The role of IMEG is to provide independent advice to Minister (DPV) on the medical and scientific aspects of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).

Dr Scadding is currently an Honorary Consultant Neurologist Emeritus at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), London. A senior British neurologist, now retired from clinical practice, but active in a number of clinical advisory and academic roles. He has experience of NHS and academic management roles.

Dr Scadding has formerly held a number of senior advisory and management roles, including chairmanship of the Medical Committee of NHNN; Medical Director of NHNN, and subsequently Deputy Medical Director of University College London Hospitals (UCLH); membership of the Board of Governors of NHNN Special Health Authority and of the Committee of Management of the Institute of Neurology (now part of UCL). He was Academic Dean and Vice President of the Royal Society of Medicine and until recently Chair of the Research Committee of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.

He was formerly a member of the Medical Committee at CBDE Porton Down in the 1980s; a member of the original MOD ethics committees and later vice-chairman of MODREC (Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee); a member of several working parties; and Civilian Consultant Adviser in Neurology to both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

Dr Scadding has been appointed for a period of 3 years and will take up his post on 1 August 2019. The appointment has been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. In this case, none has been declared.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy today (26 June 2019) laid regulations to enact an extended allocation of Tariff Guarantees on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Tariff Guarantees provide investment certainty to larger, better value for money installations on the Renewable Heat Incentive. These will make a significant contribution to our stretching, legally binding carbon targets. Under existing arrangements, eligible installations granted a tariff guarantee were required to commission by 31 January 2020.

Changes laid in Parliament today will enable existing applicants to withdraw their tariff and reapply to achieve a later commissioning date, enabling a pipeline of new, large renewable heat plants.

Since the implementation of Tariff Guarantees, the government has granted 43 tariff guarantees for large scale projects, the majority of which produce biomethane for injection to the gas grid.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore said:

As the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions, we must act to reduce emissions from heat and industry – one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. That’s why we’re giving investment certainty to a number of renewable industries with an extended allocation of Tariff Guarantees on the Renewable Heat Incentive.

This will unlock significant investment across the renewable heat sector – an important step on our way to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Further announcements will be made regarding the progress of this legislation in due course.

A 500-tonne crane lifted a new bridge into place as part of work to create a new elevated junction on the M49 and provide a much-needed connection into the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area from the motorway network.

The M49 was due to be closed for the whole weekend, from 8pm on Friday, 21 June to 6am on Monday, 24 June, to enable this key part of the project, which involved lifting bridge beams, decking and other infrastructure into place immediately next to the existing bridge at Farm Lane.

But once the 500-tonne crane had manoeuvred the three bridge beams into place, two 55-tonne cranes set about installing the decking, and work was completed ahead of schedule and the M49 reopened to traffic around mid-morning on Sunday, 23 June.

Located to the south of the Western Approach Distribution Park and west of the village of Easter Compton, the two bridges will be linked into a single roundabout spanning the motorway with new access and exit slip roads connecting fully with both northbound and southbound traffic.

The £49 million scheme will not only promote economic growth in this area of Bristol, but also reduce the numbers of HGVs and other vehicles on the local road network.

Highways England is working with partners, including South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and contractors Galliford Try.

And Nick Aldworth, Highways England’s South West Regional Delivery Director said:

The bridge installation marks a significant milestone for this strategically and economically important scheme for the South West and the Bristol area.

Its proximity to the motorway network, railways and port makes it an ideal area to develop and encourage economic growth, and the road scheme has a phenomenally high benefit. Every £1 invested in this scheme will bring more than £30 into the local economy, generating more than 14,000 jobs in the long term.

It’s pleasing to reach this stage of the project, and I’m delighted that we were able to complete such a complex operation ahead of schedule. In terms of partnership working, our project team and contractors Galliford Try worked hard to make the operation a success and that ultimately minimised the disruption for motorists using the M49.

The new M49 junction project is the first Road Investment Strategy scheme to start construction in the South West, one of six multi-million pound road schemes aimed at boosting the economy, tourism and heritage in the region, all funded by the Government’s biggest-in-a-generation £15 billion investment in motorways and main A roads.

Construction of the new M49 junction is due to be completed this winter and Duncan Elliott, Managing Director of Galliford Try’s Highways business, said:

The Avonmouth junction scheme will bring far-reaching benefits and during construction, we are keeping local communities updated on progress and keeping any disruption to a minimum.

For more information, got to the scheme website.

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.

Typhoons first intercepted a Russian military transport aircraft before later intercepting two Russian Flanker fighters and another military transport aircraft.

This is a routine mission for the Typhoons conducting NATO enhanced Air Policing, providing reassurance that the UK is working in partnership with Estonia.

The contacts on both scrambles flew safely and operated in a professional manner throughout the intercept.

A Typhoon pilot from XI(Fighter) Squadron, attached to 121 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW), who was conducting Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duty when the first scramble was called said:

We were scrambled to intercept a single aircraft that was flying down the Finnish/Estonian border from the East. We were tasked to identify the contact and shadow which is standard protocol.

We identified the contact as an AN-12 (Cub) military transport and shadowed it in a westerly direction. Once the task was completed we were cleared to leave the contact and conduct training in segregated Estonian airspace.

On the second scramble, one of the Typhoon pilots commented:

We were scrambled to intercept three contacts that were transiting from north west Russia around Estonia to Kaliningrad. We were tasked to identify the contacts and shadow them.

We intercepted the aircraft off the west coast of Estonia, identified the contacts as an IL-22 (Coot B) military transport and two SU-27 Flanker fighters. The contacts were shadowed southward before handing them over to Swedish Quick Reaction Alert aircraft, two SAAB Gripens.

The Royal Air Force is deployed on Operation AZOTIZE in Estonia in support of Baltic Air Policing. This is the tenth and eleventh QRA scramble and intercept respectively since the RAF took over enhanced Air Policing (eAP) from the German Air Force on 3 May 2019 as part of Baltic Air Policing.

The UK operates in support of NATO to reassure our allies and is a further demonstration of the UK’s commitment to the security of the region.

From proposing extra help for airline passengers to protecting pensions and from climate change to social care funding – the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) is showcasing the work we undertake for clients through a suite of newly-published case studies. They can be accessed via a quick link at the top of the GAD website front page.

Actuaries have analytical skills that help our clients’ decision-makers take account of risk and uncertainty. The case studies highlight the vital work and projects which GAD teams deliver as part of the checks and balances of public life.

Wide ranging expertise

Among the examples now featured are stories which illustrate how GAD’s expertise has led to:

• proposed increased assistance for stranded airline passengers
• help for developing countries to plan more effectively for natural disasters
• advice on protecting pensions of public sector workers
• assessments of the actuarial valuations of local government pension funds
• comparisons of survivor pension benefits for people in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships

Complex projects

Reflecting on the breadth of work which GAD teams deliver for clients, the Government Actuary, Martin Clarke said: “These case studies perfectly illustrate the wide-ranging and complex projects that GAD teams work on.

“We provide expert actuarial analysis that helps deliver meaningful and cost-effective solutions and recommendations for government clients and across the public sector.”

Further updates

This bank of case studies, which will be expanded over time, reflects the main areas where GAD excels namely insurance, investment, modelling, quality assurance, pensions and social security.