Tax credits help working families with targeted financial support. A new advertising campaign launched today (1 July 2019) is reminding customers to renew their tax credits on time, as this is too important to forget.

Renewing online is quick and easy. Customers can log into GOV.UK to check on the progress of their renewal, be reassured it’s being processed and know when they’ll hear back from HMRC.

Customers can also use the HMRC app on their smartphone to:

• renew their tax credits
• check their tax credits payment schedule
• find out how much they have earned for the year

Angela MacDonald, Director General for Customer Services at HMRC, said:

We know that customers lead busy lives, which is why our online services are available day and night. Customers can complete their tax credits renewals at a time convenient to them. Renewing on time is vital to ensure that their payments don’t stop.

Customers can get help and information on renewing tax credits:

• on GOV.UK
• by tweeting @HMRCcustomers or posting on our Facebook page with general queries
• using the HMRC app, which is available on the App Store or Google Play Store
• using the online forum (click on Tax Credits and You)
• through HMRC’s webchat help service
• by calling the tax credits helpline: 0345 300 3900

Further information

Tax credits help working families with targeted financial support. The deadline for people to renew their tax credits is 31 July 2019. Customers will not get a renewal pack until April 2020 if they first claimed tax credits after 6 April 2019.

Failure to renew before the deadline will mean payments are stopped and customers may have to repay the money they have received since April 2019.

Our new advertising campaign has been launched to help customers remember to renew their tax credits on time. The campaign’s refreshed creative direction provides an unforgettable reminder to customers to renew their tax credits – something too important to forget.

From this year, HMRC is no longer taking new tax credit claims.

The Immigration Minister, Caroline Nokes is expected to call on governments and charities to work together to resettle vulnerable refugees.

Together with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the British Refugee Council, the UK will chair the conference which brings together governments, charities and organisations working with refugees. The minister and Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will open the conference.

The Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) provides a forum to consult on the resettlement of refugees, to review progress and to test new ideas. With more refugees participating than ever before, the focus this year will be on exploring different ways to expand resettlement. This comes after the UK announced it would continue to resettle thousands of refugees from 2020 under a new global scheme.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:

I am proud of the world-leading work we have done on resettlement. Since 2016, we have resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any other EU state and we recently committed to resettling thousands more refugees from 2020.

It is crucial that we continue work together to help the world’s most vulnerable refugees and the ATCR is the primary vehicle bringing together governments, the UNHCR and charities.

Since the expansion of resettlement in 2015 almost 16,000 people have been resettled under the vulnerable persons resettlement scheme. This is in addition to the thousands resettled through other routes.

At the conference, the UNHCR will present a 3-year strategy on resettlement. The strategy has been developed in collaboration with states, civil society, private sector, academia, refugees and other UN agencies. UNHCR consulted the UK, amongst other countries and those involved in resettlement globally, to collectively develop the strategy.

UNHCR UK representative Rossella Pagliuchi-Lor said:

With more people than ever forced to flee their homes in search of safety, the 25th ATCR comes at a crucial moment.

Working with the UK, other states and partners, UNHCR hopes that the event – and the subsequent Global Refugee Forum – will galvanize support for the strategy through commitments to increase the number of resettlement spaces, expand the number of resettlement countries and improve the availability of alternative pathways to safety, allowing more refugees to rebuild their lives.

This would also be a strong demonstration of solidarity with those host countries bearing the largest burden of displacement.

Maurice Wren, Chief Executive at the Refugee Council, said:

The Refugee Council is delighted to be co-hosting this important event alongside the UK government and UNHCR. By bringing together such a wealth of knowledge from around the world, we can all learn from each other about the best ways to support the resettlement and integration of refugees so that they can rebuild their lives in safety.

We are particularly pleased that this year’s ATCR has more refugees participating in the planning and delivery of the event than ever before. It is paramount that refugees themselves are kept front and centre of decision-making. It is by supporting refugees to make their vital contribution that we will reach our ATCR goals, for the benefit of refugees, states and communities alike.

This year’s theme will be ‘25 Years of the ATCR: Celebrating the positive impact of resettlement and providing inspiration for the future’. Participants will be invited to reflect on the success of resettlement since the ATCR was first established in 1995.

In response to record levels of displacement, states have renewed their commitments to share responsibility, including through expanding resettlement and exploring new methods of support.

A growing number of governments have expanded existing programmes and further states and partners have demonstrated readiness to launch new programmes. This will all be explored at the ATCR where resettled refugees will be invited to participate and offer a meaningful voice in the future of resettlement.

The expected outcomes of the 2019 ATCR include:

• greater global awareness of the ATCR community and the positive impacts of resettlement
• support for the 3-year strategy to expand resettlement and improve support for refugees
• renewed momentum to expand the global resettlement programme

People who drink while boating will be the focus of a new government campaign to improve safety on the water.

The campaign, targeting recreational boaters, is part of the first Maritime Safety Action plan, published today (1 July 2019) by the Department for Transport.

It sets ambitious targets for reducing and eliminating preventable deaths, while also setting out the work the government and its agencies are already doing – marking the start of the inaugural Maritime Safety Week.

A consultation will also be held later this year on the safety of personal watercraft – such as jet skis – to ensure lives are not endangered by negligent users.

Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Keeping people safe on or around water is at the heart of everything we do.

This plan is rightly ambitious in setting out how we will reduce the number of fatalities on our waterways as quickly as possible.

Our campaign will also reach those who don’t use boats that often, and who may need reminding of the risks they are taking when they drink and sail.

It is hoped that the first ever Maritime Safety Action Plan will help cut preventable fishing deaths by 2027 and half drowning by 2026.

Maritime Safety Week, which starts today, will focus on a number of different elements of safety on the water, including fishing vessel safety.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has also pledged to carry out a review of its decision-making to ensure it follows recommendations set out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which looks into the causes of fatalities at sea.

The plan comes as one of the first actions from Maritime 2050, which was published in January and is the government’s long-term strategy to keep the UK as a world leader in the sector for decades to come.

I am delighted to inform the House today about the launch of Maritime Safety Week 2019 following the extremely successful inaugural event last year.

The maritime industry is crucial to the UK economy. It is a simple truth that, if safety were not a priority for the sector, it would rapidly grind to a halt.

The UK is recognised internationally for its world-class maritime safety framework and already sets the standard in ensuring the wide variety of people who use and enjoy our waters for business or pleasure can do so in safety. It is not only government that has achieved this reputation, through the work of organisations like the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the General Lighthouse Authorities, but also through sector bodies like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The marine environment can be dangerous, however, and there is always more that can be done to keep people out of harm’s way.

Maritime Safety Week aims ultimately to help reduce preventable maritime accidents. The week creates a focal point to recognise the fantastic and innovative work that is already being delivered and the strong partnership between government and the sector which is vital for further continuous improvement.

As well as recognising the excellent safety work that already goes on, my key objectives for Maritime Safety Week 2019 are to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experience and best practice and to focus on some of the challenges which remain. That is why, as well as meeting many of the organisations and individuals who make a difference through their work, I will be hosting a Fishing Safety MP Roundtable this week to consider what more can be done to make the fishing industry a safer one.

Throughout the week I will be launching new initiatives and announcing new funding in support of maritime safety. Today (1 July 2019) I will also be publishing the government’s first Maritime Safety Action Plan. This sets out a path for the future of maritime safety work in the UK, makes new commitments and specifies the actions which will be taken to deliver them. The Action Plan underpins our Maritime 2050 strategy, which I published in January, outlining our ambitious vision for the future of the sector. Copies of the Maritime Safety Action Plan have been placed in the libraries of both Houses and are available on GOV.UK.

Ultimately, I want to reduce the number of preventable accidents in UK waters and Maritime Safety Week 2019 is an important step towards that goal. I invite you to show your support on social media by sharing our content and using our hashtags for the week – #MaritimeSafetyWeek and #MaritimeSafetyMatters

At the Ordinary Public Consistory for some Causes for Canonisation on 1 July, Pope Francis announced the Canonisation of Bl. Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Learning of the news, the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Sally Axworthy, said:

“I am delighted that Pope Francis announced the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman this morning.

“Cardinal Newman had a major impact on Catholic theology and on education worldwide, making him a truly global Briton. I enjoyed learning about his life and teachings during my recent visits to the London, Birmingham and Oxford Oratories. He brought his experience from the Anglican Church to his work as a Catholic, bridging the two traditions.

“The canonisation will be an important moment for Britain, and for UK-Holy See relations. I very much look forward to the celebrations.”

Press Officer: Simona Prete, British Embassy to the Holy See

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