Tag Archives: GB

China is supporting $51 billion of infrastructure development in Pakistan as part of the ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC) to develop key infrastructure projects like roads, railways and power stations which will modernise Pakistan’s economy and boost access to trade.

It is part of China’s broader ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ to replicate the ancient Silk Road trade routes with modern trading relationships and investments across Asia, the Middle East and into Europe.

Greg Hands met yesterday (4 April) with leading UK businesses, policy experts and senior representatives of the Chinese and Pakistani governments as the UK is poised to be a key partner of CPEC, ahead of a larger CPEC conference in Islamabad in May being hosted by the UK.

International Trade Minister Greg Hands said:

Britain is a country of free-trade influence and can be an important partner for China and Pakistan in the delivery of huge infrastructure projects that are being planned between the 2 countries.

As part of an outward looking Global Britain, we have a clear ambition to increase trade with both China and Pakistan and UK businesses are well placed to capitalise on the new opportunities the region.

Participants in the roundtable included the Chinese Ambassador, Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and UK High Commissioner to Pakistan. As well as experts from CityUK, the Royal United Services Institute and the China Britain Business Council. Businesses including HSBC, Deloitte and Standard Chartered also discussed how they and other British firms can support the delivery of CPEC.

A joint statement in 2015 between the UK and Chinese governments committed both countries to support each other’s commercial co-operation in new markets, including the Belt and Road, and the $51 billion being invested by China in Pakistan presents big opportunities for UK businesses in the next few years.

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Charity Commission confirms that it has open compliance cases.

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In the last week the Environment Agency’s environmental crime team have dealt with two new incidents where farmers have been approached and asked if they want tarmac road planings that can be used to repair roads and farmyards on their land. After accepting the offer and cash they found bales of landfill waste dumped on their land instead of the expected road planings, leaving them with an environmental liability and a bill to transport and remove the waste to an authorised disposal site.

Farm insurance policies often do not cover poor business ventures. The first farmer had 25 bales deposited on his land this week, including transport and disposal of the waste to a permitted disposal site; this could cost the farmer approximately £3,000.

The second farmer had approximately 2,500 bales deposited on his land. The cost of disposal at a permitted disposal site could result in a bill of approximately £300,000.

The Environment Agency is urging all landowners to be wary and not become the next victim of illegal waste disposal and dumping.

Advice from the Environment Agency includes:

• use reputable agents and brokers
• carry out suitable checks and due diligence, i.e. get the individuals details, vehicle registration, ask where the waste is coming from (address, permit number, waste carriers registration)
• inform them you’ll be contacting the Environment Agency or call us whilst they are there
• don’t agree to accept any waste until you have carried out some checks and had a cooling off period to fully consider the offer

Peter Stark, Senior Enforcement Officer, said:

Criminals operating in and around the waste industry can be very convincing and persuasive, sometimes offering thousands of pounds in cash up front. Don’t be tempted by quick money, you could end up with an environmental risk, flies, polluting liquids running out of bales of waste and even fire risks alongside the massive disposal bill.

We will investigate these two illegal waste incidents fully and take enforcement action if we can. However these farmers and landowners may have to pay significant sums to remove the waste legally. Waste crime is a serious issue diverting as much as £1 billion per annum from legitimate business and treasury.

Although these specific incidents occurred in Lincolnshire, we would not be surprised if this scam was attempted in neighbouring counties due to convenient transport links.

The Environment Agency provides impartial advice to customers, individuals and businesses to help them grow, our local officers will be happy to talk to you, can make public register checks whilst you are on the phone or you can make checks on our website for free, or you can call our Customer Contact centre on 03708 506 506.

The Highways Agency and county council’s highways department and their contractors will always use legitimate waste carriers and sites for the reuse or disposal of waste. They may approach farmers and landowners to see if they want to reuse tarmac road planings or crushed rubble and concrete to repair road and yard areas but farmers need to register the U1 waste exemption with the Environment Agency and abide by the rules.

The vast majority of waste sites we regulate are well run and provide essential waste management services. The Environment Agency are here to help the legitimate businesses.

Waste stored inappropriately can create issues for neighbours like smells and pests. It can also have a detrimental effect on the environment and impact on rivers and streams. There is a high risk of waste fires due to the waste not being stored in the correct manner.

Everybody has a part to play to help solve the waste crime problem and make sure waste is managed responsibly. If you see or suspect illegal waste activities, report it anonymously to Crimestoppers or call 0800 555 111.

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Summary

At 22:57 hrs on 15 August 2016, a member of the public was struck by a tram between David Lane and Basford tram stops on the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) system. The person sustained fatal injuries.

The tramway between these two tram stops is not normally accessible to the general public. However, the member of the public had entered the tramway after alighting from a tram at David Lane tram stop. A tram driver had reported seeing the member of the public on this section of the tramway nine minutes before he was struck.

The supervisors in the NET control room implemented arrangements to warn tram drivers approaching the area between the tram stops. However, after a while, a supervisor formed the opinion that the member of the public had left this area of the tramway and stopped warning drivers between David Lane and Basford tram stops. This meant that the driver of the tram involved was not advised to reduce the tram’s speed or exercise caution in this section.

The member of the public was by that time lying motionless along the track. The driver passed through the section at normal speed and could not see the person in time to stop the tram before striking him.

The misunderstanding happened because the supervisor thought he understood from a reporting call handled by another supervisor that the member of the public had reached Basford tram stop. The audio reception of the call was poor and the basic principles of safety critical communication were not followed during the call. Furthermore, there was no effective exchange of information between the supervisors and the misunderstanding was not detected and challenged by others in the control room.

Recommendations

In light of the actions already taken by Nottingham Trams Limited since the accident, the RAIB has made only one recommendation which relates to NET’s on-going culture change programme. In addition, the RAIB has raised two learning points: one relating to using the full beam setting on trams and the other on the importance of effective safety critical communications.

Notes to editors

1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

Newsdate: 5 April 2017

PDF, 6.13MB, 35 pages

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@raib.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

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Government’s GREAT Britain campaign (GREAT) will see the campaign featured prominently on the McLaren-Honda MCL32 Formula 1 cars.

The partnership is designed to inspire people across the world and encourage them to visit, do business with, invest and study in the UK and comes after a successful run-out for the campaign at last year’s American and Mexican races.

The ‘Innovation is GREAT’ branding will feature prominently on McLaren-Honda cars at every race throughout the season, providing a unique high-profile platform and international audience for the campaign to promote the UK as a destination for trade, investment, tourism and study.

McLaren are world-leaders in applying innovative technology to improve lives. Through its Formula 1, high-performance road cars, and its fast-growing applied technologies arm, McLaren is a prominent example of a growing British-based, globally-focussed company exporting its expertise and products right around the world.

The year-long partnership will include a series of activations around key Formula1 races including the Malaysian Grand Prix later this year in October. These will focus on highlighting strengths in advanced engineering, technology, innovation – with both McLaren and the UK as strong advocates for promoting STEM education – and on promoting the UK as the home of great sporting moments.

Announcing the partnership in his keynote speech at a Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) event in Kuala Lumpur, International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox, said:

I am delighted that McLaren, a pioneer of innovation, has partnered with the GREAT Britain campaign for 2017, to inspire and encourage more visitors, businesses and academics to the UK. McLaren is a good example of a cutting-edge technology company drawing upon the UK’s technology expertise to attract the best world-class talent and bring audiences from across the globe to major sporting events.

The UK is truly open for business, and we’re committed to supporting companies large and small in taking advantage of the opportunities ahead of them to thrive.

Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa and Mansour Ojjeh, Executive Committee Principals, McLaren Technology Group, said:

We’re delighted to be collaborating with the GREAT Britain campaign over the course of the 2017 season to encourage the world to visit, do business with, invest and study in the UK.

McLaren is a UK-based global sports and technology brand with a strong presence and following across the world that is synonymous with technology and innovation so partnering with the ambition of the GREAT campaign is a natural fit. We have some exciting plans for the campaign to be announced over the course of the season.

From their expertise in data analysis honed in motorsport helping to transform patient care by spotting the early warning signs of problems, to improving the operational efficiency of business and beyond, McLaren has a proven record of creating solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.

The GREAT Britain campaign is the government’s most ambitious international marketing campaign ever, and showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer. It aims to encourage audiences to visit, study, invest in and do business with the UK, generating jobs and growth at home.

The campaign has delivered £2.7 billion of benefit to the UK economy to date, with a further £2.6 billion in the pipeline and has been commended by the National Audit Office.

The GREAT Britain campaign is active in over 144 countries, and in 2016 alone delivered 1,340 separate events and activities. The brand is independently valued at £234 million in 2016, and rising.

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