Ranil Jayawardena – UK trade envoy for Sri Lanka

Mr Jayawardena’s role as trade envoy will be to support and enhance the development of Britain’s trade and investment with Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy will be visiting Sri Lanka from 15th to 17th February to meet with senior members of the government and engage with British business’s working in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Jayawardena was elected as the Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire in May 2015 and was reelected in 2017. He has a degree in government from the London School of Economics. In Parliament he is the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sri Lanka. Mr. Jayawardena’s father is of Sri Lankan origin.

Mr. Jayawardena said:

Given the shared history and close bonds of friendship between Britain and Sri Lanka – and with my family ties to Sri Lanka – I am looking forward to serving as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy at an exciting time for both our countries.

There’s lots of scope for further trade and investment between Britain and Sri Lanka. I recently visited ‘Port City’, one among many initiatives that the Sri Lankan Government is pushing forward that demonstrate its commitment to creating the right conditions for economic growth. Port City will provide a range of opportunities for UK-based professional services to work with Sri Lankan partners to take forward our shared ambitions to develop international business. I am confident that engagement by the UK’s professional services sector will help Port City to attract international investment and build its reputation.

British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris said:

For centuries Britain has been a global trading nation. Today we have one of the world’s largest economies and strong commercial relationships with countries around the globe. As the Sri Lankan economy grows we are seeing an encouraging increase in the number of British companies wanting to do business with Sri Lanka. Mr. Jayawardana’s appointment will help us to encourage more UK firms to look at options for doing business in and with Sri Lanka and to boost bilateral trade.

Published 7 February 2018

On 19 January, Secretary of State David Gauke told Parliament he had asked Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, to urgently review the way the victim contact scheme engaged with victims in the Worboys case.

Dame Glenys Stacey has completed this report and submitted her findings to the Justice Secretary.

Investigation into the policy and process followed by the Victim Contact Scheme in the Worboys case

Receiving the report, Secretary of State David Gauke said:

I am extremely grateful for Dame Glenys Stacey’s thorough report into the operation of the Victim Contact Scheme in the Worboys case – it will be an invaluable part of our urgent work to review parole transparency and victim contact.

It is reassuring that the correct procedures were followed and that in some respects Victim Liaison Officers have gone above and beyond the victim contact requirements.

However, I fully accept that there are things we can do much better. That’s why we have already changed the letters we send to victims to make them more compassionate, clearer and more informative, but there is more to do. We will take these findings and improve the system.

Read the Secretary of State’s oral statement on Transparency of the Parole Board and Victim Support

Speaking to attendees and delegates at this year’s Dairy Tech event held in Stoneleigh Park, Minister Eustice praised the variety of technology on show at the event and explained how farmers can benefit from the grants.

Many of the items eligible for funding are highly relevant to the dairy sector, including specialist foot trimming crushes and calving detectors, but there is a range of innovative items from which the majority of farmers can find something they would want to apply for.

Farmers can apply online to the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme, requesting a grant between £3,000 and £12,000 towards the costs of farm equipment.

Opening the event alongside Lord Curry and the Chairman of the RABDF Mike King, Minister Eustice explained how the scheme has been designed with simplicity in mind, to save farmers valuable time.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

It’s fantastic to see the scale of innovation here in Stoneleigh, where over 250 exhibitors are showcasing some truly advanced products and services which have come to the market for dairy farmers to improve productivity.

The dairy industry is our largest agricultural sector and we want to make sure farmers can become more resilient, competitive and able to capitalise on the growing global interest in quality British produce as we leave the EU.

By opening this small grants scheme, we hope more farmers will be able to access this equipment and embark on more innovative and ambitious projects.

Last year Defra also opened a series of offers for larger grants through the Countryside Productivity scheme. Farmers can apply for grants of over £35,000 for a range of different projects, including for making more efficient use of resources, processing products, and other innovative projects.