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Author Archives: HM Government

News story: Interim Manager appointed to Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators

The Charity Commission has appointed an Interim Manager to Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (registered charity number 303167). The appointment comes as part of the regulator’s inquiry into the charity, which began in August 2016.

The inquiry is examining a range of concerns, including the trustees’ failure to comply with a previous action plan set by the Commission. A statement about the investigation is available on GOV.UK.

The Commission has now appointed Gordon Reid of Barlow Robbins Solicitors as Interim Manager of the charity. He has been appointed to fulfil specific functions, including to consider the trustees’ decision not to take action to recover a loss suffered by the charity when it granted an easement for access rights over charity lands at a significant undervalue. The Interim Manager will assess whether the trustees’ decision was taken properly and was in the best interests of the charity. The charity’s trustees remain responsible for the day-to-day management of the charity.

The Interim Manager was appointed on 31 May 2017.

The Commission’s investigation continues. It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s registered number is 303167.

The charity has also published its own announcement regarding the appointment.

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HM Government

News story: BBC Springwatch at Porton Down

The current series of BBC Springwatch features two special items about flora and fauna which were filmed recently at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) Porton Down site.

Porton Down will be featured in tonight’s episode, due to be broadcast this evening at 7:30pm on BBC Two. It will look at some of the animals that make their home amongst the chalk grasslands of Porton Down’s ranges.

A previous episode, which aired on Thursday 8 June, featured the flora that flourishes on the site, including the rare Lady Orchid. It is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer

Porton Down is one of, if not the, best-preserved chalk grasslands in Europe. The low level of human impact and development has enabled the man-made, semi-natural grassland to flourish and encourage a wide range of biodiversity. As a result, Porton Down boasts many rare species such as the Lady Orchid, the Duke of Burgundy butterfly and the Stone Curlew.

The programmes look at the many ways in which the wildlife flourishes and discuss the reasons for such an abundance of biodiversity. They also explore the relationships between the plants and animals, specifically insects and other invertebrates, as well as describing some of the various plant species that thrive on the plain.

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HM Government

News story: CMA publishes full decision in phenytoin case

In December last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) imposed a record £84.2 million fine on the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer and a £5.2 million fine on Flynn Pharma after finding that each broke competition law by charging excessive and unfair prices for phenytoin sodium capsules, an anti-epilepsy drug. The CMA also issued directions ordering both companies to reduce their prices, which they have now done.

The decision sets out the evidence gathered by the CMA during its investigation and its reasons for finding that Pfizer and Flynn Pharma infringed competition law.

The decision and fines related to both the prices that Pfizer charged to Flynn Pharma for phenytoin sodium capsules and the prices that Flynn Pharma subsequently charged its customers for the product since September 2012. The CMA found that both companies held a dominant position in their respective markets for the manufacture and supply of phenytoin sodium capsules and each had abused that dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices.

As a result of Pfizer’s and Flynn Pharma’s price increases, NHS expenditure on phenytoin sodium capsules increased from about £2 million a year in 2012 to about £50 million in 2013. Phenytoin sodium capsules are used in the treatment of epilepsy to prevent and control seizures, and are an important drug for an estimated 48,000 patients in the UK.

The full non-confidential decision and all other information on this investigation are available on the case page.

Pfizer and Flynn Pharma have lodged appeals against the decision with the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The hearing will start on 30 October 2017.

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HM Government

News story: Annual return service for charities

A reminder to submit your annual return for 2016, and information about the 2017 annual return service.

All charities have a legal responsibility to send an annual return to the Charity Commission. Failing to do so risks the public’s trust in your charity and its reputation.

If you haven’t filed your return for 2016 you have 10 months from the end of your charity’s financial year to do so. If you are experiencing difficulties logging into the system, it could be that the service is experiencing high demand at that time – try it again later.

What you need to submit depends on your annual income. If your charity’s income is:

  • under £10,000, then you just need to submit your charity’s income and expenditure figures – the easiest way to do this is through the annual return service
  • between £10,001 and £25,000, you need to complete an annual return form
  • more than £25,001, you must submit an annual return form with a set of annual accounts as well as an independent examiners’ or audit report and a trustees’ annual report (TAR)

Our guide to the accounting essentials for charities will help you understand the type of accounts your charity has to prepare, and whether they need an audit or independent examination.

All Charitable Incorporated Organisation’s (CIO) need to submit an annual return and annual accounts. If your CIO has an income over £25,000 you also need to submit an independent examiners’ or audit report along with a trustees’ annual report.

We are developing a new, improved annual return service for 2017.

The new system will make it easier to file your charity’s accounts and will be available to use from 31 August 2017.

We will let you know when the new system is available. Keep a check on this website and our Twitter feed for information.

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HM Government

News story: Agricultural challenges in China: apply for innovation funding

Businesses and researchers can apply for a share of £8 million to work with Chinese partners on agritech solutions in the People’s Republic.

There is up to £8 million available for UK projects that partner with and aim to solve the challenges facing agriculture in China.

The competition is jointly funded by Innovate UK and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the UK, and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in China. It is part of the Newton Fund, which uses science and innovation to the promote economic development and social welfare of official development assistance (ODA) partner countries.

What we’re looking for

We are seeking UK-China collaborations in 3 key areas:

  • precision agriculture, agriculture digitisation and decision management tools. This includes use of data and the internet of things, remote sensing and monitoring of crops and animals, digital management and innovative livestock housing
  • improving the efficiency of sustainable agricultural production, such as new approaches to tackling pests and disease, breeding, nutrition and new farming practices
  • agricultural products processing, including improved understanding of protein composition, evaluating nutritional quality of farm products, improved waste reduction and food safety, preventing food fraud and proving authenticity

Projects must be carried out either entirely in China, or in both China and the UK. They cannot be conducted solely in the UK.

Competition information

  • the competition is open, and the deadline for registration is 26 July 2017
  • projects must involve at least one UK business of any size, one UK higher education or research council institute, one Chinese business and one Chinese academic institution
  • a UK-based business or research organisation can lead the project
  • Innovate UK and BBSRC will fund the UK partners and MoST will fund Chinese partners
  • we expect projects to range in size up to £2 million and to last up to 3 years. The total project grant must not exceed £1 million per project in the UK
  • businesses can attract up to 70% of their project costs
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HM Government