The UK Space Agency is to invest in research and development that explores challenges and ideas around receivers for a future UK global navigation satellite system.

Global navigation satellite systems are being used more and more to support basic functions in fields such as transport, agriculture and science. They are also an important element in national security.

The UK Space Agency is seeking organisations interested in investigating and developing concepts for satellite system receivers.

The best ideas could be awarded contracts in a later stage of the competition under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).

Organisations can develop original ideas

Projects could develop original ideas or adapt successful technologies from other cutting-edge science and technology fields.

The competition aims to look at the feasibility of the ideas, and projects could look at them from several perspectives including:

• identifying and understanding the impact and potential of state-of-the-art technologies and capabilities
• technical readiness and scope for innovation
• improved security features, including innovations in authentication and trust
• ability for the receivers to be used by a wide range of sectors
• innovative concepts of implementation and operation

Competition information

• the competition opens on 21 October 2019, and the deadline is at midday on 13 November 2019
• organisations of any size may express an interest
• contract sizes and duration will be briefed at an industry day on 28 November

Published 15 October 2019

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

Today the Prime Minister welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Downing Street.

The Prime Minister began by emphasising the UK’s ongoing commitment to NATO, and thanked the Secretary General for the role he has played in supporting and strengthening the Alliance.

Both leaders looked forward to the UK-hosted NATO Leaders’ Meeting in December and the opportunity it will provide to discuss issues such as tackling the new and evolving challenges NATO faces; working together to better share the burden of collective defence and give new impetus to international arms control

The Secretary General praised the UK for meeting and exceeding the NATO spending target. The Prime Minister and Secretary General welcomed the progress that has been made on spending by Allies in recent years, with $100 billion more contributed to the NATO budget since 2016, but agreed that all NATO members should have a plan to spend 2% of their GDP on defence.

The Prime Minister and Secretary General both expressed their deep concern at the situation in northern Syria. They agreed that all NATO Allies, including Turkey, should focus their efforts on defeating Daesh and not lose the gains that have been made in recent years.

Both leaders stressed the value of Turkey as a NATO Ally and recognised the role they have played in supporting refugees from the Syrian conflict. But they were clear that the current Turkish operation needed to end.

Published 15 October 2019

Help us improve GOV.UK

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

Email address

Send me the survey

On 30 August, a public consultation was launched by Highways England on options for improving the A27 at Arundel in West Sussex. 79 per cent of people responding to a previous consultation agreed that the road needed improvements, and people have under two weeks left to give their views on the six new designs which have been put to the public for scrutiny. The consultation ends on 24 October 2019.

Highways England A27 Arundel Bypass programme leader Jason Hones said:

There is clear demand for upgrading the A27 at Arundel, but also genuine concerns about protecting Arundel’s unique cultural heritage and prized environment. We are approaching the consultation with a completely open mind and the six proposals we have published allow a more detailed comparison than ever before. People’s input on all the options will be vital in helping us find the right solution that balances the needs of drivers, communities and the environment. I encourage everyone who has an opinion to have their say, even if they took part in the previous consultation.

The plans for upgrading the A27 at Arundel include six new options which feature a mix of improvements along the existing road, and other new sections south of the town.

Each of the six routes would link up the dual carriageway stretches of road on either side of Arundel, which would remove the current bottleneck; helping to reduce journey times, improve reliability, make the road safer and reduce the amount of rat-running on roads that were not built for the volume of traffic they currently experience. Highways England held 10 information exhibitions at venues across the area so people could examine the proposals in detail and put questions to the project team.

Details on the proposals and feedback forms are available on the scheme website until 11:59pm on 24 October 2019.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

‘Helen’s Law’ follows the tireless campaigning of Marie McCourt, mother of Helen McCourt who was murdered in 1988 but whose killer has never revealed her body’s location.

It will place a legal duty on the Parole Board to consider the cruelty of killers who refuse to give the location of a victim’s remains when assessing their release.

The Bill will also now apply to paedophiles who take indecent images of children but refuse to disclose their identity and could therefore see them locked away for longer.

‘Helen’s Law’ is the government’s latest move to overhaul the criminal justice system – following steps to recruit 20,000 new police officers, invest £2.5 billion in prisons and review sentencing to protect the public from the most violent and sexual offenders.

Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP said:

Innocent families should never have their grief compounded by offenders who refuse to disclose information on their victims.

Not only will this Bill help prevent the torture of families in Marie’s situation but we also believe evil sexual offenders who refuse to identify victims should face longer behind bars.

Helen’s Law should send another clear signal that under this government the most violent and sexual offenders can expect to serve sentences that reflect the true severity of their crimes.

The Prisoners (disclosure of information about victims) Bill was announced yesterday (14 October 2019) in the Queen’s Speech and is one of the first pieces of legislation to be introduced in the new parliamentary session.

Parole Board guidance is already clear that offenders who withhold information may still pose a risk to the public and could therefore face longer in prison. ‘Helen’s Law’ will for the first time make it a legal requirement to consider the withholding of information when making a decision on whether to release an offender.

Human rights legislation protects against arbitrary detention, and the proposed new law balances this with the need to keep the public safe. The proposals also take into account instances where, for example, a murderer may genuinely not know the location of a victim’s body if it has been moved.

Notes to editors

• The Prisoners (disclosure of information about victims) Bill will put in statute, and therefore beyond doubt, the Parole Board’s established practice of considering a failure by an offender to disclose specific information when deciding on parole for those convicted of murder, manslaughter, or taking, or making, indecent photographs of children.
• Courts can already pass tougher sentences for murderers who deliberately conceal the location of a body.
• The changes to the release test build on wider reforms to the parole system, announced earlier this year, that will allow victims the opportunity to request the reconsideration of a release decision. This forms part of sweeping changes to bring more transparency and accountability to the parole process and improve the support to victims.
• Applications for reconsideration will only be merited where there is a clear likelihood that the process may have been procedurally or legally flawed. It will not apply to decisions which are challenging and unpopular but have nevertheless clearly been carried out strictly in line with the lawful requirements and normal standards of practice for Parole Board members.