The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) is the successor to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), with an expanded scope to improve online safety for everyone in the UK.

The Executive Board brings together expertise from a range of organisations in the tech industry, civil society and public sector.

Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries said:

Only through collaborative action will the UK be the safest place to be online. By bringing together a wealth of expertise from a wide range of fields, UKCIS can be an example to the world on how we can work together to face the challenges of the digital revolution in an effective and responsible way.

UKCIS has been established to allow these organisations to collaborate and coordinate a UK-wide approach to online safety.

It will contribute to the Government’s commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, and will help to inform the development of the forthcoming Online Harms White Paper.

Priority areas of focus will include online harms experienced by children such as cyberbullying and sexual exploitation; radicalisation and extremism; violence against women and girls; hate crime and hate speech; and forms of discrimination against groups protected under the Equality Act, for example on the basis of disability or race.

CEO of Internet Matters Carolyn Bunting said:

We are delighted to sit on the Executive Board of UKCIS where we are able to represent parents needs in keeping their children safe online.

Online safety demands a collaborative approach and by bringing industry together we hope we can bring about real change and help everyone benefit from the opportunities the digital world has to offer.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The UKCIS Executive Board consists of the following organisations:

• Apple

• BBC

• Childnet

• Children’s Commissioner

• Commission for Countering Extremism

• End Violence Against Women Coalition

• Facebook

• GCHQ

• Google

• ICO

• Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime

• Internet Matters

• Internet Watch Foundation

• Internet Service Providers and Mobile Operators (rotating between BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin, Vodafone)

• Microsoft

• National Police Chiefs’ Council

• National Crime Agency – CEOP Command

• Northern Ireland Executive

• NSPCC

• Ofcom

• Parentzone

• Scottish Government

• TechUK

• Twitter

• UKCIS Evidence Group Chair

• UKIE

• Welsh Assembly

The UKCIS Executive Board is jointly chaired by Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport); Victoria Atkins, Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability (Home Office); and Nadeem Zahawi, Minister for Children and Families (Department for Education). It also includes representatives from the Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Board membership will be kept under periodic review, to ensure it represents the full range of online harms that the government seeks to tackle.

Achievements of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety include:

• implementing an unavoidable choice for home broadband customers about whether to turn on parental control filters

• working with the RDI (UK) Holdings to create a Friendly Wifi logo, to allow parents and families to easily identify places where they can be sure that the public wifi has filtered inappropriate websites.

• publishing summaries of a large body of internet safety research.

• creating a guide for providers of social media and interactive services to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” to help make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18 HTML version available here.

• creating a guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media including practical tips about the use of safety and privacy features on apps and platforms.

• creating the Education for a Connected World framework which describes the digital knowledge and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages of their lives.

• creating advice for schools and colleges on responding to incidents of sexting

The UK Foreign Office Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon is in Indonesia today (30 October) following his attendance at the ‘Our Ocean’ Conference.

Lord Ahmad led a UK delegation to the fifth ‘Our Ocean’ Conference yesterday (29 October) which aims to tackle the challenges facing the oceans, including: marine protection, marine pollution, climate change, sustainable fisheries, the blue economy and maritime security.

While in Jakarta today, Lord Ahmad has hosted an inter-faith roundtable, visited an Islamic School which has been working with the British Council to promote diversity and held bilateral meetings with the Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs AM Fachir, parliamentarians and experts on Countering Violent Extremism.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

The ‘Our Ocean’ Conference is a crucial initiative that seeks to protect the World’s oceans and seas, critical global assets that we have all taken for granted for far too long.

In Jakarta, I have learnt how Indonesia is seeking to protect its extraordinary bio-diversity whilst balancing the needs of a developing economy and a large population spread over its vast archipelago of islands. I also discussed how “unity in diversity” in a place of extraordinary ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity can be nurtured whilst fighting divisive sectarian ideology and practice.

I explored how ongoing UK government support to Indonesia can assist in addressing these complex challenges. I also look forward to continuing the conversation around our post-Brexit relationship with ASEAN and its members, and to deepening the UK’s ties with one of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant regions.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon @tariqahmadbt

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An imam who sexually assaulted a young child over a period of 7 years had his sentence increased today after it was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Mohammed Ghani, 65, was a respected imam in the local community who used professional visits to the victim’s home as an opportunity to carry out a campaign of sexual abuse. This resulted in lasting emotional repercussions for the victim.

Ghani was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court in August, where he was given 2 years imprisonment. Today, after the Solicitor General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 5 years imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“Ghani abused his position of authority and subjected a vulnerable child to a campaign of sexual assaults. I hope that the Court of Appeal’s decision today brings the victim and their family some comfort.”

High Quality Books Ltd, formerly known as Printed Books Limited, and We Print Books Ltd, formerly known as Offset Printers Limited, were wound up in the public interest in the Manchester District Registry on 18 October 2018. The Official Receiver has now been appointed as the Liquidator.

The two London-based publishers operated numerous websites offering printing services, specialising in small print runs. One of their key targets were self-publishers, who were attracted to the competitive rates.

However, the Insolvency Service received complaints about the printers and following enquiries, found evidence of wrongdoing.

Investigators found that after an order was placed, the printers demanded advanced payment of at least 50% before the job started. The companies would then claim they completed the jobs in-house but investigators found that no printing facilities were either owned or operated by them.

Instead, the print jobs were sub-contracted and mainly to suppliers in Eastern Europe who were not always paid and often failed to dispatch the work as a result.

When customers did complain to the printers they were referred to the companies’ Terms & Conditions. However, some customers claimed they had never seen these before and the T&Cs were heavily biased towards the companies.

Where complaints were accepted, refunds were often sporadic and did not cover the full amount. Investigators only found one example where a full refund was made.

Investigators also found that on many occasions, customers would initially start to contract with one company before receiving responses from the other, confusing customers as to who they were dealing with.

The Insolvency Service was unable at any point to determine the full extent of the printers’ trading activities as the companies failed to fully co-operate throughout the investigation. The names of the printers were also changed to High Quality Books Ltd and We Print Books Ltd respectively just two days before the courts shut them down.

District Judge Khan found in his judgement that both companies had traded with a lack of transparency, as well as a lack of commercial probity in that they made misrepresentations to customers, failed to handle customer data appropriately and failed to maintain and/or deliver up accounting records or co-operate with investigators.

Irshard Mohammed, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

Through the courts, thankfully we have been able to put a stop to these rogue printers. They used deceitful tactics to attract customers, demanded up-front payments and when customers complained having failed to receive their orders, the printers either blamed the customer or hid behind their Terms & Conditions.

These winding-up proceedings should serve as a clear warning to dishonest companies that we will use the full weight of our powers and shut down businesses that operate unscrupulously.

High Quality Books Ltd was previously known as Printed Books Limited, Litho Printing Ltd, Paper Press Limited and UK Print Ltd.

We Print Books Ltd was previously known as Offset Printers Limited and Ink Paper Ltd.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit North, PO Box 16663, Birmingham, B2 2JP. Email: piu.north@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk or farouk.vawda@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Notes to Editors

High Quality Books Limited (company registration number 09303495) was incorporated on 10 November 2014, originally under the name UK Print Limited. The company’s registered office is at 3 Shortlands, London W6 8DA and previously 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.

Offset Printers Limited (company registration number 10503706) was incorporated on 30 November 2016, originally under the name Ink Paper Limited. The company’s registered office is at 3 Shortlands, London W6 8DA and previously 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.

The petitions to wind-up both High Quality Books Limited and We Print Books Limited were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 30 August 2018. The companies were wound up on 18 October 2018 and the Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Further information about live company investigations is available here.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

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The UK supports the below EEAS statement issued on 26 October on the revision by the Chinese authorities of the ‘Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-extremification’.

Statement by the EEAS Spokesperson on the situation in Xinjiang:

The revision by the Chinese authorities of the “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-extremification” highlights the deteriorating human rights situation in Xinjiang. There are credible reports of mass detentions in political “re-education camps” affecting Uighurs and other minorities; of mass surveillance; of restrictions on travel; and of Uighurs abroad allegedly being returned to China involuntarily.

These revisions run counter to the recommendations provided by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which call on China to change its policy in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

In this context, the EU expects China to respect freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression, as well as the rights of persons belonging to ethnic or national minorities, as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory.

Further information

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