IP connect is the Intellectual Property Office media service.

On 28 March, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business jointly launched the Creative Industries Sector Deal. More than £150 million will be invested by government and industry to help the country’s world-leading cultural and creative businesses thrive.

This follows on from the government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper that was published in November. The strategy committed to roll-out Sector Deals, which are partnerships between government and industry to increase sector productivity.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has been working with DCMS and the Creative Industries on including intellectual property (IP) in this Sector Deal. We have committed to:

• support the Creative Content UK campaign, Get it Right from a Genuine Site, by providing joint funding of £2 million with DCMS

• organise roundtables with online intermediaries and rights holders. These will consider the practicalities of agreeing new Codes of Practice in social media, digital advertising and online market places

• continue our work to help address the value gap, both within the Digital Single Market copyright proposals and at domestic levels

• consider site blocking and ways that this could be introduced

• publish a programme of work to support the IP valuation market by autumn 2018. We will also work with industry to help identify solutions to address skills gaps around IP valuation

For more information, read the full Creative Industries Sector Deal.

Published 28 March 2018

From February next year (2019), lorries meeting the latest Euro VI emissions standards will be eligible for a 10% reduction in the cost of the Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) levy.

The cleanest lorries generate 80% less nitrogen emissions than dirtier ones. Those lorries that do not meet the latest emissions standards will be expected to pay 20% more.

Roads Minister Jesse Norman said:

This government is committed to improving the air we breathe and delivering a green revolution in transport.

Heavy goods vehicles account for around a fifth of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions from road transport, but they only travel 5% of the total miles.

That’s why we’re changing the HGV levy to encourage firms to phase out the most polluting lorries and bring in the cleanest ones.

The HGV Road User Levy, introduced in 2014, was brought in as a first step to ensure lorries pay a charge to cover the greater wear and tear they cause to road surfaces than other vehicles. This change to the levy will further incentivise the industry to choose less polluting lorries.

When the change comes into effect, more than half of UK vehicles will pay less. As increasing numbers of companies move to cleaner lorries, the UK haulage industry overall will pay less.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Air pollution has improved significantly since 2010, but we recognise there is more to do which is why we have put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions.

Poor air quality affects public health, the economy, and the environment, and all motorists, including hauliers, must play their part if we are to clean up our air for the next generation.

The HGV levy is just one element of the government’s £3.5 billion programme to clean up the air and reduce emissions, which includes £255 million for councils to improve air quality and a dedicated Clean Air Fund of £220 million for those local areas with the biggest air quality challenges.

The government is today (28 March 2018) announcing new measures to change the rates paid by hauliers of less polluting lorries, as part of our plans to improve air quality across the UK.

The newest lorries generate 80% less nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than older ones. From February next year (2019), lorries that meet the latest Euro VI emissions standards will be eligible for a 10% reduction in the cost of the Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) levy. Euro V and older vehicles, which do not meet these emissions standards, will pay 20% more.

The HGV Road User Levy, introduced in 2014, was brought in as a first step to ensure lorries pay a charge to cover the greater wear and tear they cause to road surfaces than other vehicles. This change to the levy will incentivise the industry to choose less polluting lorries.

The government will make the first changes to the levy to implement the reductions for Euro Class VI vehicles through a Statutory Instrument being laid today, with the remaining changes to increase the rates for Euro V and older vehicles expected to be included in the Finance Bill in the Autumn.

Levy rates will continue to comply with the relevant maximum levels set under European law, which for Euro 0-V rates will be determined at the time of the Finance Bill.

Note that the following shows the maximum levy rate. Levy rates depend on vehicle weight and number of axles.

Passengers across the country will benefit from a multi-million pound government investment which will help councils and bus companies put more environmentally-friendly buses on the roads.

Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani has today (28 March 2018) announced a new Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme aimed at cutting emissions and ensuring cleaner and greener journeys.

The programme will see local authorities and operators in England and Wales bid for a share of a £48 million fund, which they can use to buy hundreds of new ultra-low emission buses as well as the infrastructure to support them.

This is part of the government’s commitment through the Industrial Strategy to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the transport sector.

Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

We are doing more than ever before to reduce greenhouse gas pollution across all modes of transport and we are committed to ensuring nearly all cars and vans are emissions-free at their tailpipes by 2050.

In order to achieve this ambitious target, the transport sector is going to have to change dramatically over the next couple of decades – and buses are no exception.

We are confident this scheme will encourage councils and operators to invest in these ultra-low emission vehicles – speeding up the full transition to a low emission bus fleet in England and Wales.

The new scheme follows the success of the previous Low Emission Bus Scheme. This led to 13 organisations receiving more than £30 million between them – enough to put more than 300 new low-emission buses on the road by 2019.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, said:

Today’s announcement is a fantastic step in the UK’s fight against air pollution and we’re delighted that the government has recognised the important and vital role that buses play in helping reducing harmful emissions. The cleanest diesel buses emit fewer emissions overall than the cleanest diesel cars, despite being able to carry 20 times more passengers.

Buses are also the lifeblood of our communities, connecting families and getting people to work. Today’s announcement sends a positive message that the government is serious about connecting the communities it serves and committed to putting the bus at the heart of the clean air solution.

The current funding comes as part of a wider £100 million scheme announced in November 2016 to support low-emission buses.

Through our ambitious Industrial Strategy we have committed to publishing a strategy on the pathway to zero emissions road transport which will discuss how the transport sector is going to have to change dramatically to cut down on harmful emissions. The Prime Minister announced in December 2017 that the UK would host a zero emission vehicle Summit in Autumn 2018.

The Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.

A prolific Essex burglar has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it for being too low.

In late 2017 James Zammutt-Cook, aged 27, burgled three homes, stealing a range of personal belongings from families, such as jewellery and a wallet. After his arrest, Zammutt-Cook also admitted to a further 24 offences, which totalled over £20,000 of loss to victims, and were motivated by a desire to fund his drug habit.

Zammutt-Cook was originally jailed for 2 years and 5 months at Chelmsford Crown Court. Today, after the Solicitor General’s reference, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 3 years and 9 months in prison.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

I am pleased that the Court of Appeal agreed that Zammutt-Cook’s sentence should be higher. He showed no remorse for the impact that his crimes had on his victims, of which there were many.

I hope he will spend the extra time in prison reflecting on the choices he has made and turn over a new leaf on his release.