The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
This decision includes the permit/surrender letter and decision document for:
The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement
These notices explain:
The Environment Agency will decide:
JLA New Equityco Limited (JLA) acquired Washstation Limited (Washstation) in May 2017. Both firms rent out and maintain washing machines and tumble dryers to universities, colleges and student accommodation providers for use by students.
The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) started investigating after receiving a complaint about the completed merger.
It found that JLA and Washstation were the two main suppliers of managed laundry services to higher education customers, with a combined share of supply of more than 90%. Prior to the merger, JLA and Washstation were each other’s closest competitor and they faced limited pressure from other competitors.
The CMA considered whether other companies would enter or expand in the market to challenge the merged entity but found that, although some competitors had indicated an intention to grow, this could not be relied on to offset the adverse effects of the merger.
The Authority is concerned that the merger may substantially lessen competition in the supply of managed laundry services to higher education customers, leading to higher prices, lower quality or less innovation in these services. This could result in students paying more or getting a worse quality of service.
This case will now be referred for an in-depth phase 2 investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members unless JLA is able to offer a solution at this stage to address the competition concerns.
The companies, involved in the operation of occupational pension schemes, were placed into provisional liquidation by the High Court.
They include Fast Pensions Ltd, which is the sponsoring employer of 15 pension schemes, and FP Scheme Trustees Ltd, which is the trustee of the pension schemes. The remaining four companies are entities into which some of the pension scheme funds have been invested.
The orders placing the companies into provisional liquidation followed a hearing at the High Court on 29 March 2018 of an application issued by the Insolvency Service on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The Official Receiver has been appointed the provisional liquidator and has responsibilities to protect assets in the possession or under the control of the companies pending the determination of the petitions.
As provisional liquidator of the trustee to the pension schemes the Official Receiver:
Members of the pension schemes who require advice should consider contacting a solicitor, a regulated financial advisor or the Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) on: 0300 123 1047; email: virtual.appointments@pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk.
If you are a member of one of the pension schemes, the Official Receiver is requesting that you register your interest by email to piu.north@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk providing the following information:
The provisional liquidator has the power to investigate the affairs of the companies as necessary to protect assets including any third party, or trust monies, or assets in the possession of, or under the control of the companies.
The case is now subject to High Court action and no further information will be made available until petitions to wind up the companies are heard in the High Court on 30 May 2018.
All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the companies should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 2 Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN.
The six companies in provisional liquidation are:
The 15 pension schemes involved are:
The petitions were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986. The Official Receiver was appointed as provisional liquidator of the companies on 29 March 2018 by HHJ Pelling, a Judge of the High Court.
Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available here.
The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by BEIS, administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities, both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.
BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.
The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.
Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available here.
Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187
You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:
The United States and the United Kingdom held the third meeting of the US-UK Trade and Investment Working Group on 21 to 22 March, and the inaugural meeting of the new US-UK Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Dialogue on 20 March.
The working group, established in July 2017, works to deepen current trade and investment ties between the two nations and is laying the groundwork for a potential future free trade agreement once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
The delegations were led by officials from the UK’s Department of International Trade (DIT) and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and included representatives from a wide range of US and UK government departments. The working group discussions covered a range of topics, including:
The inaugural meeting of the SME Dialogue brought together more than 100 US and UK SMEs with government officials from both countries to:
At the dialogue, the US and UK governments jointly released the guide Doing business in the US and UK: resources for small business as a key tool for SMEs seeking to benefit from US-UK trade.
Building on these positive outcomes from the first US-UK SME Dialogue, both governments met the following day as part of the US-UK Trade and Investment Working Group to further discuss opportunities to work together. During these meetings:
the United States extended an invitation to the UK government to join the 10th Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in California, to exchange best practices on innovative approaches to economic development
the United States and UK agreed to explore trade promotion and trade show collaboration, notably between the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the UK Department for International Trade
it was agreed that the 2nd US-UK SME Dialogue will be hosted in the United Kingdom.
As discussed in the March 15th Joint Statement of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox the ongoing SME Dialogue was one of several tangible outcomes of the Working Group.
UK government officials also raised the United States’ imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium.