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The Committee on Standards in Public Life has written to Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ask when we might receive a formal response from the government to the Committee’s 2019 local government report.
Local authorities will now be able to conduct citizenship ceremonies for individuals and households virtually.
As a result of coronavirus restrictions, group citizenship ceremonies have been suspended. However, citizenship ceremonies will now be allowed to take place via video conferencing. The move will allow applicants to complete their unique citizenship journey and become British citizens.
The first virtual citizenship ceremony has been led by Southwark Council, London, who will begin offering the option from today.
To mark the momentous occasion Home Office Minister, Kevin Foster, attended the UK’s first virtual citizenship ceremony. He said:
This ceremony is a moment in history as it is the first to be undertaken virtually. It is good to see how the process has been adapted by local Councils to allow ceremonies to still take place during these difficult times.
Citizenship ceremonies are important as they recognise the commitment the new citizen has made to the UK, in establishing their home here, contributing to the economy, and having learned about life in the United Kingdom, its culture, laws and history.
Those aged 18 or over who have successfully applied to become a British citizen must attend a citizenship ceremony. During the ceremony, individuals make an oath or pledge; the event is administered in the local authority by a registrar.
Leader of Southwark Council, Councillor Peter John OBE, said:
Southwark Council’s registration service helps about 3,000 people become British citizens every year. Our cultural diversity is one of the many great things about Southwark, and citizenship ceremonies help us to encourage new citizens to play an active part in the community.
The current epidemic means that in Southwark, like across the country, we’re working hard to find new and innovative ways to deliver services I’m delighted that we can now offer virtual citizenship ceremonies too.
These measures are expected to be temporary. It is anticipated that local authorities will resume providing group ceremonies in official premises once it is safe to do so and subject to national or local social distancing guidance.
Departments have worked together closely to deliver an efficient solution to the current restrictions. Due to coronavirus, the period over time to book a citizenship ceremony after receiving an invitation from the Home Office has been extended from 3 months to 6 months, to allow for greater flexibility.
More information on the citizenship process can be found on GOV.UK.
A survey aimed at small-scale pig keepers, including smallholders, pet pig keepers and hobby keepers, has been launched today (Monday 20 July) by the UK government and devolved administrations.
The survey forms part of the UK’s campaign to combat the introduction and spread of the pig disease African swine fever. It aims to find out more about what small-scale pig keepers already know about the disease, as well as asking about their feeding and biosecurity practices and what sources they refer to for guidance on keeping pigs.
The results of the survey will be used to improve information available to pig keepers to help protect the health of their pigs and the UK pig industry.
African swine fever poses no threat to human health but is fatal for pigs and can be financially devastating for pig keepers.
The disease is currently circulating in parts of Europe and Asia and in the last couple of years, has led to the deaths of millions of pigs worldwide.
There has never been an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK. The risk of exposure to the UK pig population is currently considered to be low, but is highly dependent on the level of biosecurity on individual pig premises.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:
African swine fever has no cure and there are currently no effective vaccines. If it were to reach the UK, it would have a devastating impact on commercial pig keepers, small-scale pig keepers and pet pig keepers alike. Everyone who keeps pigs can take actions to contribute to keeping African swine fever out of the UK.
If you are a small-scale pig keeper or keep pigs as pets, please complete the survey to help governments across the UK understand more about your knowledge of the disease and your pig keeping practices. This will help us to provide you with the information you need to protect the health of your pigs and all UK pigs.
The survey can be found here and closes on 31 August 2020. You can find out more about African swine fever and how to report suspect swine fever here.
This survey has been launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, who are working collaboratively to raise awareness of the risks of African swine fever to the UK.
Following our update of 21 April 2020, we are pleased to advise that we are continuing to operate a high level of service, with the vast majority of our staff working effectively from home. This includes our customer support team who are offering a service via email and telephone to support applicants. Our telephone lines are currently open Monday to Friday between 10am and 3pm.
We continue to recognise that our colleagues in the police and medical professions are busy and this may have an impact on their ability to provide us with the information we need to assess claims. If you are delayed in providing information to CICA due to the impact of coronavirus, please be assured that your application will not be disadvantaged by this.
If we have contacted you to request information and you cannot provide it by the date requested due to the impact of coronavirus, please email us at info@cica.gov.uk to advise.
You can find details about our service here.
In order to ensure our customer support staff are free to help those who need our support most at this time, we ask where possible that you email us at info@cica.gov.uk instead of contacting us by phone. We will respond to your enquiry as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience during this period.
We are continuously reviewing the level of service we can provide. We will provide regular updates here and on Twitter.
Published 20 July 2020