Strategic Priorities Fund

The competition is part of the Strategic Priorities Fund being delivered by UK Research and Innovation for clean air.

The programme is a collaboration between the Natural Environment Research Council, Innovate UK, Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Met Office and the National Physical Laboratory. It will bring together leading researchers, businesses and government departments to minimise the effects of climate change on the environment and protect communities.

Clean growth is one of the Grand Challenges set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy. It aims to lead the shift to clean energy through the development, manufacture and use of low-carbon technologies, systems and services.

Competition information

• the competition opens on 12 November 2018, and the deadline to register is at midday on 9 January 2019
• organisations of any size can lead a project, working alone or with others
• in phase 1, projects can have costs up to £50,000 including VAT and last up to 3 months. Phase 2 projects can have costs up to £1.5 million including VAT
• projects should complement the work already being done in this area to increase the number of low or zero-emission vehicles on the roads.
• there will be a briefing event on 13 November 2018 in London and online, where organisations can find out more and how to submit a quality application
• applicants will be notified by 22 February 2019

Work to bring civil, family and tribunal hearings into one accessible building in Newcastle city centre have taken a step forward with the signing of a new lease.

The development will provide a modern, fit for purpose building for local people, legal professionals, judiciary, and courts and tribunals staff. The new courthouse is expected to open by 2020.

We have been working in partnership with Newcastle City Council to develop plans and designs for the Civic Centre, which is being fully refurbished and will include the new Civil, Family and Tribunals (CFT) courthouse.

Linda Ventress, HMCTS regional estates strategy lead, said:

This new court will help provide a modern, fit for purpose building for the people of Newcastle. We are delighted to see the next stage of the project begin and look forward to bringing civil, family and tribunal work into one location, making it easier and more efficient for people to access justice.

This is the first part of a wider plan for the courts in Newcastle, which will also see conversion of the existing Newcastle Combined Court into a Criminal Justice Centre.

The government is investing £1bn in reforming courts and tribunals, including making significant improvements to the condition and design of court buildings. This will improve the experience of visiting or working in a court, and lead to better value for taxpayers by reducing operating costs and increasing the efficiency of the estate.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox will attend China’s biggest international import show alongside a 50-strong UK business delegation. He will be beating the drum for UK businesses during the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Taking place in Shanghai from 5-10 November, Dr Fox will push for British firms to secure tens of millions of export wins and investment at the show.

He will hope to build on the recent success highlighted in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, which indicated the UK achieved the second highest level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world during the first six months of 2018.

Championing UK business, Dr Fox will tour the UK Pavilion in China as it showcases world-leading companies including Jaguar Land Rover and British Airways, as well as promoting a range of sectors popular in the Chinese market such as healthcare, education and the creative industries.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

As we leave the European Union, we have a once in a generation opportunity to put the UK at the centre of the world’s fastest growing market – and increasing trade with China is at the heart of this vision.

Greater global trade links not only deliver a better deal for consumers and businesses but create jobs for people back in the UK. Whether you are an armchair exporter or a growing firm looking for international investment – this event will help drive prosperity in the UK.

Over recent months China has started to open up its markets for UK goods and services, including dairy products, potatoes and petrol stations. DIT’s presence at the show will help create even more exciting opportunities for British companies.

The International Trade Secretary will be joined by the Minister for Trade and Export Promotion Baroness Fairhead and His Royal Highness The Duke of York.

The UK, which has been named a “Country of Honour” at CIIE, is seeing the event as a major opportunity to grow bilateral trade which is already worth more than £65bn.

UK Pavilion at CIIE

The UK’s presence at CIIE will feature revolutionary technology and industry best practice from a range of sectors including healthcare and life sciences, financial and professional services, creative industries, energy and mining, ICT, education, aviation, FMCG and sport.

The theme of the Pavilion is Innovation is GREAT and will include cutting-edge Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies from ground-breaking British companies such as Mi Hiepa Sports, who promote Global Elite Football VR – a market leading VR training & cognitive development tool for elite football, which is already used by world leading football clubs.

The pavilion will also feature companies such as WorldFirst, ACCA, Lloyds Bank, Alibaba Cloud, the University of Buckingham, Rio Tinto, Baosteel and Anstee, GSK and Boots.

Notable British contributions to the Expo include:

• BP who have been operating in China since the early 1970s and are one of the leading foreign investors in the oil and gas sector in China
• HSBC who will showcase the bank’s heritage in China and its central role in linking China with the world through trade and investment
• Global healthcare company GSK, who are fostering exchange between Chinese and British universities in the fields of health and economy, and developing advanced medical solutions that are most relevant to Chinese patients