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It’s been 50 years since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) came together as a group of like-minded nations to promote regional trade and the benefits it delivers to all.

ASEAN has come a long way in the last half century, representing some of the world’s most dynamic and fast-growing economies. Boosted by a young and growing population, the ASEAN region is already equivalent to the world’s seventh largest economy with a growth rate of around 5%, which means that it is on course to be the fourth biggest by 2030.

Recently, I attended the UK ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) summer reception, a forum for trade representatives to discuss our rapidly growing trade ties.

Southeast Asia is a vital cog in the movement of goods and is essential for international trade to flourish. As such, ASEAN matters to Britain and is a key component in the UK’s drive to increase trade with countries around the world. In 2016, UK-ASEAN alone trade increased by 9.1% and went above £30 billion (about $40 billion) for the first time — and I expect this figure to continue to grow dramatically in the years to come.

Supporting and improving Britain’s global trade links is a central priority as Britain leaves the EU, moving toward an independent trading future. In response, the Department for International Trade was created to support UK businesses to sell their goods and services trade around the world. And opportunities in fast growing markets are a key part of our future potential.

Highlighting the UK’s commitment to growing our trade ties with ASEAN, so far, this year we’ve had 3 planned visits to the region by trade ministers: International Trade Secretary Liam Fox visited Thailand last month, a few weeks ago our Trade Policy minister, Greg Hands, went to Singapore for the ASEAN Leadership Forum a few weeks ago.

Today, nearly 25,000 UK businesses export to ASEAN-4 (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) alone — making the grouping the UK’s second-largest global export destination after the United States. But, whilst this shows the significant scale of our current trade connections with ASEAN, there is still scope for much more scope for growth.

British businesses start from a strong base: we’re already the second-biggest European investor in the region, supporting growth and jobs on both sides. In Singapore alone there are 4,000 British companies employing 50,000 people.

Today, services make up 44% of our total value of exports, a higher proportion of our GDP than any other major economy. Meanwhile, ASEAN countries imported $311 billion of services in 2015, up almost 30% on 2010. The demand is there, and making it easier for firms here in London to work in cities like Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta will bring huge benefits.

But trade is key to the mutual progress of both sides of our ties, which is why the UK is determined to improve and develop trading relations, and we are making progress. Last year, UK global exports rose 9.2% (£52.8 billion) to £628.8 billion in the year between April 2017 and the end of March 2018, driven in large part by increased trade with fast-growing nations outside the EU, such as those in ASEAN.

Opportunities for increased trade between the UK and ASEAN will offer benefits to both our economies. That is why I am determined to help ensure that the people of both ASEAN and the UK continue to benefit over the next 50 years.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) hosted an event last week in celebration of World Hydrography Day 2018, organised in partnership with the Museum of Somerset. The event was free to attend and was aimed at showing the local community the importance of hydrography and the vital role it plays in our lives.

The event offered a range of maritime-themed activities for both children and adults – from guessing marine mammal sounds to navigating around obstacles by calculating depths. Elsewhere on display was an augmented reality sandbox showing hydrography in action, with responsive contours projected onto the sand that moved in real-time as it was moved and sculpted by guests.

From the UKHO’s archive were a number of historical items on display and a film with old footage of chart printing. A re-enactment of an 18th century sailor firing a musket was also conducted in front of audiences, and members of the Royal Navy displayed two autonomous marine robotic systems.

Alia Weir, Head of Corporate Marketing Communications at the UKHO, commented:

“World Hydrography Day provides a valuable opportunity to show the importance of hydrography and why it is essential for almost all activity in the marine environment – from safe navigation to managing marine resources.

“We are proud to demonstrate to the local community some of the world-leading work we do here from the heart of Taunton, whether it’s the nautical charts that we have produced for over 200 years, or the cutting edge marine geospatial data that we handle today.”

First established in 2005 by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), ‘World Hydrography Day’ is celebrated annually to increase public awareness of hydrography and the work of hydrographers around the globe. The theme for 2018 is “Bathymetry – the foundation for sustainable seas, oceans and waterways”.

The UKHO will hold a national event in October, held in London. This evening reception will be attended by senior Government officials and key stakeholders in marine, science, academic and cultural industries.

The sell-out ticket-only event, which this year celebrates 100 years of the RAF, takes place at Cosford on the Staffordshire and Shropshire border, on Sunday (10 June 2018).

Around 60,000 people are expected to attend with 14,000 vehicles booked into the event car parks.

Highways England is advising motorists to leave plenty of extra time to travel as the local area is expected to start getting busy from as early as 7.30am with the peak period from 8am onwards and again from 4.30pm to 8.30pm.

Frank Bird, West Midlands emergency planning officer for Highways England, said:

We’re reminding road users to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys with roads leading to the event likely to be very busy, particularly the M54 westbound and the M6.

We’d also advise people to check our traffic and travel information channels before setting off.

Motorists travelling from Birmingham are advised to use the M54 to junction 3 and follow the signs.

Those travelling from Shrewsbury before 10.30am should use M54 junction 4 and follow signs, after which people should follow the event signing.

Highways England provides live traffic information via its website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms, such as Android and iPhone apps.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The Department for Education has today (7 June 2018) announced six new members to the new Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, drawing on a range of professional experience from the police, children’s social, education and health sectors.

The independent panel, created under the Children and Social Work Act 2017, is one of the Government’s major reforms to child safeguarding and protection, and will bring together individuals who have a wide range of expertise to improve the welfare of children around the country.

The new panel members will work with the chair, Edward Timpson CBE, to consider and share lessons to improve practice from the most serious child safeguarding cases.

Minister for Children and Families Nadhim Zahawi said:

We want to improve care and support for every child, which is why it is so important we reflect and learn from the most serious cases of abuse or neglect, to help ensure the right protection is in place for some of the most vulnerable children in our society.

The new Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will play an important part in improving this understanding. Led by Edward Timpson, it will support local areas to make improvements to services where they are needed and reduce the risk of future harm to children.

The six panel members announced today will bring valuable experience from different professions with responsibilities for safeguarding children, including the police, children’s social care, school and health sectors. They include:

• Sarah Elliott – Non-Executive Director at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and the Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) for Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset. She was previously Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England South;

• Mark Gurrey – Chair of the South Gloucestershire Improvement Board and Chair of the LSCB for Devon & Wiltshire. He has a wealth of experience working to bring about improvements at authorities in intervention;

• Karen Manners – Deputy Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police, she has 32 years of experience in policing. She is also the national lead for policing on the Vulnerability Action Plan;

• Professor Peter Sidebotham – Associate Professor in Child Health at Warwick Medical School, Consultant Paediatrician at South Warwickshire NHS Trust and a designated doctor for safeguarding children at Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG);

• Dale Simon CBE – a qualified barrister and previously the Director of Public Accountability and Inclusion at the Crown Prosecution Service. She is currently the Non-Executive Director at the Parole Board; and

• Dr Susan Tranter – Executive Headteacher of Edmonton County Schools and Chief Executive of Edmonton Academy Trust. She is a member of the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) Strategy Group and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will be responsible for identifying and reviewing serious child safeguarding cases which the panel believe raise issues and themes that are complex or of national importance. It will look at what could be done differently to improve the protection and welfare of children, and what implications these cases have on current and future policy or practices.

A further panel member will be appointed from the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, and a final position is occupied by the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler.

The panel will begin operating on 29 June 2018 and will work closely with the What Works Centre to build a stronger evidence base to help improve outcomes for children and share effective, innovative practice.

Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Chair, Edward Timpson CBE, said:

Nothing is more important than keeping children safe and the work of the new National Panel will be pivotal in driving improvements in child safeguarding practice.

That’s why I’m delighted to have been joined by Panel Members with a deep and broad level of practical experience in children’s social care, health, police, law, education and other relevant services. I look forward to working alongside them as we begin to build clear and consistent practice improvements when learning from serious cases.