The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited (1156698), as a result of serious regulatory concerns that there is, or has been, misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.

The charity funds several medical facilities in Pakistan, and operates a school in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Its purpose includes the promotion of education and relief of poverty throughout the world.

The regulator opened a compliance case into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited in April 2018 to examine financial concerns, including the charity being unable to provide receipts for £27,200 of grants made to a partner charity based in Pakistan. The charity’s accounts for the financial years ending 31 August 2016 and 31 August 2017 were also submitted to the Commission late.

After two compliance visits, the regulator issued regulatory guidance and an action plan to the charity, however the trustees again failed to file accounts for the financial year ending August 2018 on time and continue to be in default of their accounting duties. The trustees were put on notice and advised that this was evidence of mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity.

The failure of the trustees to comply with this advice and the action plan resulted in the Commission issuing an Official Warning to the charity on 9 January 2020. Since then, the trustees have failed to submit required outstanding financial information and a report in relation to the progress of the action plan.

The charity also remains in default with Companies House in respect of filing the directors’ reports and accounts. The Commission is concerned that action commenced by Companies House to ‘strike off’ the charity from the register of Companies will place the charity at risk of it losing property.

Despite extensive engagement and attempts to put corrective measures in place, the Commission continues to have serious concerns about the way the charity is run.

It therefore escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry on 19 May 2020. The inquiry will further examine the trustees’ governance of the charity in light of their failure to comply with the issued action plan and Official Warning. It will also examine the future viability of the charity.

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

• The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.

He will succeed Christopher Woolard, who has acted as interim Chief Executive since Andrew Bailey stepped down from the post in March 2020. Mr Rathi is being appointed for a five-year term. Christopher Woolard will continue as interim Chief Executive until his appointment begins.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:

Nikhil is the outstanding candidate for the position of Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, and I am delighted that he has agreed to take up the role.

We have conducted a thorough, worldwide search for this crucial appointment and, through his wide-ranging experiences across financial services, I am confident that Nikhil will bring the ambitious vision and leadership this organisation demands.

I would also like to thank Christopher Woolard for the excellent job he has done in leading the FCA in this challenging period. His experience, dedication and professionalism have been greatly appreciated.

Chair of the FCA, Charles Randell, said:

I warmly welcome Nikhil to the FCA. I look forward to working with him as he leads the FCA to deliver the next phase of its mission. Nikhil has been closely involved in guiding the FCA’s development through his roles on our Practitioner Panel and Markets Practitioner Panel, and brings both private sector management skills and experience of domestic and international regulatory policymaking.

I would also like to thank Christopher Woolard for steering the FCA through its initial response to Covid-19 with great energy and skill. He has been an exemplary leader in this very difficult period.

Nikhil Rathi said:

I am honoured to be appointed Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority. I look forward to building on the strong legacy of Andrew Bailey and the exceptional leadership of Christopher Woolard and the FCA Executive team during the crisis. FCA colleagues can be very proud of their achievements in supporting consumers and the economy in all parts of the UK in recent months.

In the years ahead, we will create together an even more diverse organisation, supporting the recovery with a special focus on vulnerable consumers, embracing new technology, playing our part in tackling climate change, enforcing high standards and ensuring the UK is a thought leader in international regulatory discussions.

Mr Rathi is currently the Chief Executive of London Stock Exchange plc. From September 2009 to April 2014, he was Director, Financial Services Group at HM Treasury. In this role, he led the Treasury’s work on the UK’s EU and international financial services interests.

Further information

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the conduct regulator for the UK’s financial markets, over 59,000 financial services firms, and the prudential supervisor for 49,000 firms, setting specific standards for 19,000 firms.

It has an overarching strategic objective of ensuring the relevant markets function well. To support this it has three operational objectives: to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers; to protect and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system; and to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers.

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 as amended, the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority is appointed by the Treasury.

We’re continuing to investigate a temporary problem which is affecting our email service.

Emails sent to enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk are currently returning an error message that the mailbox is full.

We do not have an estimated resolution time yet, but we’ll provide an update as soon as possible. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we fix this problem.

• New coronavirus saliva test to be trialled in Southampton
• Weekly tests can be completed by transferring saliva into a sample pot
• Over 14,000 GP staff, other essential key workers and university staff and their households will participate in the first phase of the trial

Participants will be able to complete coronavirus tests at home by putting their saliva into a sample pot to be tested for current infections of the virus.

GP staff, other essential key workers, university employees and members of their households will be among the first groups to participate in the pilot, with test kits delivered either to their home or place of work for them to complete every week.

Samples will be collected safely from homes by University of Southampton staff or returned to an agreed location on a weekly basis and participants will receive test results within 48 hours.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Saliva testing could potentially make it even easier for people to take coronavirus tests at home, without having to use swabs. This trial will also help us learn if routine, at-home testing could pick up cases of the virus earlier.

I am very grateful to everyone involved in the trial who is helping us develop our understanding of the virus which will benefit not only our but the global response to it.

The new saliva test will be significant to increasing testing capacity and accessibility as it does not require the use of a swab, which some people find uncomfortable. The test has already been shown to be highly promising and the pilot is undertaking further validation against polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nasal swabs.

Weekly testing as part of the pilot will help to identify coronavirus cases early on, including for those with no or minor symptoms, meaning those who test positive can isolate within their households. The details of those who test positive will be shared with the NHS Test and Trace programme so contact tracing can start immediately.

This comes on top of the routine testing of asymptomatic staff in health and care settings already taking place using existing testing capacity.

The pilot will be jointly led by Southampton City Council, the University of Southampton and the NHS, alongside a wider network of public services in Hampshire.

In addition to the new application of using saliva from Optigene being piloted in Southampton, we are currently exploring the potential of other no-swab saliva-based coronavirus tests with companies, including Chronomics, Avacta, MAP Science and Oxford Nanoimaging (ONI). We are also working with a number of suppliers, including DNA Genotek, International Scientific Supplies Ltd, Isohelix and other leading manufacturers, to develop bespoke saliva collection kits and scale up manufacturing for products that can be used with existing PCR tests.

Southampton City Council Director of Public Health Debbie Chase said:

We will initially invite Southampton’s 800-strong GP practice workforce and their households to take part, followed by some other essential key workers and some University of Southampton staff and students as we evaluate the logistics needed for regular testing of large population groups.

Professor Keith Godfrey, University of Southampton, said:

The health, social and economic impacts of lockdown cannot be underestimated. Through this initiative we believe we can contribute to safely restoring economic activity within the city and region during national relaxation measures, whilst enabling people to regain their lives, work and education.

The pilot will run for up to 4 weeks testing people on a weekly basis. Participants for the pilot are currently being registered with self-testing due to start next week.

When participants are enrolled in the trial they will be informed that their details will be shared with the NHS Test and Trace programme so contact tracing can start immediately if there is a positive test.

The need for self-isolation if participants test positive is stated in the introductory information for the pilot and the NHS Test and Trace programme will be contacting everyone who tests positive.

Up to 2,000 saliva tests using Direct RT-LAMP have been completed and the results will be used in the pre-programme validation of the saliva sample test.

The groups we will be rolling out sampling to include GP practice staff with their households, staff of 2 big employers and their households and university students in halls of residence:

• week 2 to 4: initial GP staff and household members (200 tests per week) for 3 weeks 
• week 3 to 4: wider GP staff (2,300 tests/week), some University of Southampton employees (10,000 tests per week) and some key workers at Southampton City Council (2,200 tests per week) for 2 weeks, including their household members
• week 4: university students in halls of residence (about 1,300 tests) 

Total tests carried out: 33,000 to 40,000 LAMP assays (depending on household sizes).

The East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays.

This huge cash injection – on top of £1.2 billion already earmarked to upgrade one of the country’s most important rail arteries – will fund the replacement of conventional signalling with a digital system that allows trains to talk to the track. This will smooth the flow of trains, make journeys safer and reduce signal failures that every year result in thousands of hours of delays.

The upgrading of the line is just one element of the government’s plan for a 21st century rail network that will help spread prosperity to all parts of the country. A third of the United Kingdom’s population lives within 20 minutes of an East Coast Mainline station and together they produce 41% of GDP.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accelerated the roll-out of digital signalling to speed up Britain’s economic recovery as we climb out of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s part of a wider national plan aimed at introducing digital signalling on to the entire rail network in Great Britain.

The new technology allows signallers to know exactly where each train is at every minute of every journey. The East Coast Main Line is a mixed-use railway, with trains of different sizes and speeds, both passenger and freight, all using the same tracks. This smart signalling recognises these different trains, allowing train and track to talk to each other continuously in real-time. This ‘in-cab’ system will mean an end to conventional signalling at the side of tracks – first used in the Victorian era.

The introduction of digital signalling is also set to create high-skilled jobs across the supply chain, helping boost the economy as the country builds out of COVID-19.

More than 80 million journeys are made each year on the East Coast Main Line, linking London with Edinburgh, with congestion on the route compounded by signalling nearing the end of its useful life. The upgrade, between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel in Lincolnshire, will ensure that more travellers reach their destinations on time. Delays in the south of the route have a knock-on effect further north, so the modernisation work will make life easier for people along the entire length of this vital national asset.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As the country recovers from COVID-19 we want to speed up our economy and reap the benefits of new transport technology. The Victorians gave us the world’s first great rail network and now it’s our turn to be modern transport pioneers and build on that great tradition.

Upgrading this country’s conventional signalling system, and giving drivers technology fit for the 21st century, will boost train performance, cut delays, improve safety and support the supply chain.

This is just the beginning. In time, we will digitise signalling right across the country to make good on our promise of better reliability and punctuality for passengers.

Passengers shouldn’t have to worry about missing connections or being late home to see their children, and I’ve been clear that getting the trains to run on time is a personal priority.

Today’s funding comes on top of the government’s investment of £1.2 billion between 2014 and 2024 to improve passenger journeys on the East Coast Main Line, creating capacity for up to 10,000 extra seats a day on long-distance services, speeding up journeys and improving reliability for passengers.

Development work is already underway with Network Rail to roll out digital signalling on further routes including sections of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and Anglia from 2026, leading to safer, more reliable, more resilient railways. The government also announced today that £12 million is being invested in fitting out 33 new trains for the Midland Main Line with digital signalling equipment.

Toufic Machnouk, Programme Director of the East Coast Digital Programme, said:

Today’s announcement is a big step towards transforming the network for the millions of passengers that use the East Coast Main Line and a welcome endorsement of the partnership approach that the rail industry has adopted to deliver Britain’s first inter-city digital railway. The funding detailed by the Secretary of State is very significant and will enable the vital building blocks needed to build a modern, right time railway.

David Horne, London North East Railway (LNER) Managing Director and Chair of the East Coast Digital Programme’s Industry Steering Board said:

After LNER and other operators on the East Coast successfully introduced brand new fleets, in-cab signalling will be the next exciting step we take to maximise the benefits of the technology that Azuma and all the trains on this route offer. This investment is good news for all customers, who will see even more improvements in services, reliability and sustainability.

Will Rogers, Managing Director of East Midlands Railway, said:

This vital signal investment is great news for the Midland Mainline and all the passengers we serve. Our new state of the art bi-mode trains will now come into service during 2023 with digital signalling technology ready to take advantage of the greater efficiency and flexibility this route upgrade will offer.