At the height of the wedding season, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding married couples and people in civil partnerships to put extra cash at the top of their gift list and sign up for Marriage Allowance.

Marriage Allowance allows married couples or people in civil partnerships, including those who have been together for many years, to share their personal tax allowances if one partner earns below the Personal Allowance threshold of £12,570, and the other is a basic rate taxpayer.

Eligible couples can transfer 10% of their tax-free allowance to their partner, which is £1,260 in the 2022 to 2023 tax year. It means couples can reduce the tax they pay by up to £252 a year. They can apply any time and, if eligible, could backdate their claims for up to four previous tax years to receive a payment of up to £1,242.

Marriage Allowance is free to apply for, and customers are reminded to claim directly via HMRC’s online portal to ensure they receive 100% of the tax relief they are eligible for.

Marriage Allowance is one of a number of benefits and reliefs available to boost family finances at a time when many are concerned with the rising cost of living.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said:

We want to ensure people are receiving vital financial support at a time when they need it most. Married couples or those in a civil partnership could potentially receive tax relief worth up to £1,242, meaning extra cash in their pockets.

To find out if you are eligible and how to apply search ‘marriage allowance’ on GOV.UK.

More than 2 million couples currently benefit from Marriage Allowance, but there could be thousands more who are eligible to claim.

Even if couples don’t qualify for Marriage Allowance when they first get married, a change in circumstances years later could mean they become newly eligible. These include:

• one partner retiring and the other remaining in work
• a change in employment
• a reduction in working hours which means their earnings fall below their Personal Allowance
• maternity, paternity, or shared parental leave
• unpaid leave or a career break
• one partner studying or in education and not earning above their Personal Allowance

If a spouse or civil partner has died since 5 April 2018, the surviving person can still claim by contacting the Income Tax helpline.

Marriage Allowance claims are automatically renewed every year. However, couples should notify HMRC if their circumstances change.

Marriage Allowance is 10% of an individual’s tax-free personal allowance. The maximum amount that can be transferred to their husband, wife or civil partner is dependent on the Personal Allowance for that tax year.

If you cannot apply for Marriage Allowance online, you can apply to HMRC in writing or via your Self Assessment tax return.

The government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support you could be eligible for.

• Safety tech sector’s revenue is up 21 per cent in the last year, topping £381 million
• Jobs in the sector grew by 30 percent, to 2,850 people across the UK

British safety tech firms are leading the global fight against online harms and are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the UK tech industry, according to an independent report published by the government today.

More than one hundred companies spread across the UK are creating innovative products and services to make online platforms, apps and websites safer. They do this, for example, by helping spot illegal content – such as child sexual abuse and terrorist material – by countering online harassment and disinformation, and preventing underage access to inappropriate content.

The UK Safety Tech Sector: 2022 Analysis by Perspective Economics on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, reveals that the UK safety tech sector’s revenues jumped by 21 per cent last year, hitting £381 million.

There was a 30 per cent boost to the number of safety tech jobs in 2021, with an additional 650 jobs bringing the total number of people employed in the sector to 2,850. Jobs in the sector include content moderators, policy professionals as well as research and tech developers.

The safety tech sector is on track to grow even further, raising a record-breaking £63 million of external equity investment last year.

Companies that adopt online safety technology also experience overall greater brand trust, higher user engagement and better staff and customer retention, according to a second report, Trust, Safety and the Digital Economy, released today.

Digital Minister Damian Collins said:

Making the online world safer is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business.

UK tech firms are at the cutting-edge developing practical solutions to the risks posed by the internet so that it continues to be a benefit not a detriment to people’s lives.

They have blazed a trail of growth, innovation and job creation to become world leaders in their field and we are committed to maintaining their upward trajectory.

There are now 117 safety tech firms operating across the UK, an increase of 17 on last year. More than half of these firms are located outside of London, with hotspots in Leeds, Edinburgh and Manchester.

These firms include GoBubble, based in Chester, which is partnering with Professional Footballers Australia and FTSE 250 companies to protect their social media channels from online hate and abuse. Cyacomb, based in Edinburgh, is working with law enforcement agencies in Germany, Canada and across the US to detect illegal child sexual abuse content. Dorset-based Image Analyzer, winner of the 2021 Computing award for Best Emerging AI Technology, provides AI-based content moderation technology for image and video,  including live-streamed footage uploaded by users.

Professor Ciaran Martin, CB, Professor of Government at Oxford University, advisor to Paladin Capital Group and founding Chief Executive of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, said:

Properly designed, safer technology is critical to everything about our future in an uncertain and sometimes dangerous world. As this report shows, the UK is well placed to help develop safety tech in some key areas. It’s vital we take this opportunity”.

Andy Burrows, Head of Online Safety Policy at NSPCC, said:

The UK is well placed to become a global leader in developing innovative solutions that tackle online harms and keep children safe from preventable abuse. The growth of the safety tech market will boost child safety and deliver a significant economic return. As these reports make clear, upcoming regulation can stimulate innovation and deliver safer and better designed online services for children and young people.

Ian Stevenson, Chair of the Online Safety Tech Industry Association (OSTIA), said:

I’m delighted to see the Safety Tech Sector Analysis confirms there has been strong growth in sales, employment and investment in the sector and it remains one of the fastest growing parts of the economy. The new Trust, Safety and the Digital Economy report highlights how platforms benefit from safety tech by creating healthier and more resilient online environments, which have commercial value as well as benefiting their users.  These new analyses will help OSTIA members and others in the sector continue these positive trends.

The Trust Safety and Digital Economy study, conducted by Ipsos, Perspective Economics and Careful Industries, looked at six different industries vital to the UK economy, including gaming and entertainment; social media, apps and platforms; media and creative industries; retail and services; digital infrastructure; and the public sector, to understand the business case for investing in online trust and online safety.

These report findings support measures outlined in the Online Safety Bill, and the government’s commitment to ensuring the UK is the safest place in the world to be online.

ENDS

Notes for Editor

• Earlier this month, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Damian Collins, held a roundtable with safety tech industry leaders to discuss new and emerging UK tech solutions that address a range of online harms, including fraud and child exploitation, and how the Government can better support the growing sector
• Since 2020, the UK Safety Tech Sector Analysis report has looked at the rise of this fast-growing sector in which the UK has become an emerging leader. Read the 2020 and 2021 reports here.
• Interviews for the Trust, Safety and Digital Economy report were held with participants from 26 organisations between September 2021 and January 2022. Two stakeholder workshops were also conducted in Autumn 2021.
• The UK Online Safety Tech Industry Association (OSTIA) was established in April 2020, bringing together the UK’s leading safety tech companies to promote online safety innovations and solutions in the UK and overseas
• The government has supported the safety tech sector through the creation of the Safety Tech Challenge Fund, introduced to encourage UK tech firms to find innovative solutions to helping keep children safe in end-to-end encrypted environments, while upholding user privacy.
• In June, the government set out its support for the safety tech sector in the UK Digital Strategy, including its vision for growing the digital economy, addressing tech sector skills, investment and infrastructure.

Schools, hospitals, leisure centres and historic town halls could be among hundreds of public buildings across England to receive energy efficiency upgrades, helping to slash energy bills and save taxpayers millions of pounds each year.

Up to £635 million of government funding will be made available to public sector organisations so they can install low carbon heating, such as heat pumps, and energy efficiency measures including double glazing and loft insulation.

The funding is available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme with organisations such as NHS Trusts, schools and local authorities able to apply for grants from September. Public sector bodies and taxpayers are expected to save an average of £650 million per year on energy bills over the next 15 years.

Upgrades are already under way through earlier rounds of the scheme, with 734 grants awarded to public sector organisations across England so far and Phase 1 alone supporting up to 30,000 jobs in the clean heating and energy efficiency sectors.

Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said:

We are already delivering upgrades to hundreds of public buildings across England, making them cheaper to run and saving taxpayers millions of pounds each year.

By helping even more public sector bodies ditch costly fossil fuels, we are taking an important step towards a more sustainable future while driving economic growth across the country and continuing to support tens of thousands of jobs.

Installing low carbon heating systems, powered by cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy, will allow organisations to cut their use of costly fossil fuels where prices are being pushed up by pressures on global energy markets. It will support thousands of jobs, and also save taxpayers’ money as measures will ensure public buildings are cheaper to heat.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme supports the aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75%, compared to 2017 levels, by 2037 – with guidance on how to apply for funding published today.

This funding round of up to £635 million is the second part of an overall £1.425 billion due to be allocated through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme between 2022 and 2025.

Projects that have already received funding include Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which received more than £70 million to install water source heat pumps at Queens Medical Centre. At Nottingham City Hospital, they installed air source heat pumps and fitted energy efficiency measures such as draught proofing and double glazing, while Leeds City Council received £4.3 million to decarbonise primary schools and child day care centres.

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust was awarded more than £50 million to install clean heating and energy efficiency measures in their hospitals and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was awarded over £4.4 million to decarbonise the Grade II listed Nash Conservatory and Jodrell Laboratory.

The funding is part of the £6.6 billion the government is investing this parliament to cut fossil fuel use and emissions from buildings including households, whilst creating high wage, high skill jobs. This includes over £2 billion aimed specifically at decarbonising lower-income households and saving people money on their energy bills.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is delivered on behalf of the government by Salix Finance.

Salix Finance chief executive Annie Shepperd said:

There is no time like the present to push forward with the decarbonisation agenda as our country must meet its ambitious targets to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce our consumption of very costly energy.

Salix are proud to work delivering projects which transform public sector buildings.  This vital work is driving down our carbon footprint and making these buildings better places for people to work in and for the public to use, as well as saving money for the taxpayer.

• Projects supported so far by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
• see further information on how to apply for the next round of applications to the scheme, Phase 3b
• the BEIS delivery body Salix Finance manages the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
• Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provided £1 billion in grants as part of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs 2020 commitment to support the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19. It aimed to support up to 30,000 jobs in the low carbon and energy efficiency sectors and reduce carbon emissions from the public sector
• Phase 2 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provided £75 million of grant funding for the financial year 2021/2022. It supported the public sector in taking a ‘whole building’ approach when decarbonising their estates
• Phase 3 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will see a total of £1.425 billion allocated between 2022 and 2025
• this funding is part of the £6.6 billion the government is investing this parliament to decarbonise buildings, of which over £2 billion is aimed specifically at lower-income households and saving people money on their energy bills
• the government is also providing £14 million of grant funding in the current financial year through of Phase 3 of the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund. This will provide funding for public sector organisations to access the skills and expertise needed to plan how to decarbonise heating in their buildings, including enabling organisations to develop applications for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Thank you Mr President,

Mr Tochytskyi,

We salute you, we salute the Ukrainian people as you stand up against aggression and oppression.

This Tenth Review Conference is long overdue, so I am pleased that we have finally come together to advance this vital work.

The United Kingdom remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Treaty.

That includes Article Six, and our ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons.

This Treaty is the only route to that goal.

Let me reaffirm the UK’s unequivocal undertaking to achieve the total elimination of our nuclear arsenal, alongside the other Nuclear Weapon States.

Our National Report, published last November, outlines what we have done to implement the Treaty since 2015.

It demonstrates that we take our responsibilities as a Nuclear Weapon State seriously, and that we are committed to transparency and accountability.

Since the Cold War, the UK has dramatically reduced the number of its nuclear weapons, while de-targeting and de-alerting those that remain.

We are the only Nuclear Weapon State to have decreased our deterrent capability to a single delivery system. Indeed, ours is the smallest stockpile of any recognised nuclear state.

The UK will continue to play a leading role in disarmament by pioneering verification work, championing transparency and advancing risk reduction.

We will carry on pressing for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to enter into force and for negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.

But as you all know, we have to acknowledge the growing challenges to international security.

Last year, the UK published our Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

It described a deteriorating global security environment, increased competition, technological disruption and challenges to the international order.

Since then of course, we have witnessed Russia’s unprovoked and premeditated assault on Ukraine, a sovereign, democratic, non-nuclear weapon state.

The United Kingdom continues to stand with Ukraine.

Russia’s actions and irresponsible rhetoric raise questions about its commitment to international law and the fulfilment of its obligations, not lease those under the Treaty.

Meanwhile, we are deeply concerned that Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continue to escalate their nuclear programmes despite calls to engage in diplomacy.

Today, we issued a joint Ministerial Statement with France and the US. This reaffirmed our January statement, made, you’ll all remember,  with the other nuclear weapon states, on preventing nuclear war. We also repeated our commitment to honour our national security assurances when given.

We will work with all States Parties to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict and enhance mutual trust.

Much of the Treaty’s success in curtailing the nuclear arms race is due to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards regime.

The UK will continue to champion this regime and indeed, the Agency, while working to enhance nuclear security by ratifying key conventions.

We remain committed to nuclear weapon-free zones. We have signed and ratified the Protocols for Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Africa, and Central Asia. We stand ready to do so for South East Asia as soon as possible.

As co-sponsor of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East, we remain committed to a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, based on freely-made agreements by all the countries of the region.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty provides the framework for the safe, secure, and safeguarded transfer of peaceful nuclear technologies.

These technologies have the potential to improve lives around the world, particularly in the least developed countries.

This is why the United Kingdom alongside the United States has been consulting with States Parties on improved access to peaceful uses coming out of those technologies.

We would like to see a new Sustained Dialogue, bringing fresh perspectives and identifying new opportunities to support peaceful uses across a number of areas.

At this Review Conference, the UK calls on all States Parties to work towards a meaningful outcome across all three pillars of the Treaty.

Let us be optimistic. Let us celebrate the NPT and renew our support for it. Let us strengthen it as the cornerstone of our efforts to deliver a world free of nuclear weapons.