News story: Plastic purge: Defra Legal Advisers

Updated: Change of title

As the government announces a deposit scheme to encourage people to recycle plastic bottles and cans, GLD lawyers have been doing their bit to help stem the mounting volume of plastic waste that is posing a threat to much of the world’s wildlife.

Brought into focus by the recent series Blue Planet II in which David Attenborough highlighted the toxic effect of plastic waste on the world’s oceans, government lawyers from Defra Legal Advisers have joined a global effort to curb pollution.

Gilly Stratford of GLD was part of the UK delegation that joined the third United Nations Environmental Assembly which took place recently in Nairobi, otherwise known by its more snappy acronym UNEA-3.

UNEA-3’s aim was to work towards ridding the planet of pollution, including the menace of marine plastic litter. At the end of long and intense negotiations, 15 anti-pollution measures were unanimously agreed by the 190+ countries which attended. Gilly’s role was to advise policy colleagues and help draft amendments to the texts, while keeping an eye on the UK’s negotiating position.

While these measures are not legally binding, they nonetheless send out a statement of intent. Defra achieved all its objectives at UNEA-3, especially its main aim to reduce marine pollution by plastics and microplastics.



News story: Plastic purge: Defra Legal Advisers

Plastic bottles

As the government announces a deposit scheme to encourage people to recycle plastic bottles and cans, GLD lawyers have been doing their bit to help stem the mounting volume of plastic waste that is posing a threat to much of the world’s wildlife.

Brought into focus by the recent series Blue Planet II in which David Attenborough highlighted the toxic effect of plastic waste on the world’s oceans, government lawyers from Defra Legal Advisers have joined a global effort to curb pollution.

Gilly Stratford of GLD was part of the UK delegation that joined the third United Nations Environmental Assembly which took place recently in Nairobi, otherwise known by its more snappy acronym UNEA-3.

UNEA-3’s aim was to work towards ridding the planet of pollution, including the menace of marine plastic litter. At the end of long and intense negotiations, 15 anti-pollution measures were unanimously agreed by the 190+ countries which attended. Gilly’s role was to advise policy colleagues and help draft amendments to the texts, while keeping an eye on the UK’s negotiating position.

While these measures are not legally binding, they nonetheless send out a statement of intent. Defra achieved all its objectives at UNEA-3, especially its main aim to reduce marine pollution by plastics and microplastics.

Published 4 April 2018
Last updated 4 April 2018 + show all updates

  1. Change of title
  2. First published.


News story: London seminar – The Lammy Review: bringing to life recommendations 31 and 32

3 May, 2018

The Lammy Review: Bringing to life recommendations 31 and 32

The role of commissioning and the involvement of smaller organisations

featuring

George Barrow │ Head of Lammy Response Team │Ministry of Justice

Eila Davis │ Head of Equalities │HM Prison and Probation Service

Jeremy Crook, OBE │ Chief Executive │Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)

Jonathan Martin │Head of Community Commissioning │Ministry of Justice

Omar Ralph │ Lammy Response Team Lead │Ministry of Justice

For a more detailed overview and how to book please see the attached flyer.

PDF, 278KB, 1 page

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email academy@noms.gsi.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.



Press release: Attorney General launches recruitment campaign for new Director of Public Prosecutions

The Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, has today launched a recruitment campaign to find the next Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

It was announced earlier this week that the current DPP, Alison Saunders CB, will stand down in October 2018 at the end of her 5 year term.

Announcing the recruitment campaign, the Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP said:

In recruiting the next DPP we are looking for an extraordinary candidate. The job requires excellent legal judgement, the ability to lead a large organisation and the capacity to work with others in improving the criminal justice system as a whole.

This is an exciting time to be joining the CPS and to be able to play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation and its future.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) employs around 6,000 people. It prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales, including the National Crime Agency and HMRC.

The job advert can be found on the Civil Service Jobs website and the deadline for applications is 9.00 on 14 May 2018.



Press release: Joint Statement on anniversary of Khan Sheikhoun attack

Joint Statement on the anniversary of the Khan Sheikhoun attack by Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Foreign Minister of France, Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister of Germany and John Sullivan, Acting Secretary of State of the United States.

Today marks one year since the heinous attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, where Asad’s forces unleashed sarin nerve gas with tragic consequences for hundreds of men, women and children.

For more than seven long years there has been no let-up in the atrocities committed by the Syrian regime, enabled by its backers, in flagrant violation of international law. The suffering that has been inflicted on the Syrian people by the Asad regime and its backers is abhorrent.

In 2013, Russia promised to ensure Syria would abandon all of its chemical weapons. Since then, international investigators mandated by the UN Security Council have found the Asad regime responsible for using poison gas in four separate attacks. Instead of fulfilling its promise, Russia reacted by using its Security Council veto to shut down the investigation.

Each time a chemical weapon is used, it undermines the global consensus against their employment. Further, any such use in clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention gravely undermines the rules-based international order.

We condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere. We are committed to ensuring that all those responsible for their use are held to account. We will not rest in our efforts to seek justice for the victims of these abhorrent attacks in Syria.