The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, will attend IMF, G20 and G7 meetings in Washington, where he will meet with fellow finance ministers and central bankers to discuss common challenges like global productivity, digital taxation and climate sustainability. In response to the recovery in global growth and the IMF’s call for policymakers to guard against complacency, the Chancellor will urge his colleagues to work together to boost trade.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond:

I will be in the US this week to demonstrate that Global Britain is not just a phrase, it is a reality. I am looking forward to productive discussions with my international colleagues as we work together to ensure that economic growth works for everyone.

In Washington, he will also attend the meeting of Commonwealth Finance Ministers, the first time a Chancellor has attended for seven years. He will set out the government’s ambitions for next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London. At the meeting, a key topic of discussion will be climate sustainability in light of the recent hurricanes that have devastated the Caribbean and affected many thousands of citizens of Commonwealth countries. The Chancellor will reiterate the UK’s commitment to supporting small island states to boost their resilience to natural disasters.

The Chancellor will also meet colleagues in the United States administration.

The Chancellor will then visit New York where he will meet with CEOs of major US financial service companies that together have a market capitalisation of almost £600 billion.

People who are the most vulnerable to flu are being urged to get their free vaccination from today (12 October 2017), ahead of the winter period when the virus is most common.

This year, Public Health England (PHE) are aiming to vaccinate more people than ever – around 13 million people in total. Children in school year 4 will be offered the vaccine for the first time and children over age 4 in reception year can get their vaccine in school.

The national drive marks the start of ‘Stay Well This Winter’, an initiative from PHE and NHS England to help the most vulnerable people prepare for winter and avoid having to visit hospital due to common winter illnesses.

Professor Paul Cosford, PHE’s Medical Director, said:

This year we are offering the nasal spray vaccine to more children than ever. Ensuring children get vaccinated is extremely important not only to protect them from flu but also to stop then spreading it to vulnerable groups they come in to contact with. For someone with a long term health condition like asthma or COPD, flu has the potential to turn very serious. We want as many eligible people as possible to get their jab, as it is the best way to protect everyone from flu and minimise the burden on the NHS during the season when it faces the most pressures.

Around 6.3 million people under 65 in England have a long-term health condition and are more at risk of suffering potentially fatal complications from flu. Last year, uptake amongst high risk groups increased by 3.5% amongst eligible people.

Those who are eligible for the free flu vaccine include:

• adults over 65
• pregnant women
• children aged 2 and 3 as well as pupils in reception class and school years 1 to 4
• people with long-term health conditions (including asthma, COPD and cardiovascular issues)

Another way of protecting vulnerable adults is to vaccinate children, who are ‘super-spreaders’ of the vaccine. For healthy children aged 2 and 3 the flu vaccine is in the form of a nasal spray, administered by a health professional. Parents of over 3 million children in reception class and school years 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be asked to agree to have their children vaccinated in school.

Last year’s flu vaccination programme reduced the risk of flu in children who received the vaccine by 65.8% compared to those that didn’t.

Dr. Rosemary Leonard, GP and broadcaster, said:

Young children’s bodies can find it hard to cope with flu, so it is especially important to protect them with the vaccine. The nasal spray is a quick, effective and painless alternative to needles.

Once ill, children also tend to spread infection more than adults. The vaccine helps to reduce the spread of flu to other more vulnerable family members, such as grandparents.

To get your vaccine or find out if you are eligible, contact your GP, pharmacist or midwife for more information. Visit nhs.uk/staywell for more details on how to help you and your family to stay well this winter.

1. Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It does this through advocacy, partnerships, world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health. Follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk.

2. The national flu campaign will also encourage pregnant women to protect themselves against flu in the run up to winter. Pregnancy naturally weakens the body’s immune system and as a result, flu can cause serious complications for the mother and baby.

3. For the first time, year 4 children will be offered the vaccine in a school setting, along with year groups 1, 2 and 3. Evidence shows this method ensures greater uptake of the vaccine, and consequently offers greater population protection through herd immunity.

Updated: 2nd quarterly Euratom report to Parliament published

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (12 October 2017) unveiled the latest stage in the government’s record investment in Britain’s railways.

He set out the next round of rail funding, announcing that around £48 billion will be spent on the network over a 5 year period, from 2019 to 2024, including more maintenance and a huge uplift in renewals to increase reliability and punctuality for passengers.

The funding comes on top of record rail funding over the past 5 years as the government delivered the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century.

And the Transport Secretary confirmed there will also be a new funding process for major upgrades and enhancements which will provide more rigour in investment decisions to make sure public spending best meets the needs of passengers and freight.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:

This government is continuing its record funding in Britain’s rail network.

As a commuter, I know how frustrating it is to be delayed by problems on the line. Passengers want a railway they can rely on and that’s where this huge investment will make a real difference to their everyday lives – by renewing more tracks earlier and increasing maintenance to deliver far better services.

This investment is about boosting reliability and punctuality for millions of journeys, and we will do this alongside building major upgrades around the country and delivering new, faster, more comfortable trains.

The Statement of funds available for the rail industry continues the government’s record investment with a direct grant of up to £34.7 billion for spending between 2019 and 2024. Total spending will be around £47.9 billion once Network Rail’s expected income is calculated and added to the pot.

Today’s announcement includes funding for the early stages of developing new rail schemes. But, in a departure from the previous approach, the government will allocate funds separately for major upgrades following a new process to ensure they are deliverable and secure the best value for money for the tax payer. This new process will be set out in more detail later this year.