Corporate report: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Annual Report and Accounts 2016 to 2017

NDA’s total spend in 2016/17 was £3.2 billion – with over £1 billion in revenue being generated through commercial activity.

David Peattie, NDA Chief Executive Officer, said:

This has been one of the NDA’s most challenging years, but also one in which significant progress was made in cleaning up the UK’s 17 oldest nuclear sites.

Despite £100 million in legal and settlement costs disappointingly arising from the Magnox litigation, the NDA has stayed within its allocated budget of £3.3 billion.

The NDA’s decision to make Sellafield Ltd an NDA subsidiary is proving to be better value for the UK taxpayer, with over £200 million in savings made in 2016/17.

Huge strides have been made in decommissioning across the UK. At Europe’s largest and most complicated nuclear site, Sellafield, contaminated waste is being taken out of some of the oldest facilities and treated, packaged and safely stored. Meanwhile, one of the Magnox sites, Bradwell in Essex, is close to becoming the first nuclear site in the UK to complete all its near-term decommissioning and enter into a ‘Care and Maintenance’ phase.

The report, which is the first since David Peattie became CEO in March 2017, also marked out a number of areas for concern – including aspects of safety performance which need to improve to meet the high standards of performance the NDA expects.

While progress on clean-up and decommissioning has been positive, the report, David Peattie’s first as CEO, also marked out the NDA’s concern over a small number of safety performance aspects. The report note that this area needed to improve in order to meet the high standards of performance the NDA expects.



Press release: Major expansion of HMIC to take on inspection of fire and rescue in England

  • significant new role for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to support government’s fire reform programme
  • HMIC to become single inspectorate for policing and fire, with recommendation to Her Majesty the Queen that Sir Thomas Winsor be appointed as chief fire and rescue inspector for England
  • inspectorate will support the continuous improvement of fire and rescue authorities

Today (Wednesday, 19 July) the Home Office has agreed that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) undergoes a major expansion to take on the role of inspectorate of fire and rescue authorities in England.

The inspectorate will help support the continuous improvement of this critical public service and support fire and rescue authorities to become even more effective. It will also support continuing collaboration between policing and fire and rescue services, offering the opportunity for future inspections of joint areas of work or where support functions have been combined.

HMIC will be renamed Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Nick Hurd, Minister for Policing and the Fire Service said:

The response to the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy has highlighted the professionalism, dedication and skill of our firefighters.

Creating an inspectorate for fire and rescue authorities in England will support the continuous improvement of this critical public service to make sure that services are as professional, effective and as efficient as possible. It will also ensure where problems are identified, actions can be taken by the fire and rescue authorities to overcome them.

HMIC has been inspecting police forces for more than 160 years and has a strong track record in holding policing to the highest standards. I am confident that they too will hold fire and rescue services to the highest standards possible.

The inspectorate will consider how efficient and effective fire and rescue authorities are; will highlight good practice and identify areas where they need to improve, so that action can be taken to overcome them. This will include how services prevent and respond to incidents; whether the service provides value for money as well as reviewing the service’s leadership, training, diversity, values and culture. It replaces the current system of peer review where fire and rescue services inspect one another.

The Home Secretary has recommended to Her Majesty the Queen that she appoints Sir Thomas Winsor, currently Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, as Chief Fire and Rescue Inspector for England, and HMIC’s existing inspectors be appointed Inspectors of Fire and Rescue Authorities. These appointments will be in addition to their existing police inspection responsibilities.

Sir Thomas Winsor, said:

HMICFRS will approach the inspection of fire and rescue services – establishing and reporting on their efficiency and effectiveness – with the same degree of thoroughness as it inspects the police.

My fellow HM Inspectors and I look forward to engaging with fire and rescue authorities, and others with a stake in their performance, to build a sound and productive relationship which serves the public well.

The first inspection is expected to take place next spring with every authority in England inspected by the end of 2019. HMIC will shortly begin work developing an inspection framework and programme to be published for consultation in the autumn.

The introduction of an independent inspectorate is just part of the government’s fire reform programme which aims to make fire and rescue services more effective, efficient and professional than ever before. Other key elements include:

  • the formation of a professional standards body for fire and rescue which will build a comprehensive professional framework of standards
  • strengthening local fire and rescue governance by enabling police and crime commissioners to take on the responsibility for local fire and rescue services where a local case is made to maximize the benefits of collaboration
  • reform of the workforce so that it is highly skilled, modern, flexible and diverse
  • creating a new national website which will hold a range of information to increase transparency of fire and rescue services by allowing the public to access the performance of their local service as well as information about chief officer pay, expenditure, accounts and efficiency plans
  • the publication of incident level data from the Incident Recording System so that the public can have access to the raw data of fire incidents across England
  • driving efficiencies across services including supporting them in their commercial transformation.


Statement to Parliament: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund 2016 to 2017 and settlement for 2017 to 2018: written ministerial statement

I wish to update the House on how the Government has been supporting our national security interests through conflict prevention, peace building, stabilisation, peacekeeping and conflict resolution using the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF).

Details of the programmes funded by the CSSF and its impact so far are in the first Annual Report, a copy of which has been placed in the library of the House. The publication of this first report reflects the Government’s commitment to transparency in the delivery of Official Development Assistance. We will be updating GOV.UK pages with more information on the CSSF and individual programmes.

The CSSF replaced the Conflict Pool in April 2015, as part of a new, more strategic approach to enhancing the delivery of our national security interests directed by the National Security Council (NSC).

As announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), CSSF funding has continued to increase and will be £1.162 billion in 2017 to 2018. The CSSF is now one of the world’s largest mechanisms for addressing conflict and instability. Its programmes deliver against more than 40 cross government strategies set by the National Security Council (NSC). These help to secure the UK, promote peace and stability overseas and contribute directly to SDSR objectives.

Parliamentary accountability for taxpayers’ money spent via the CSSF is provided primarily through the Joint Committee for the National Security Strategy (JCNSS). The JCNSS concluded its first inquiry into the CSSF in February. We have responded to the inquiry report and are taking forward many of their recommendations. Further announcements on governance will be made in due course.

Meeting both our legal and policy gender commitments is central to the delivery of the CSSF. Last year the CSSF spent £214.5 million on programmes which addressed gender equality. For example the CSSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo supported the provision of free legal assistance to 269 victims of international war crimes, of which 179 were women, mostly victims of sexual violence.

In addition to supporting peace building activity, CSSF funding is strengthening the multilateral system, supporting the UN and other international organisations to develop more effective multilateral responses to instability. The CSSF funds our contributions (known as assessed costs) to the UN peacekeeping budget. We are the sixth biggest contributor, spending over £300 million in 2016 to 2017. In addition, we have been using CSSF funds to help reform the UN and UN peacekeeping, coordinating outreach to Member States to secure pledges of personnel for peace operations and to assist with the transition from pledges to deployments. In 2016 to 2017 the CSSF provided a further £15 million to fund the doubling of the UK’s troop contribution to peacekeeping through 2 new deployments: 70 UK military personnel to support UNSOS in Somalia, which provides essential logistical support for the African Union Mission (AMISOM) that is combating the terrorist organisation Al Shabaab; and 370 UK military personnel to provide engineering and medical support to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

To address some of the JCNSS recommendations for the CSSF a rapid review is being undertaken of Cross-Whitehall Fund governance and structures.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund resources, financial year 2017 to 2018

CSSF 2017/18 (millions)
Peacekeeping & Multilateral 391.7
Regional/Country Strategies 606.3
Security & Defence 150
Delivery Support, including the Stabilisation Unit & National School of Government 14.5
Total 1162.5


Press release: Anglers handed fines by court for fishing illegally in Telford

On 12 July 2017 at Telford Magistrates’ Court, Ronald Manbord of Coronation Road, Bilston, and Michael Lee of Princes End, Dawley Bank, Telford, were fined for fishing without a licence following a prosecution by the Environment Agency.

Manbord was fined £300, and Lee £250. Both men, who pleaded guilty, were also ordered to pay costs of £100 and a victim surcharge of £30.

Manbord, 57, was caught fishing without a licence on 17 October 2016 at Bayliss Pool in Telford. Lee, 37, was caught on 22 January 2017 fishing on the River Severn at Ironbridge.

Andrew Eardley from the Environment Agency said:

Most anglers enjoying the sport fish legally, but there continues to be a small number of anglers who fail to buy a fishing licence. These few are cheating their fellow anglers and the future of the sport.

An annual licence costs from just £30. It seems ridiculous that anglers risk significant fines and costs, a criminal conviction and the loss of their fishing equipment for such a small fee.

Money from fishing licence sales is invested in England’s fisheries and is used to fund a wide range of projects to improve facilities for anglers, including protecting stocks from illegal fishing, pollution and disease; restoring fish stocks through re-stocking; eradicating invasive species; and fish habitat improvements. Licence money is also used to fund the Angling Trust to provide information about fishing and to encourage participation in the sport.

You need a valid Environment Agency fishing licence to fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel in England. Buying a rod licence is easy and can be done online. A licence lasts 365 days from the day you buy it.

Anyone witnessing illegal fishing incidents in progress can report it directly to the Environment Agency hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Information on illegal fishing and environmental crime can also be reported anonymously to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.



News story: Applications open for new trainee government lawyers

The Government Legal Department (GLD) offers a 2-year training programme, which gives legal trainees the opportunity to get experience in both contentious and non-contentious areas of law across a variety of government departments.

Being the largest provider of legal services across government, GLD offers the opportunity to work with all the main Whitehall departments. From roads to rivers, health to human rights, and more recently Brexit, its work touches on most aspects of public life.

Two former GLD trainees reflect on their experiences during their training contracts:

India Burnett, GLD’s Treasury Legal Advisers:

My work touched on a vast range of subject areas, including EU law, employment law, intellectual property, public procurement, immigration law and prison law. During this time I was able to manage my own cases, advise government departments and draft statutory instruments.

This variety was incredibly beneficial in getting a first-hand insight into several areas of interest rather than being pushed to specialise early on.

Jonathan Orde, GLD’s Litigation Group:

The highlight of my pupillage was representing the government in court. It was, and continues to be, an enormous privilege to be able to do this while still at such a junior level.

GLD goes to great lengths to make pupils feel part of the organisation and there is a real focus on helping us develop our careers. At a group level, the Attorney General, the Treasury Solicitor and Director of Litigation took time to meet us during our training, to help develop our understanding of our roles. We had frequent access to our supervisors, and a network of recently qualified lawyers to guide us. This really helps create a strong bond with the organisation from the outset.

The Government Legal Department is currently recruiting for trainee solicitors and barristers. There are 6 places available to start in 2018 and 30 places for 2019. The deadline for applications is 12pm (noon) 28 July.

You can find out more about the scheme on the Government Legal Service website.