News story
The AAIB have sent a team to investigate an accident involving a light aircraft that occurred in Ashford, Kent on the 10th September 2021.
An accident in the Ashford, Kent area involving a light aircraft has been notified to the AAIB. An investigation has been launched and a multidisciplinary team of inspectors are on their way to the accident site.
Published 10 September 2021
The flooding in 2015/16 was estimated to cost the economy £1.6 billion. The economic losses from flooding between November 2019 and March 2020 are estimated to be about £333 million*, although it would have cost an extra £2.1 billion without flood defences. We know these costs because we’ve studied and analysed impacts (like flooded properties and businesses) and used this to calculate the costs of economic damage from flooding. The estimates and pattern of damages caused by nation-wide flooding is well understood. Our evidence however needs strengthening for smaller and more frequent flood events.
*Environment Agency Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020
Small, more frequent flood events disrupts homes, businesses and infrastructure. We need to make sure these costs are incorporated into flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) investment decisions.
We’re updating our evidence on floods since 2016 (our last evidence study on costs of floods) to capture and analyse damages from frequent and smaller scale flooding.
This information will be used alongside data we already have (from 2007, 2013/14, and 2015/16 cost of floods studies) to update tools used for FCERM funding and investment.
One of these tools is the partnership funding calculator, which determines how much the government can contribute towards interventions that reduce flooding. Another tool is the Environment Agency’s long term investment scenarios which are used to determine future funding needs.
This evidence could support other risk management authorities to invest in interventions that improve resilience to smaller scale and more frequent flooding.
The new data will improve the initial estimates of flood damages and the damages that are avoided due to flood defences that we produce during floods . This will help to support our incident management and our communication with the government and the media.
We will also look at how we can gather data more efficiently. It can take a long time to collect flood impact data from several organisations including risk management authorities, insurance companies, farmers, and infrastructure providers. We will examine how we design a streamlined and repeatable process.
Further information is available from Hayley Bowman: Hayley.bowman@environment-agency.gov.uk
Corrected total economic loss estimate
First published.
El Museo de la Cancillería del Instituto Matías Romero de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores presenta la exposición titulada “United by Friendship. Las Relaciones México – Reino Unido”, en el marco del Bicentenario de la Independencia de México.
La muestra conmemora los casi 200 años de relaciones diplomáticas, iniciadas en 1823 cuando el Reino Unido se convierte en la primera potencia europea en reconocer la Independencia de México, al iniciar las negociaciones que darían como resultado un Tratado de Amistad, Navegación y Comercio entre ambas naciones firmado en 1826 y ratificado en 1827.
La ceremonia de inauguración se llevó a cabo el 9 de septiembre, con la participación de la subsecretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, embajadora emérita Carmen Moreno Toscano, el participaron el embajador designado del Reino Unido en México, Jon Benjamin; el director general del Instituto Matías Romero, Alejandro Alday, y la curadora de la exposición, Veka Duncan.
Esta exposición es una colaboración entre el Instituto Matías Romero, a través del Museo de la Cancillería, y la Embajada Británica en México, y cuenta con la curaduría de la historiadora del arte Veka Duncan e investigación del historiador Horacio Acosta. En ella, se exhibirán objetos y documentos relevantes a los momentos más destacados de las relaciones diplomáticas y comerciales entre México y el Reino Unido.
Dentro de esta muestra, destaca un núcleo dedicado a las visitas de la Familia Real y primeros ministros británicos a México, así como de presidentes mexicanos al Reino Unido. En él, se resaltarán los logros compartidos resultado de dichas visitas. Entre las piezas y objetos a exhibir destacan tratados bilaterales, hemerografía, fotografías en gran formato y documentación relevante a cada evento.
Por último, la exposición también contará con un espacio para resaltar la historia y el legado de la comunidad británica en México.
“United by Friendship. Las Relaciones México – Reino Unido” cuenta con el valioso apoyo de Tecno Print, El Universal, Liverpool, el Acervo Histórico Diplomático de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, la Fototeca Nacional del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, y de la Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México a través del Archivo Histórico de la Ciudad de México.
pressandcomms.mexico@fco.gov.uk
República de El Salvador 47, Colonia Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Ciudad de México
Horario: Lunes a sábado, 11 a 17 hrs.
La cartelera y las actividades adicionales pueden ser consultadas en la página de Facebook del Museo de la Cancillería.
Up to 50,000 more HGV driving tests will be made available each year thanks to government action to streamline the testing process and tackle the worldwide lorry driver shortage.
HGV driving tests will be overhauled, meaning drivers will only need to take 1 test to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry, rather than having to take 2 separate tests (spaced 3 weeks apart). This will make around 20,000 more HGV driving tests available every year and mean drivers can gain their licence and enter the industry more quickly.
Tests will also be made shorter by removing the ‘reversing exercise’ element – and for vehicles with trailers, the ‘uncoupling and recoupling’ exercise – and having it tested separately by a third party. This part of the test is carried out off the road on a manoeuvring area and takes a significant amount of time. Testing such manoeuvres separately will free up examiner time, meaning they can carry out another full test every day.
Car drivers will no longer need to take another test to tow a trailer or caravan, allowing roughly 30,000 more HGV driving tests to be conducted every year.
This new legislation is changing previous EU regulations which the UK is no longer obliged to use.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
From Inverness to St Ives, HGV drivers are helping to keep the country running, and have been throughout the pandemic. The shortage of drivers is a global problem, but we’ve been taking action here in the UK to help industry leaders attract drivers and build a more resilient sector.
We’ve already delivered 50% more tests than were available before the pandemic, but today’s additional measures will deliver up to 50,000 more a year, helping more and more people to kickstart their career as a well-paid HGV driver.
The changes follow a public consultation over the summer, which saw thousands of respondents, including industry leaders, support the move as a positive step to help the sector tackle the lorry driver shortage currently affecting countries around the world.
The standard of driving required to drive an HGV will not be affected, with road safety continuing to be of paramount importance. Any driver who does not demonstrate utmost competence will not be granted a licence. All car drivers will also still be encouraged to undertake training to tow trailers and caravans.
The driver shortage is a widespread problem affecting countries across Europe and also the United States, caused by a range of factors, including an ageing workforce. Today’s announcement will ramp up driver testing and numbers and help industry leaders build a resilient UK haulage sector which attracts drivers from across society.
New rules for towing a trailer or caravan with a car from autumn 2021.
Driver testing changes written ministerial statement, 10 September 2021.
The HGV driver shortage is a long-standing challenge facing countries across the world.
As a result of the pandemic, driver testing was suspended for large parts of the last year. It is now back up and running and the government has already increased capacity, but we can go further.
Over the summer, we consulted on 3 measures which will substantially increase the number of vocational driving tests available. I can announce today (10 September 2021) that we will proceed with the measures we consulted on:
First, car drivers will no longer need to take another test to tow a trailer or caravan, allowing roughly 30,000 more HGV driving tests to be conducted every year.
Second, tests will also be made shorter by removing the ‘reversing exercise’ element – and for vehicles with trailers, the ‘uncoupling and recoupling’ exercise – and having it tested separately by a third party.
And third, we will make it quicker to get a licence to drive an articulated vehicle, without first having to get a licence for a smaller vehicle. This would make around 20,000 more HGV driving tests available every year and mean drivers can gain their licence and enter the industry more quickly – without reducing the rigour of the test.
We’ve already provided a 50% increase in testing compared to pre-COVID. These measures go even further. These new measures follow a public consultation over the summer, which saw thousands of respondents, including industry leaders, support the move as a positive step to help the sector tackle the lorry driver shortage currently affecting countries around the world. Some of these changes will generate additional capacity for HGV tests very rapidly, and we will shortly lay the appropriate licensing regulations before the House.
These changes will not change the standard of driving required to drive an HGV, with road safety continuing to be of paramount importance. Any driver who does not demonstrate utmost competence will not be granted a licence. All car drivers will also still be encouraged to undertake training to tow trailers and caravans.
A new cross-government ministerial group has been set up to monitor labour supply chains, identify pinch points and consider necessary government action. Chaired by CDL and meeting on a weekly basis, the group includes ministers from numerous government departments including DfT, DfE, Home Office, BEIS and DEFRA to make sure all angles are being considered.
The driver shortage is a widespread problem affecting countries across Europe and also the United States, caused by a range of factors, including an ageing workforce. Today’s announcement will ramp up driver testing and numbers and help industry leaders build a resilient haulage sector which attracts drivers from across society.
New rules for towing a trailer or caravan with a car from autumn 2021.
Government takes further action to tackle HGV driver shortage news story, 10 September 2021.