The 2 men were buried on Wednesday 03 July during a moving ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Salerno War Cemetery in Italy.

The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of Defence Business Services, was conducted by the Reverend Iorwerth Price CF, reserve Chaplain to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (RANG). Members of the 2nd Battalion, The RANG carried the coffins to their final resting place.

Nicola Nash, JCCC said:

These 2 soldiers lost their lives in 1 of the most ferocious battles of the Second World War. Although we were not able to identify them, they have now been laid to rest with honours and their bravery and heroism will always be remembered.

The remains of the 2 soldiers were found by the 1943 Salerno Association, outside of Salerno, on a hill nicknamed “the Pimple” by Allied soldiers during World War 2. This hill was heavily guarded by the Germans and was the focus of intense fighting during September 1943. Despite extensive research and DNA testing, the JCCC were unable to identify these two men.

The 1943 Salerno Association also found the ID bracelet of Major Robert Brown DSO, who was attached to the Royal Leicestershire Regiment and was also killed during action on the Pimple on 16 September 1943. The bracelet was handed back to the JCCC, who will present it to Major Brown’s daughter.

Stefano Esu, CWGC Works Supervisor, Italy, said:

I am honoured and grateful to be present at the burial of these 2 soldiers at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Salerno War Cemetery. I always try to do my best with great dedication and a sense of responsibility because it is thanks to the sacrifice of these young men that we can live in freedom. Their service and sacrifice have not been forgotten and we will proudly mark and care for their graves, together with all of those who served and fell, in perpetuity.

Two new headstones for the unknown soldiers have been provided by the CWGC.

In the government’s landmark LGBT Action Plan last year, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) committed to . exploring the issues faced by young people changing their gender.

New figures from the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) show that the number of children and young people being referred to the service is still increasing, up 6% when compared to the previous year.

In 2018/19, 2,590 children and young people were referred to GIDS, with the service continuing to see an increasing number of girls referred. Nearly three quarters of those referred last year were female, mostly of adolescent age.

Whilst the number of referrals last year still represents only a small fraction of the UK population (0.05% or around 1 in 1,900 of 13-17 year olds), it is clear that more young people, particularly adolescent girls, are seeking support around their gender identity from health services.

In a bid to better understand why so many young people, particularly girls, are being referred, the government has been reviewing evidence from gender identity services in other countries.

This shows that the pattern in the UK (where 2.8 natal girls are being referred for every 1 boy), is mirrored in a number of other developed countries:

• Tampere, Finland: 6.8 girls referred for every 1 boy
• Toronto, Canada: 1.8 girls referred for every 1 boy
• Amsterdam, Netherlands: 1.7 girls referred for every 1 boy

What it is not clear is what might be driving these increases. Despite a wide variety of theories, there is little hard evidence to support these at present.

That is why the government has been reviewing existing evidence, including information from other countries, to better understand whether the trends seen in the UK are also happening elsewhere. Following on from this, the GEO will now commission brand new research to explore the nature of adolescent gender identity and transitioning.

Minister for Women & Equalities, Penny Mordaunt, said:

“The statistics we have been made aware of show that more and more young people, particularly girls, are using health services to explore changing their gender.

“It is vitally important that we prioritise finding out why this is the case, making sure we gain an understanding of the driving factors behind this whilst doing everything we can to support these individuals and their families.”

A tender for the next stage of research will be released in the coming weeks. This will include a comprehensive international evidence review and analysis of referral data.

Alongside this clinicians and young service users will be interviewed, giving us a better understanding of their experiences and reasons for seeking support.

Government will also seek to improve understanding of gender identity among young people in the UK more generally, by including new questions on robust social surveys.

Alongside this the NHS have already started a series of longer-term studies to better understand the outcomes of children and young people who are referred to gender identity services.

Further Info:

This trend of higher numbers of adolescent girls presenting as transgender was also observed in responses to the government’s own National LGBT Survey. Of the 2,040 trans respondents aged 16-17, 39% identified as trans men, compared to 10% trans women. 51% identified as non-binary.

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart has called on other countries to urgently help deal with the ongoing, deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a visit to the country.

The outbreak – the world’s second worst ever – has killed over 1,600 people in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DRC, since it started in August last year.

During his visit, the Secretary of State talked to Ebola survivors and saw how current patients were receiving treatment in a UK aid funded clinic in Katwa, near the city of Butembo.

He also saw close contacts of Ebola patients receiving a vaccination, which funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) has helped to develop.

More than 150,000 people in the DRC and neighbouring countries have so far received the vaccine during the current outbreak.

The UK and the US are among the biggest donors to the crisis, which is the first major Ebola outbreak to take place in a conflict zone anywhere in the world, with armed groups operating in the region hampering response efforts.

But the International Development Secretary now wants other G7 members to step up to help meet the funding shortfall which the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners face as they try to contain the disease.

He raised the issue with the development ministers of the G7 countries at a summit in Paris last Thursday (July 4), before flying out to the DRC to see first-hand the devastating impact of the lethal disease.

He called on France, Japan and others to offer more financial support and will continue to push for further funding from other countries in meetings across Europe in the coming weeks.

The Secretary of State said during his visit to Butembo and Katwa on Saturday (July 6):

We are on the edge with this crisis. We keep pulling it back from the brink but it is very dangerous. My visit to eastern DRC has only reinforced my view about just how urgent our response to this crisis must be. This is very, very real.

We are essentially chasing Ebola – one of the world’s most deadly diseases – around an area overrun by armed groups. We are struggling to keep up with it.

DFID has funded the development of a vaccine which is helping to contain this. But one of the major reasons I went to the G7 development ministers meeting in Paris last week was to get other countries, like France, Japan and others to step up and provide more funding.

There is a real danger, that if we lose control of this outbreak, it could spread beyond DRC’s borders to the wider region and the wider world. Diseases like Ebola have no respect for borders and are a threat to us all.

This has to be dealt with. We have to grip this. If we don’t we are facing not just needless horrifying suffering here in DRC, but also the possibility of this disease spreading further afield.

It was the Secretary of State’s first visit to Africa since becoming International Development Secretary in May, and the first visit to DRC by a Cabinet Minister since William Hague visited as Foreign Secretary in 2013.

On Friday (July 5), the International Development Secretary visited Goma, a city in DRC, which borders Rwanda.

No Ebola cases have appeared so far in Goma during the current outbreak and preventative measures funded by UK aid are in place to try to stop it from spreading there.

The Secretary of State saw how the International Organization for Migration is working with the government of the DRC to improve screening at the border.

This includes taking the temperature of everyone who crosses the border using an infrared device held up to the forehead.

As well as helping to develop the Ebola vaccine, the UK has provided funding to partners on the ground including the WHO, UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross (IRFC) and Red Crescent Societies.

The UK is also the largest donor when it comes to helping neighbouring countries better prepare for potential spread outside the DRC. This includes through the vaccination and training of health workers, as well as raising awareness of the disease and its effects.

It has also deployed experts from the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team to the DRC.

Notes to editors

• The Government of DRC has requested that donors do not announce specific funding figures to avoid putting first-line responders at further risk of attack.
• The UK is calling for a new, stronger approach to responding to the Ebola outbreak, including tackling the mistrust of communities, which have suffered decades of conflict, and in some cases do not believe Ebola is real.
• The DRC outbreak is second in scale only to the West Africa outbreak of 2013 to 2016.
• Public Health England considers the risk to the UK to be very low/negligible.

ENDS

Providers are reminded that we are now granting legal aid certificates with a wider limitation on costs for most family proceedings.

We made this change in April 2019 and many of you are now benefiting from the new arrangements which are designed to free up administrative time.

This is because of the reduced need for amendments to the cost limitation to be submitted once the certificate has been granted.

Why is this reminder needed?

You need to make applications for a £25,000 cost limit within the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS).

This is done by amending the default cost limit when you complete your application in the ‘proceedings and costs’ section of CCMS.

This is not always happening in the way that it should. So, we would like to remind you that guidance is available to help you with the process in the ‘quick guides’ on the CCMS training website.

The set number of proceedings this applies to are also outlined on the CCMS website.

Following the process in the way intended means the correct cost limit will be applied to your application first time. So, it will not be held up by the need for us to contact you to check the work.

Further information

CCMS website: changes to streamline family work – family proceedings eligible for simplified application process

CCMS website: making an initial application – download ‘£25000 cost limit’ quick guide

GOV.UK news story – 18 April announcement of the new simplified process

Digital.Assist@justice.gov.uk – to email enquiries about CCMS training

The government has today (Monday 8 July) launched a call for evidence which will form the basis for future policies to protect people, businesses and the environment from the devastating effects of flooding and coastal erosion.

Over the coming decades, flood and coastal erosion risks are set to increase as a result of population growth and climate change. In order to deal with these, the government is already providing £2.6 billion over six years, delivering more than 1,000 projects to better protect 300,000 homes. This is on top of £1 billion by 2020 to maintain flood defences.

Despite the investment, it is important to strengthen the flood and coastal erosion policy framework to ensure that we can continue to manage these risks effectively. That is why the government will, by the end of this year, set out its policy direction to better prepare the country for future flooding and coastal erosion – while making the most of the opportunities for wider economic, social and environmental benefits in our towns, countryside and coast.

Responses to the call for evidence will be used to inform the upcoming government policy statement on flooding and coastal erosion, a national infrastructure strategy and the decisions made in a spending review.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

With one in six people in England already living in properties at risk of flooding, and after a record investment in flood defences from 2015-21 better protecting 300,000 homes, it is important to explore how we can continue to manage these risks effectively and prepare the country for the future.

While the government leads the way in ensuring our people and places are protected, we will be issuing a new national policy statement later this year which will be informed by a number of sources, including this call for evidence on which we are seeking views on key issues.

The Environment Agency will also update its national strategy for flood and coastal erosion, based on the new government policy statement and the responses to their own recent consultation.

The call for evidence, which was first announced on the same date as the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) draft strategy in May 2019, will look at a series of key flood and coast policy issues that the government is currently considering. Areas where additional evidence is needed include:

• What do we mean when we talk about “resilience” – what could a shared, clear and consistent understanding about what resilience means look like so progress can be measured?
• Adapting to coastal change – what have coast protection authorities done to join up decisions about managing the coastline with wider plans for the area?
• Have businesses used the provision to claim corporation tax relief on their contributions to government funded flood and coast projects?
• Local funding initiatives for flood risk management – are there examples of what worked well and what could be improved?
• How are developer contributions being used to fund work to manage flood risks?
• Managing financial risks from flooding – how do organisations manage the financial risks associated with flooding, in the context of climate change?

It will run for six weeks and will be open to any interested parties in England only.

The deadline for response is 19 August 2019.