News story: Defence Secretary meets Canadian counterpart to further strengthen ties

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has met with Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan, to further strengthen the historic relationship between the UK and Canada.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The UK and Canada have enjoyed a close-knit relationship for more than a century and we we have further reinforced this bond, discussing the wide range of issues we face today.

At a time when our nations battle intensifying threats on numerous fronts, we must continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Canada and all of our allies, to ensure the safety of our people.

The two nations have maintained a close alliance on a wide range of security issues for decades, and are uniquely linked. Both are members of G7, the Five Eyes Intelligence Community, NATO and the Commonwealth.

At the forefront of this bond is the posting of UK troops at British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), in Canada, which will celebrate 50 years of operation in 2021.

Both countries have also expressed a desire to further reinforce their commitments to international diplomacy, and co-hosted the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial in Vancouver last month.

The UK Defence Secretary also praised Canada for tripling its training effort in the fight against Daesh, as well as increasing their surveillance and intelligence in support of the counter-Daesh coalition, which both countries are key members of.

Along with the Netherlands and France, the UK and Canada also worked together to form the Multinational Caribbean Co-ordination Cell during Operation Ruman, providing aid to those caught up in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September.



High Speed Broadband to become a legal right.

Having lobbied the Government on my constituents’ access to high speed broadband I am pleased that the Government has announced that it has declined BT’s proposal to deliver universal broadband through a voluntary agreement.  Universal high speed broadband will be delivered by a regulatory Service Obligation (USO) which will give everyone in the UK access to speeds of at least 10 Mbps by 2020.



Construction company fined after worker seriously injured

A construction company has been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries when the first floor of the building he was standing on collapsed underneath him.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Huntsmere Projects Limited was the principal contractor for the construction of a new house in Alderley Edge. A subcontractor had installed the first floor but a gap left between the concrete beams on the landing was not identified by the Huntsmere site manager nor the contractor’s supervisor.

On the 22 April 2014, a 47-year-old worker fell approximately 3.5 metres when the concrete block beneath his feet gave way and he fell between two concrete beams, suffering serious multiple fractures.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the collapse occurred as a result of some of the installed floor blocks becoming displaced during the work on site because of the gap. Huntsmere Projects Limited did not take all practicable steps to prevent danger to workers from collapse of a part of the new building. The investigation found that the company should have ensured that the floor was installed as per the design and failed to identify the gap which allowed the floor blocks to move.

Huntsmere Projects Ltd, of Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £240,000 with £14,439.53 costs.

HSE inspector, Deborah Walker, said after the hearing: “As principal contractor, Huntsmere Projects Limited was responsible for safety on the site including ensuring proper planning and co-ordination on the part of all involved in the project.

“Huntsmere Project Limited also had a duty to monitor and control the other contractors that it had engaged – the collapse could have been avoided had the company fulfilled its duties in its role as principal contractor”

Notes to Editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We seek to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
  1. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
  1. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
  1. More information regarding safe working in the construction industry can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm

Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases.



ESMA PUBLISHES CRA MARKET SHARE CALCULATION

The purpose of the market share calculation is to facilitate issuers and related third parties in their evaluation of a CRA with no more than 10% total market share in the EU.

The CRA Regulation (CRAR), under Article 8d, says that issuers or related third parties are required to consider appointing a CRA with no more than 10% total market share whenever they intend to appoint one or more CRAs to rate an issuance or entity.

Using the Market Share Calculation

The publication aims to guide the user through the requirements of Article 8d. It also provides background and guidance as to how the market share calculation is performed and should be used.

The structure and approach of the document is as follows:

  • Section 6 – Allows the user to identify CRAs with no more than 10% total market share;
  • Section 7 – Allows the user to identify the types of credit ratings offered by these CRAs;
  • Section 8 – Allows the user to assess the proportion each credit rating type makes up of a CRA’s overall issuance; and
  • Section 9 – Provides a link to a Standard Form and Supervisory Briefing the user can for documenting the non-appointment of a CRA with no more than 10% total market share.

This market share calculation is valid for use from its date of publication and applicable until the date of publication of the next Market Share Calculation in 2018.

ESMA welcomes feedback on the information presented in this market share calculation in future and invites market participants to send this by email to: CRA-info@esma.europa.eu



ESMA PUBLISHES CRA MARKET SHARE CALCULATION

The purpose of the market share calculation is to facilitate issuers and related third parties in their evaluation of a CRA with no more than 10% total market share in the EU.

The CRA Regulation (CRAR), under Article 8d, says that issuers or related third parties are required to consider appointing a CRA with no more than 10% total market share whenever they intend to appoint one or more CRAs to rate an issuance or entity.

Using the Market Share Calculation

The publication aims to guide the user through the requirements of Article 8d. It also provides background and guidance as to how the market share calculation is performed and should be used.

The structure and approach of the document is as follows:

  • Section 6 – Allows the user to identify CRAs with no more than 10% total market share;
  • Section 7 – Allows the user to identify the types of credit ratings offered by these CRAs;
  • Section 8 – Allows the user to assess the proportion each credit rating type makes up of a CRA’s overall issuance; and
  • Section 9 – Provides a link to a Standard Form and Supervisory Briefing the user can for documenting the non-appointment of a CRA with no more than 10% total market share.

This market share calculation is valid for use from its date of publication and applicable until the date of publication of the next Market Share Calculation in 2018.

ESMA welcomes feedback on the information presented in this market share calculation in future and invites market participants to send this by email to: CRA-info@esma.europa.eu