Author Archives: HM Government

The MMO is looking to recruit members for the North Western, North Eastern, Sussex, Southern and Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs).

Each IFCA needs members who will take a balanced approach to caring for our seas, assessing the priority and importance of all users and stakeholders. The vacancies are an opportunity for someone who wants to improve the quality of the inshore area and are available in the following regions, the:

• North Western IFCA is looking for three new members; interest is welcomed from those with experience and interest in commercial fishing; recreational fishing; the marine environment; or with other relevant interest and experience.
• North Eastern IFCA is looking for three new members; applicants are encouraged who have experience and interest in commercial fishing, particularly with mobile gear; commercial/recreational sea angling; and those with a strong academic and/or scientific background. In addition, applicants from areas including Hartlepool, Durham, Sunderland and South Tyneside would be particularly welcome.
• Sussex IFCA is looking for two new members; applicants are encouraged who have experience and knowledge of commercial fishing including both mobile and fixed gear operations. Applications from throughout the Sussex IFCA district from Chichester Harbour in the west to Rye in the east are welcomed.
• Southern IFCA is looking for a new member; applicants are encouraged who have experience and interest in shellfish aquaculture.
• Cornwall IFCA is looking for a new member; applicants are encouraged who have experience and interest in commercial fishing.

Andrew Wareing, Director of Business Development and Transformation for the Marine Management Organisation, which is responsible for appointing local people with relevant expertise to the IFCAs, said:

“These are rare, exciting opportunities for people with experience and a passion for their inshore marine area to play a major part in shaping how their local area is managed. If you want to make a positive difference and help balance economic, social and environmental needs, we would be pleased to hear from you.”

The deadline for applications is midnight Monday 18 September 2017.

The role is on a voluntary basis although relevant expenses may be reimbursed.

You can email ifcarecruitment@marinemanagement.org.uk or telephone 0208 225 6659 or 0208 026 5171 for more information.

Background

There are 10 IFCAs around the English coastline and they are responsible for sustainably managing sea fisheries and conservation within 6 nautical miles from shore. They have the power to make byelaws to protect resources and the environment in their area as well as also enforcing national and European fisheries legislation.

IFCAs are either committees or joint committees of the local authorities that fall within an IFC district. They are tasked with sustainably managing inshore sea fisheries and conserving their local marine environment. They are made up of representatives from local councils along with people from across the different sectors that use or are knowledgeable about the inshore marine area, such as commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups and marine researchers, who offer their time voluntarily.

The Marine Management Organisation, Environment Agency and Natural England also each has a statutory seat on the IFCA. Through their local management and funding structures, IFCAs help put local councils, communities and businesses, and individual citizens in the driving seat, allowing them to play a bigger part in the protection and enhancement of their inshore marine environment.

As a result, we’re extending the deadline for the Open Call for Innovation Cycle 6 from midday today until 7am 30 August 2017.

We’re monitoring the situation closely and hope that the service will be back online shortly. We’ll keep you updated via our digital channels LinkedIn and Twitter.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

The Charity Commission has today published the findings from its programme of post-registration monitoring of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) Gospel Hall Trusts.

The Commission has not identified any significant regulatory issues relating to the charities’ compliance with their governing documents, and has seen sufficient evidence of each charity’s engagement with the wider community to demonstrate public benefit.

However, the report sets out a number of areas in which the Commission provided regulatory advice to trustees of the Gospel Hall Trusts, including on the charities’ control of charitable collections made at meetings of Gospel Hall congregations.

The regulator committed to monitoring a sample of recently registered PBCC charities to ensure they were complying with their governing documents, including a Deed of Variation (DoV) adopted during the charities’ registration with the Commission. Over 100 Gospel Hall Trusts have been registered since 2013; of that number 24 were selected for monitoring, including those about which the regulator was contacted with individual concerns.

As part of its work, the Commission spoke to a number of individuals who were concerned about the treatment of former members at Gospel Hall Trusts. The Commission accepts that trustees of Gospel Hall Trusts are not responsible for the behaviour of individual members, who have personal choice in their dealings with their own family members and others. However, the Commission’s report makes clear that it expects the trustees to ensure the DoV is readily available to members and to have regular discussions with them about its provisions. It concludes that the trustees of these particular charities on the evidence it has seen have acted in accordance with the requirement for compassion set out in the DoV.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Charity Commission, says:

This is an important example of our proactive case work focused on recently registered charities. Our aim in monitoring new charities is to ensure they are operating in line with their governing document, and are following any regulatory advice and guidance, to help ensure that the public can support charities with confidence.

In this case, our review is able to provide public reassurance that the trustees of Gospel Hall Trusts are taking steps to embed the principles of the Deed of Variation in the running of their charities; we have provided regulatory guidance to some individual trusts and expect them to follow that advice consistently.

This review follows a report into the first PBCC charity to register, the Preston Down Trust, and concludes the Commission’s programme of post registration monitoring of PBCC charities. The regulator says that, as with any charity, it will carefully assess any concerns that may be raised in future.

The full report is available.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.

2. Search for charities on our online register.

From sticking plasters to hip replacements, contact lenses to implanted pacemakers, medical devices are a part of everyday life. To make sure these medical devices are acceptably safe and perform as intended, they must comply with the relevant EU legislation.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has created an introductory guide to make sure manufacturers are aware of their obligations under the new EU regulations for medical devices (MDR) and in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDR).

Entering into force on 25 May 2017, the three and five year transition periods (also known as implementation) are now underway; the new regulations will apply across EU Member States from 26 May 2020 and 2022 respectively.

The Introductory Guide, designed as an interactive pdf, will help new manufacturers who may be looking at the regulations for the first time, and will also help experienced manufacturers navigate the changes in the new regulations.

The new regulations will include clearer obligations for those involved in manufacturing and supplying devices, a greater emphasis on traceability throughout the whole supply chain with the introduction of a unique device identification (UDI) system and new standards for clinical evidence. They also set out more rigorous vigilance reporting requirements, including new reporting timescales, as well as clearer requirements on what a manufacturer’s post-market surveillance system should comprise of. The new regulations are a balancing act of proportionate responsibility and an increasingly technological approach to healthcare.

Some products will become regulated under medical device legislation for the first time. Annex XVI of the MDR lists six categories of products similar to medical devices that do not have any medical benefit and are used for other purposes, such as dermal fillers, non-corrective contact lenses and brain stimulation devices. These products carry much of the same risks as medical devices and – under these new Regulations and detailed ‘Common specifications’ to be published by the European Commission – their manufacturers, importers and distributors will be regulated in the same way.

John Wilkinson, MHRA’s director of Medical Devices said:

We live in an increasingly digital world, and the way we provide our guidance is changing. We want to help manufacturers to comply with the new regulations as easily and as early as possible.

Our guidance is designed for all users – to help experienced manufacturers navigate the increased requirements for devices and diagnostics, as well as those manufacturers who will be new to the medical device regulations as a result of the broader scope of the new legislation.

Patient safety is our priority. It is expected that the implementation of these new regulations will clarify the role of competent authorities increase post-market surveillance to help protect both patients and industry alike.