At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018, Singapore along with 52 nations, through the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration agreed to commit to work towards the development and convergence of approaches for internet-connected devices and associated services, in order to promote user security by default.

As part of the Singapore-UK Strategic Partnership, it was agreed that the two countries would work together on areas of common interest including greater cooperation, alignment and coordination to support a global consensus for ‘secure by default’. In 2018, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to launch the SG-UK Partnership for the Future and formally launched in January 2019 by the UK’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

Singapore and the UK endeavour to take a leading role in driving improvements in the security of smart consumer products. We want to ensure that internet-connected devices have security built in by design and the public and industry are protected against related security threats, such as cyber attacks, theft of personal data and risks to physical safety.

At the same time, we must ensure that IoT industry can continue to grow and innovate and the public can fully benefit from these products and services.

UK and Singapore have committed to share initiatives and approaches, and to exchange valuable information and experience in order to make tangible progress.

Both nations will adopt a multilateral approach by working with our partners, both internationally and regionally, including industry and consumer groups, to promote the implementation of good practice as set out in the relevant industry global standards. Implementing clear good practice principles from Industry across all their consumer IoT devices will result in citizens and the wider economy being made safer and more secure whilst using their products. UK and Singapore recommend that manufacturers implement industry best practices such as:

1. Discontinuing the most blatant security shortcomings, such as the use of universal default passwords.
2. Normalising vulnerability disclosure processes across the IoT industry, so that researchers can report security vulnerabilities and manufacturers can respond accordingly.
3. Encouraging the development and deployment of software security updates so that consumers and the wider technical ecosystem are protected throughout the entire life-time of IoT products. Manufacturers should define a support period for the fixing of vulnerabilities.

We support the development of IoT assurance schemes and other efforts designed to give consumers confidence in the security of their products. The UK and Singapore have a shared interest in enhancing our bilateral cooperation in this area, as we develop our national approaches.

We are committed to strengthening our dynamic partnership for the 21st Century. We cooperate closely around the world. The UK and Singapore will work together with our partners and stakeholders to protect and promote the safety of our citizens and the security of our economies.

Singapore and the United Kingdom will continue to strengthen cooperation and explore options for further collaboration, including through the sharing of best practices.

The government has confirmed new restrictions on the export of all variations of HRT products, some of which currently face supply shortages due to manufacturing issues.

The restrictions will stop some medicine wholesalers from ‘parallel exporting’. This is when companies buy medicines meant for UK patients and sell them on for a higher price in another country, potentially causing supply problems.

Around 360,000 prescriptions of HRT are dispensed a month to relieve symptoms of the menopause. Currently, some HRT drugs are being parallel exported. The new restrictions will end this practice to ensure people can still access the medicines they need.

Nineteen HRT drugs will be subject to export restrictions to ensure that alternatives remain available for the HRT drugs that are in short supply. Similar measures are in place in other European countries, including France and Spain.

New restrictions for a further 5 medicines, including all adrenaline auto-injectors and hepatitis B vaccines, have also come into force to protect supplies of these products for patients.

A full list of the medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK has been published.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been working closely with affected suppliers to monitor the situation and reduce the potential impact on patients. The new measures will further reduce the impact on patients.

DHSC has written to holders of wholesale dealer licences to tell them that the government will exercise its powers to stop parallel exporting of medicines that are needed for UK patients. 

Companies that parallel export a medicine that is on the list may face action from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The government has also introduced serious shortage protocols for the antidepressant fluoxetine, to further protect UK patients from medicine shortages. This means pharmacists can supply an alternative strength or pharmaceutical form of fluoxetine when patients have a prescription for the 10mg, 30mg and 40mg capsules, which are currently in shortage.

The serious shortage protocol will be in place while manufacturing issues mean the drug is temporarily in short supply, to ease pressure on the supply chain.

Serious shortage protocols are drawn up with senior, specialist doctors and pharmacists and are approved by national experts, including the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and the National Medical Director at NHS England.

Medicine shortages do occasionally occur in the UK. DHSC has existing, well-established processes to deal with and resolve shortages. The new parallel export restrictions and serious shortage protocol will support this approach.

The medicine supply chain is complex and highly regulated, so problems can arise for a variety of reasons, including manufacturing issues or problems with raw ingredients. 

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

I know how distressing medicine shortages can be for those who rely on drugs like HRT and it’s absolutely crucial patients can always access safe and effective treatments through the NHS.

The new measures we’re introducing today will help us ensure patients get the medicines they need and the high-quality care they deserve.

Helping the NHS is a priority for this government, and people should be fully reassured that we will always act to ensure that there is an adequate supply of the medicine you need.

Dr Rick Greville, Director of Supply Chain at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said:

The decision to take precautionary measures to protect medicines supplies will be very much welcomed by our members.

It means that these stockpiles of medicines which companies have built over previous months are better protected and available for use only by the NHS patients for which they were intended.

Companies can now work with the department to identify any problem areas.

The public are being asked to give their views on strengthening protections for UK waters to help safeguard precious species and habitats.

As part of a four-week call for evidence which launches today (3 October 2019), communities, industry and stakeholders are being asked for their comments on putting tougher measures in place to help stop the impacts of human activity from damaging the marine environment. Views are also sought on which areas would benefit most from these extra protections.

These Highly Protected Marine Areas would be the strongest form of marine protection in the UK and would build on the 220,000 square kilometres of protection areas already in place around the UK. Known as the ‘Blue Belt’, these areas are already helping to protect species such as the short-snouted seahorse and stalked jellyfish.

The government is committed to restoring the marine environment for future generations and is a world-leader on this issue, having committed to safeguarding 50 per cent of UK and Overseas Territory waters by the end of next year. And at last week’s United Nations General Assembly, the UK created a global alliance to drive urgent action to safeguard the world’s ocean and protect its precious wildlife.

Today’s call for evidence is part of a six-month review undertaken by an independent panel of experts to look at what further protections might be needed to drive progress in the UK.

Review chair, Richard Benyon MP, said:

We want to make sure we are doing our utmost to protect our ocean and this call for evidence will help us evaluate whether, and where, we can go further to safeguard marine life, while balancing the needs of fishing, marine industries, conservation and local communities.

The views of those who use the seas will be at the heart of the review and we want to hear particularly from those with expertise on the aims, opportunities and challenges of introducing Highly Protected Marine Areas.

The feedback gathered by the call for evidence will inform the work of the independent panel, which is looking at the case for introducing higher protections to English waters and Northern Irish offshore seas. The views of those who use the seas will be at the heart of the review, which will consider the economic and social impacts on businesses and individuals who use the sea, taking into account the views of fishermen, conservation groups, marine industries, and local communities.

The review will conclude in early 2020, after which time the panel will make a formal recommendation to Defra.

Further information:

• In June 2019, Defra announced a review to examine whether and how the strongest protections for areas of sea, known as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), could be introduced. The review, led by Richard Benyon MP, will run from June 2019 to early 2020, and will consider the waters for which the Secretary of State has responsibility: the English inshore and offshore and Northern Ireland offshore zones. Further info is available at this link.

• The review into Highly Protected Marine Areas follows the successful designation of 91 Marine Conservation Zones in England between 2013 and 2019. These zones were introduced after close consultation with local communities, and the industries that rely on UK waters, to ensure that the needs of fishing, conservation and local communities are all taken into account.

Plans to improve public access to the coast as part of the England Coast Path have been unveiled today (3 October) by Natural England. The proposals cover a 48.5-mile stretch of coast between South Hayling in Hampshire and East Head in West Sussex.

Natural England aims to improve and link up existing access routes, to create a continuous signposted walking route around the estuary system of Chichester Harbour for the first time. This route completes the proposed England Coast Path route around Hayling Island, building upon the plans put forward for the west side of the Island as part of the Portsmouth to South Hayling stretch.

Chichester Harbour is a rich haven for wildlife, particularly for the common seal and a wide variety of bird species. The path provides walkers with great views of coastal wildlife, habitats and maritime pursuits, passing through remote and tranquil areas, in addition to some historic urban and rural communities.

The proposed route also invites walkers to use a ferry crossing between Bosham and Itchenor which provides a unique perspective of Chichester Harbour.

There is now a period of eight weeks for the public to have their say on the England Coast Path proposals. If approved, this route will become part of the England Coast Path – the 2,700 mile long distance walking route and England’s newest National Trail currently being developed around the entire English coast by Natural England.

Launching the plans, Andrew Smith, Natural England’s Area Manager for Hampshire, said:

We have had discussions with many landowners and key organisations along the proposed South Hayling to East Head route. Their input has been essential and helped shape the proposals, and we thank everyone for their time and input so far.

This special route promises to offer walkers a rich experience taking in coastal views, wildlife, and a patchwork of historic and rural landscapes. Over the next eight weeks, we are inviting all organisations, farmers, local residents, visitors and businesses to have their say. It’s important that all responses are taken into account and we look forward to hearing people’s views.

The plans include improvements to access, particularly along the Solent Way east of Emsworth. In this location Natural England has worked with local user groups and has set out proposals to improve the current bridge and walkway. This means that a route previously inundated by high tides could in future be available for use at all times.

This is the fifth stretch of the England Coast Path to be developed in Hampshire and third stretch of the England Coast Path to be developed in West Sussex.

Anyone can have their say about the report during the eight week period. Owners and occupiers of affected land can make objections about the report on specified grounds, which will be considered by a Planning Inspector before the Secretary of State makes a final decision.

All representations and objections must be received by Natural England no later than midnight on Thursday 28th of November. Copies of the reports can be viewed in local libraries. The full reports and all the forms and guidance on how to make a representation or objection within the next eight weeks are also available on the GOV.UK website

Additional information

The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 places a duty on the Secretary of State and Natural England to secure a long distance walking trail around the open coast of England, together with public access rights to a wider area of land along the way for people to enjoy.

Natural England is working on the entire coastal route, with new sections also opened in Cumbria, Norfolk, Dorset, Kent, Somerset, Yorkshire, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Lincolnshire.

A map showing a timetable for the work is here.

• The England Coast Path will be our longest, newest and most challenging National Trail, passing through some of our finest countryside and coastal locations.
• It will secure legal rights of public access for the first time to typical coastal land including foreshore, beaches, dunes and cliffs.

As well as recommending new sections to the route, the proposals outline improvements to existing access to the coastline, with proposals:

• to identify a clear and continuous way-marked walking route along this part of the coast, bringing some sections of the existing coastal footpath closer to the sea and linking some places together for the first time;
• to allow the route to ‘roll back’ if the coastline erodes or slips, solving the long-standing difficulties of maintaining a continuous route along the coast;

About Natural England

Established in 2006, Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.

• We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
• We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and advising widely on their conservation.
• We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
• We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
• We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them. For more information, visit Natural England’s England Coast Path pages or twitter @NaturalEngland

Our report on the grounding of the Netherlands registered general cargo vessel Priscilla, on Pentland Skerries in the Pentland Firth on 18 July 2018, is now published.

The report contains details of what happened, the subsequent actions taken and the recommendation made: read more.