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Author Archives: HM Government

News story: ATM merger faces in-depth investigation

Both companies – Cardtronics plc (Cardtronics) and DirectCash Payments (DCP) – are independent ATM deployers supplying cashpoints to site owners, such as convenience stores and pubs.

Independent ATM deployers face competition from banks and building societies to supply ATMs to large site owners in high ‘footfall’ locations such as supermarkets, shopping centres or transport hubs. However independent ATM deployers also supply smaller non-corporate customers whose cashpoints typically have lower numbers of transactions and are often pay-to-use.

Cardtronics and DCP supply both free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs.

Following its initial investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) believes that, in those local areas where there is insufficient competition from rival ATMs, the merger could lead to increased surcharge fees for customers withdrawing cash. Given the potential lack of suitable sites and the cost of supplying new ATMs, entry into these local areas by competitors would not be sufficiently likely to prevent an increase in fees.

The merger will now be referred for an in-depth phase 2 investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members – unless Cardtronics is able to offer undertakings which sufficiently address the substantial lessening of competition in relation to supply of ATMs to users on a local basis.

Cardtronics has until 10 May 2017 to offer undertakings that might be accepted by the CMA. If no undertaking is offered or accepted, then the CMA will refer the merger for a phase 2 merger investigation. Further details on the investigation can be found on the case page.

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HM Government

Press release: March 2017 Price Paid Data

HM Land Registry Price Paid Data tracks land and property sales in England and Wales submitted to us for registration.

This month’s Price Paid Data includes details of over 96,500 residential and commercial land and property sales in England and Wales lodged for registration in March 2017.

Of the 96,565 sales lodged for registration:

  • 67,893 were freehold

  • 14,849 were newly built

  • 33,024 sales took place in March 2017

  • 510 were residential sales in March 2017 in England and Wales for £1 million and over

  • 305 were residential sales in March 2017 in London for £1 million and over

Number of sales lodged for registration by property type

Property type Number of properties
Detached 20,569
Semi-detached 22,796
Terraced 24,779
Flat/maisonette 21,160
Other 7,261
Total 96,565

The most expensive residential sale in March 2017 was of a terraced property in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for £11,250,000. The cheapest residential sales in March 2017 were of a terraced property in Blyth, Northumberland and a flat in Weymouth, Dorset each for £10,000.

The most expensive commercial sale in March 2017 was in Bristol for £52,880,562. The cheapest commercial sales in March 2017 were in Lancing, Woking, Corby, Chesterfield, Benfleet and the London Borough of Waltham Forest each for £100.

Access the full dataset.

Notes to editors

  1. Price Paid Data (PPD) is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The next dataset will be published on 30 May 2017.

  2. Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with HM Land Registry for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.

  3. The following information is available for each property:
    • the full address
    • the price paid
    • the date of transfer
    • the property type
    • whether it is new build or not
    • whether it is freehold or leasehold

  4. Price Paid Data can be downloaded in txt, csv format and in a machine readable format as linked data and is released under Open Government Licence (OGL). Under the OGL, HM Land Registry permits use of Price Paid Data for commercial or non-commercial purposes. However, the OGL does not cover the use of third party rights, which HMLR is not authorised to license.

  5. Price Paid Data includes Standard Price Paid Data (SPPD) for single residential property sales at full market value and Additional Price Paid Data (APPD). The information available for each property will indicate whether it is APPD or SPPD and the record’s status – addition/change/deletion (A/C/D). This includes transactions previously excluded from SPPD such as:
    • transfers to a non-private individual, for example a company, corporate body or business
    • transfers under a power of sale (repossessions)
    • buy-to-lets (where they can be identified by a mortgage)

  6. The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.

  7. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, HM Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been open to public inspection since 1990.

  8. With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 24 million titles, HM Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.

  9. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.

  10. Follow us on:
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HM Government

Press release: FOREIGN FLAGGED SHIPS UNDER DETENTION IN THE UK DURING APRIL 2017

During April, there was one new detention of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port. Four vessels remained under detention from previous months. A total of three vessels remain under detention at the end of April.

  1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.

  2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.

  3. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.

  4. All deficiencies should be rectified before departure if at all possible.

  5. When applicable, the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).

Notes on the list of detentions

  • Full details of the ship. The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
  • Company. The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
  • Classification Society. The list shows the Classification Society responsible for classing the ship only.
  • Recognised Organisation. Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys: and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the Flag State
  • White (WL), Grey (GL) and Black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag State.

SHIPS DETAINED IN APRIL 2017

Vessel Name: ARGYROULA

GT: 15949

IMO: 9159050

Flag: Marshall Islands (White list)

Company: G S Maritime Co Ltd

Classification Society: NKK

Recognised Organisation: NKK/BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: BV

Date and Place of Detention: 5th April 2017 at Hull

Summary: Three deficiencies with three grounds for detention

Defective item Nature of defect Ground for Detention
18312 – Gally, handling room (maintenance) Not Hygienic Yes
18313 – Cleaniness Dirty Yes
18313 – Cleaniness Signs of vermin Yes

This vessel was released on 13th April 2017

DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS

Vessel Name: MALAVIYA SEVEN

GT: 3001

IMO: 9087312

Flag: India (Grey List)

Company: GOL Offshore Ltd

Classification Society: IRS

Recognised Organisation: IRS

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: IRS

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: IRS

Date and Place of Detention: 5th October 2016 at Aberdeen

Summary: Five deficiencies with five grounds for detention

Defective item Nature of defect Ground for Detention
07105 – Fire doors/openings in fire resisting divisions Not as required Yes
07113 – Fire pumps and its pipes Not as required Yes
18203 – Wages Missing Yes
01220 – Seafarers employment agreement (SEA) Invalid Yes
18204 – Calculation and payment of wages No records Yes

This vessel was still detained on 30th April 2017

Vessel Name: SEA TRIDENT

GT: 964.

IMO No: 7393169.

Flag: PANAMA (white list)

Company:

Classification Society: Expired

Recognised Organisation: Expired

Recognised Organisation for ISM DOC:

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC:

Date and Place of Detention: 17 June 2016, West Cowes

Summary: Seventeen deficiencies with seventeen grounds for detentions

Defective item Nature of defect Ground for Detention
01101 – Cargo ship safety equipment cert Expired Yes
01102 – Cargo Ship safety construction cert Expired Yes
01104 – Cargo ship safety radio cert Expired Yes
01108 – Loadline cert Expired Yes
01117 – IOPP (International Oil Pollution Prevention cert Expired Yes
01119 – International Sewage Pollution Prevention cert Expired Yes
01124 – International Air Pollution Prevention cert Expired Yes
01137 – Civil liability for bunker oil pollution damage cert Expired Yes
01199 – Other certs (Certificate of class) Expired Yes
01201 – Certificates for master and officers Missing Yes
10111 – Charts Not updated Yes
10116 – Publications Nautical Not updated Yes
11108 – Inflatable liferafts Expired Yes
11116 – Distress flares Missing Yes
07109 – Fixed fire fighting extinguishing installation Not as required Yes
07110 – Fire fighting equipment & appliances Not as required Yes
01140 – Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance Missing Yes

This vessel was still detained on 30th April 2017

Vessel Name: SOUTHERN STAR

GT: 4450.

IMO No: 9212448.

Flag: COOK ISLANDS (black list)

Company: Coralot Consulting Ltd.

Classification Society: International Naval Surveys Bureau (INSB).

Recognised Organisation: INSB.

Recognised Organisation for ISM DOC: INSB.

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: INSB

Date and Place of Detention: 4th April 2016, Chatham, Orpington.

Summary: Six deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item Nature of defect Ground for Detention
01201 – Certificates for masters and officers Invalid Yes
15150 – ISM Not as required Yes
13101 – Propulsion main engine Not as required No
01123 – Continuous synopsis record Missing No
01113 – Minimum safe manning document Not as required No
14119 – Oil and oily mixtures from machinery spaces Lack of familiarity No

This vessel was released on 21st April 2017.

Vessel Name: CIEN PORCIENTO (General Cargo)

GT: 106.

IMO No: 8944446.

Flag: Unregistered.

Company: Open Window Inc.

Classification Society: Unclassed.

Recognised Organisation: Not applicable.

Recognised Organisation for ISM DOC: Not applicable.

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: Not applicable

Date and Place of detention: 4 March 2010, Lowestoft

Summary: Thirty deficiencies including seven grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 30th April 2017

Notes to Editors

• The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector at www.seavision.org.uk

• Follow us on Twitter: @MCA_media

For further information please contact Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on: +44 (0) 2380 329 401 Press releases and further information about the agency is available here.

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HM Government

News story: Deosect 5% w/v Concentrate for Cutaneous Spray Solution 250ml – Product Defect Recall Alert

Product defect recall alert for Deosect 5% w/v Concentrate for Cutaneous Spray Solution 250ml (Vm 42058/4033) by Zoetis UK Limited

We wish to make wholesale dealers aware that Zoetis UK Ltd has issued a recall of Deosect 5% w/v Concentrate for Cutaneous Spray Solution 250ml (Vm 42058/4033).

The company has received a number of reports of defective aluminium foil seals in a number of units from the batches of Deosect 5%, resulting in slight leakage of the product during storage. This issue impacts on the following batches:

Batch Number Expiry Date
E16140 March 2019
E16178 May 2019
E16162 May 2019

Zoetis UK Ltd is contacting wholesale dealers to arrange return of affected batches. If you have any queries in relation to the recall, please contact Zoetis Technical Services on 0845 300 8034, option 1.

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HM Government

News story: Crime/civil news: CWA bulkload spreadsheet updated

Use version 1.20 of the bulkload spreadsheet when submitting claims via Contract Work and Administration (CWA).

You need to use version 1.20 of the bulkload spreadsheet to submit claims in Contract Work and Administration (CWA). This is now available for you to download on GOV.UK.

The updated version 1.20 allows the reporting of the pre-charge bail claims which were introduced in April 2017. It replaces version 1.19 which should no longer be used for submissions.

You can find out more by downloading guidance on GOV.UK – see below.

Further Information

CWA updates to reporting changes – to download guides to ‘Pre charge bail code changes guide’ and ‘CWA civil submissions guide’

Submit a CWA claim online – guidance on how CWA works online

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HM Government