Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers, today (24 October 2019) delivered a boost for the English fishing and seafood industry ahead of Brexit by opening applications for £15.4 million from two UK fishing funds.

The £14.7 million share of a £37.2 million UK-wide fund announced last December, will encourage the take up of innovation and technology, supporting jobs in coastal communities. In addition, £700,000 from a £2 million UK-wide fund announced in the 2018 Budget is ring-fenced for fishing safety improvements on board English vessels and around ports and harbours.

English fishermen and those working in the seafood sector will today be able to apply for a share of the new Maritime Fisheries Fund (MFF), which is designed to ensure the fishing and seafood industry continues to thrive once the UK leaves the EU on 31st October.

The three-year fund builds on the government’s commitment to secure a fairer share of fishing opportunities for UK fishermen as it takes back control of fishing waters and establishes the UK as an independent coastal state.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers, said:

We are taking back control of our waters and establishing the UK as an independent coastal state, with a fairer share of fishing opportunities for the whole of the UK fleet.

We are committed to a thriving fishing and seafood industry, and this funding will support innovation, jobs, safety at sea and help establish new markets and opportunities as we leave the EU.

Barrie Deas, Chief Executive, National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said:

I would encourage all fishermen to look closely at this new fund to see if it can help their businesses adjust to the new circumstances we will be operating under as the UK emerges as an independent coastal state.

The fund in England is open to applications that:

• support innovation – in technologies to enhance economic growth, increase energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact and improve fishing safety
• improve port infrastructure – so more fish can be landed in UK ports, and help the sector take advantage of new export opportunities after Brexit
• boost coastal communities – by providing benefits to areas that depend on a vibrant and profitable industry
• help the sector adjust – to new arrangements on access and fishing opportunities by improving capacity and capability to exploit new export opportunities and markets, and
• improve safety on fishing vessels or on shore – funding safety measures that prevent accidents such as new handrails and ladders

This fund is in addition to the existing European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) funding. The government has already guaranteed that all EMFF projects approved before 31 December 2020 will be fully funded, bringing the total support package available to the UK fisheries sector from 2016 to 2022 to £320 million.

The government has also already committed to put in place new, domestic, long-term arrangements to support the UK’s fishing industry from 2021, through the creation of four new schemes comparable with the EMFF to deliver funding for each nation. The Devolved Administrations will each lead on their own schemes.

This new fund is open for applications in England from today until March 2022. Submissions are to be made through the Marine Management Organisation here.

Note to Editors:

• Of the total £37.2 million Maritime and Fisheries Fund, £14.7 million will be available in England, with a further £22.5 million shared across the Devolved Administrations: £16.5 million in Scotland, £2.4 million in Wales and £3.6 million in Northern Ireland. The Devolved Administrations are responsible for administering their allocations and will update on how they are investing the funding in due course.
• In addition, England will receive £700,000 for fishing safety projects which is open for applications until 2021. This funding will support commitments made in the government’s Maritime Safety Action Plan and important work by the Fishing Industry Safety Group to eliminate all preventable deaths in the industry by 2027.
• Funding will be awarded for privately funded industry projects with a total cost of less than £2 million.
• The full criteria for applications is published here.

Banks and alternative lenders have reaffirmed their pledge to support British SMEs ahead of Brexit and beyond by setting out concrete commitments under the SME Finance Charter, announced by the Business Finance Council on 9 October.

The SME Charter consists of 5 pledges, providing a framework for finance providers to set out their specific commitments to SMEs. Banks and lenders who have set out their commitments and therefore become signatories to the Charter currently include:

• Aldermore
• Bank of Ireland
• Bank of Scotland
• Barclays UK
• Bibby Financial Services
• Close Brothers
• CYBG
• Funding Circle
• HSBC
• Lloyds Bank
• NatWest
• RBS
• Santander UK
• Secure Trust Bank
• Simply Finance
• Ulster Bank
• Ultimate Finance

Business Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom said:

We set up the Business Finance Council to give SMEs the right tools and advice on the finance options available to them.

Knowing that 17 of our banks and lenders have committed to standing behind our brilliant British businesses gives me great confidence, and I encourage others to follow suit to set out their own commitments too. We are helping to ensure our SMEs are well placed to seize the opportunities that Brexit presents.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said:

Our brilliant small businesses are the backbone of the economy and we will make sure they get the finance they need to continue growing, creating jobs and boosting our economy.

It’s great to see financial providers coming together today to set out how they will support these businesses, and I call on others to follow this lead and help our SMEs so they can thrive through Brexit and beyond.

All 17 banks and lenders have agreed to the 5 pledges outlined in the SME Charter, as well as making their own additional commitments to their SME customers. Examples of specific commitments range from dedicated funding pots for business and SME customers, to local workshops and Brexit helplines with industry experts. Visit the SME Finance Charter page for further details.

Michael Walker of the Government Chemist team, played a key role in a well attended conference on food allergy on 21 October in Riddle Hall, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Organised by Professor Katrina Campbell, from the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at QUB, this was the second of an annual series of conferences aimed to bring together stakeholders in the risk analysis and management of food allergy. The event focused on the analysis of food allergens, their management in the supply chain and the regulation and enforcement of food law on allergens.

Over 100 enforcement officers, MSc students and food industry personnel attended to hear from experts in a variety of disciplines.

The conference was opened by Dr James McIntosh of Safefood, who along with IGFS were the main financial sponsors. Gary McFarlane, Director CIEH NI, chaired the first session in which Dr Hazel Gowland, Allergy Action, introduced food allergy and discussed its human impact, recent fatalities and forensic implications. Dr Michael Walker, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, described the options for analysis of food allergens and how these can be improved. Sharon Gilmore, Head of Standards and Dietary Health at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland described the legislative and policy context in which food allergy is regulated and FSA research on food hypersensitivity.

Michael Bell, Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) chaired the session in which Carol Whyte of Moy Park described the extensive allergen management systems in place in this large company. Lynn Patterson, (LP Associates NI) then discussed allergen management in food businesses from a training and audit perspective.

After lunch Dr Brian Jack, QUB School of Law, chaired a session devoted to legal aspects. Helen Dodds, Hyndburn Council, described the joint investigation into the death of Megan Lee following consumption of a takeaway meal and the subsequent manslaughter prosecution. Helen Morrissey of Belfast City Council described the compliance strategy adopted by local authority EHOs in Northern Ireland and recent prosecutions. Julie Barrett, a barrister and legal trainer, discussed how prosecutors prepare for court and what happens in court.

In the last session of the day, chaired by Dr Michael Dillon, QUB, Professor Clare Mills, University of Manchester, spoke on food allergy risk assessment and the iFAAM and EuroPreval research findings. Pauline Titchener, Neogen, discussed the validation, use and interpretation of ELISA data for food allergens and Adrian Rogers, Romer, gave an engaging talk on point-of-use personal allergen analysis devices.

Closing the conference, Gary McFarlane and Michael Walker thanked the organisers and sponsors. Commending the format in bringing a wide range of stakeholders together they recommended the event as an annual feature which should be a model for similar events in England, Wales and Scotland.

The Government Chemist has a long standing interest in food allergy stemming from acknowledged difficulties in allergen analysis. Read about our work on this challenging topic.

For more information about the work of the Government Chemist please contact:

Date: Thursday 7 November 2019

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Viale dei Gladiatori, 00135 Roma RM, Italy

Kick off time: 6.55pm (local time)

As well as this advice, check out our travel advice for Italy

Passports and visas

• you don’t need a visa to travel to Italy on a British passport from the UK. For information on passport validity, check our travel advice
• remember to bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you but also take out travel insurance (which includes covering the cost of medical treatment and returning to the UK), even if you’re only going for one night – it could save you a lot of money if you get into difficulties
• you must carry ID with you at all times – you will need to produce your passport to gain entry to the stadium
• if you lose your passport, you’ll need to apply online for an Emergency Travel Document; once your ETD is ready you will be able to collect it from the British Embassy in Rome. You might need to attend an appointment at the Embassy while your application is being processed

Getting to the stadium

• Italian police will provide 30 buses from the meeting point (Piazzale delle Canestre) to the stadium. They will be operating a shuttle service between the meeting point and the stadium. Fans are expected to be at the meeting point for 2.00pm
• turnstiles at the ground will open before 5.00pm

Local information and transport links

• further information on local transport
• please note that tickets for public transport (bus, metro, train, tram) must be purchased before the journey and stamped in the appropriate machine on the platform or on board the vehicle. If unstamped, they are deemed invalid and you will be fined on the spot if checked by local authorities. You can purchase tickets at ticket offices/machines and from Tabacchi

At the match

• fans should expect to undergo rigorous body searches by police. This is normal at Italian football stadia
• no bags, lighters, umbrellas, cameras, pyrotechnics or bottles of any kind will be allowed into the stadium. No storage facilities are available outside the stadium
• arrive at the stadium in good time as entry/security procedures may take some time to complete; at the end of the game you’ll be asked to stay in the stadium for up to 60 min to allow the home supporters’ area to be cleared
• the Italian government has a zero tolerance policy on hooliganism both inside and outside the stadium

Tips

• it is strongly recommended not to wear club colours while visiting Rome
• be aware of the Rome Urban Police regulations
• beware of pickpockets and bag snatchers that could be present in specific areas such as airports, railway stations (Stazione Ferroviaria), around the town centre and when using public transport
• only carry what you need, make use of hotel safes/safety deposit boxes
• if you’re travelling in a car, remember to always lock the vehicle and never leave valuables inside; hire cars and foreign registered vehicles can be a target for thieves

Contact the British Embassy Rome

Telephone: +39 06 4220 0001

Office hours: Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

For further information please visit UK in Italy Facebook

Emergency services numbers

• police (Carabinieri): 112
• ambulance: 118
• fire brigade: 115

Other useful contacts

The team

I lead DVLA’s Emerging Tech Lab, and I’m joined by a technical lead and three developers.

Two of our developers are on DVLA’s Masters Level Apprenticeship Programme. As well as exploring how we can make use of modern cloud platforms and technologies, they have also spent time studying for a masters degree in Software Engineering at Swansea University. Now back in the workplace, they are putting their new skills to use.

What we do

We use new and emerging technologies to solve problems set by the business. We do this by developing proof of concepts (PoC), which means we test a concept or theory to see if it has the potential to be turned into reality. At the end of each project we produce a working PoC, and share with our colleagues what we’ve done and what we’ve learned along the way.

Our first project

We realised a lot of people start their journey with us by applying for a driving licence. As part of the application process, we ask you for a passport photo which then gets printed on your driving licence. Our clerks must check each photo conforms to the passport photo criteria.

The process of checking each photo is time consuming and we wondered if we could train a machine to take on this task. The answer was yes and, after some research, we built our own machine learning model to do this.

Teaching begins

We taught the model what acceptable and unacceptable photos look like.

To do this we took photos that conformed to the passport photo criteria and ones that didn’t, and tagged these as either acceptable or unacceptable. Capturing the acceptable images was straightforward, but we had to get creative with the unacceptable images. Dolls, figurines and even snapchat filters featured in these!

The moment of truth

After uploading the tagged images we left the machine to learn. After just a few minutes, it told us it was ready and invited us to test it. We fed in a selection of new images and waited… our machine passed with flying colours, a great result!

What’s next?

We’ve got a full backlog of ideas to explore using technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, chatbots and more challenging machine learning use cases. So we’re going to be pretty busy over the next few months.

To find out more

You can read about what it’s like to work at DVLA and take a look at our latest vacancies on Civil Service jobs.

Follow DVLA on Twitter, follow us on Facebook and connect with us on LinkedIn. You can also subscribe to the DVLA digital services blog.

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