On 21 May 2019 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announced a public call for evidence steered by a panel of key representatives from across family justice, to gather evidence on how the family courts protect children and parents in cases of domestic abuse and other serious offences.
The inaugural panel meeting took place on Friday 14 June 2019, marking the start for the three-month call for evidence. The panel members represent key organisations from across family justice including the Judiciary, academia, social care, policy officials and third sector organisations which represent and advocate for victims of domestic abuse, (full details below).
The call for evidence will specifically focus on the application of Practice Direction 12J, Practice Direction 3AA, The Family Procedure Rules Part 3A, and s.91(14) orders, and will build a more detailed understanding of any harm caused during or following proceedings in the family court.
The panel members are:
Melissa Case & Nicola Hewer, Director of Family and Criminal Justice Policy, MOJ (Chair)
Professor Liz Trinder, University of Exeter
Professor Rosemary Hunter FAcSS, University of Kent
Professor Mandy Burton, University of Leicester
Mr Justice Stephen Cobb, Judiciary
District Judge Katherine Suh, Judiciary
Nicki Norman, Acting Co-Chief Executive, Women’s Aid
Dierdre Fottrell QC & Lorraine Cavanagh QC (joint representatives), Association of Lawyers for Children
Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for England (Children & Families)
The panel will also be supported by analysts, researchers and relevant policy officials from MOJ.
Holidaymakers urged to put MMR checks top of any travel plans
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes leads to serious complications. The disease is still endemic in many countries around the world including Europe, with France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Germany among the countries reporting the highest case counts according to the European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC).
PHE data published at the end of May showed that measles remains a threat to the UK population, with 231 cases confirmed in England in the first quarter of 2019. The number of cases confirmed in England has been rising since 2018, with many linked to importations from Europe. Young people and adults aged 15 and over who missed out on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they were young and some under-vaccinated communities have been particularly affected.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, said:
Measles can kill and is incredibly easy to catch, especially if you’re not vaccinated and travelling to affected countries. If you’re in any doubt about your – or your child’s – vaccination status, ask your GP or check your child’s Red Book. Before you travel you should ensure you and your family are up to date with all currently recommended UK vaccines and MMR is especially important if you’re planning to travel throughout the summer due to the ongoing outbreaks happening across Europe. It’s never too late to get protected.
Nikki White, ABTA’s Director of Destinations and Sustainability said:
Travellers might not typically think to check vaccination requirements for travel to Europe, but we encourage everyone to check their health records and catch-up on any missed vaccinations wherever they are travelling to. No matter where people are going on holiday, we always encourage them to check the Foreign Office’s travel advice at the time of booking and before they are due to travel to make sure they are aware of the latest information about the destination and any health requirements.
In the UK, MMR is usually given to infants at around 12 months of age, with a second dose given before school, to ensure best protection. In some cases, MMR can be offered to babies from 6 months of age (for example, for travel to countries where measles is common, or during an outbreak situation). Ask your health professional for advice on the best option for your children before you travel.
Two doses of MMR in a lifetime are needed for a person to be considered fully protected.
The latest UK quarterly data and commentary on coverage achieved by the UK childhood immunisation programme is available online.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes lead to serious complications. It’s now uncommon in the UK because of the effective MMR vaccination programme. Although usually a mild illness in children, measles can be more severe in adults.
The initial symptoms of measles develop around 10 days after a person is infected. These can include:
cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough
sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light
a high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40°C (104°F)
a few days later, a red-brown blotchy rash will appear. This usually starts on the head or upper neck, before spreading outwards to the rest of the body
Symptoms usually resolve in about 7 to 10 days.
UK Statement on the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
The UK aligns itself with the EU Statement and would like to make some additional comments in a national capacity.
Around the world, rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons of war in conflict situations. The sheer scale of this is truly appalling and these horrific crimes often go unpunished. We need to act and put survivors at the heart of what we do.
Seven years ago, the UK’s then Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie, launched the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. Since then the UK has taken significant action to tackle sexual violence in conflict, including by providing £46 million for PSVI projects in 14 countries.
Five years ago, we hosted a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. Five years on, tackling this issue remains a priority for the UK Government. To mark the occasion, we will be hosting an international conference of world leaders in London from 18th to 20th November. This conference ‘Time for Justice : Putting Survivors First’ is a global call to action to strengthen justice for survivors and hold perpetrators to account, to address the stigma endured by survivors, and to strengthen efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict.
The UK is committed to ending sexual violence in conflict and securing justice for survivors, and collectively we can work to attain this goal. There is much we can do to tackle sexual violence in conflict at the OSCE, including through the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Queen’s birthday celebration 2019 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Ambassador’s speech
British Ambassador to Mongolia, His Excellency Philip Malone, gave a speech to celebrate the Queen’s 93rd birthday, the ever-strengthening UK-Mongolian connections, and possibilities of green growth.
Delivered on: 14 June 2019 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)
Our Guest of Honour, MP Oyundari, Honourable Ministers and MPs, my ambassadorial colleagues and members of the Diplomatic Corps, ladies and gentlemen.
A very warm welcome to you all to the British Residence to join us in celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday in Ulaanbaatar.
It has been another memorable year for Her Majesty The Queen who celebrated her 93rd birthday this year. Her Majesty became a great-grandmother for the seventh time with the birth of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Just this week Her Majesty hosted the State Visit by the President of the United States and attended the national event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings of 1944. And Her Majesty made her very first post on Instagram earlier this year!
Here in Mongolia too, we have enjoyed a further year of strengthening relations between our two countries. We have seen a high number of senior visits in both directions which have underscored the strong relationship between our two countries, have progressed important areas of bilateral cooperation and highlighted the UK’s commitment as a Third Neighbour of Mongolia.
We have shared interests in trade and investment, in promoting democracy and a rules based international system and in supporting economic development and diversification in Mongolia.
Our trade and investment relationship continues to thrive. One of the British Government’s most important interests in Mongolia is to support Rio Tinto’s investment in Oyu Tolgoi, the single largest foreign investment of any kind in Mongolia which represents a significant contribution to Mongolia’s prosperity. I am hopeful that the current politically-motivated challenges faced by Oyu Tolgoi will be resolved sensibly and to the benefit of both Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi.
Our combined trade continues to increase. The UK is Mongolia’s second-largest export destination and Mongolia enjoys a healthy surplus with the UK. To help bilateral trade, the British Government offers support through the UK’s Export Finance organisation and will introduce a UK equivalent of the EU’s GSP+ trade preference scheme when we leave the EU which will enable continued preferential access to the UK market for Mongolian exports.
A further priority for us is to expand the partnership between the London and Mongolian Stock Exchanges to support development of capital markets in Mongolia and initial public offerings of state enterprises.
We have worked together on important issues and shared interests at the United Nations. This week I attended once again the UB Dialogue on NE Asian Security and the UK will send a contingent to next week’s Khaan Quest defence exercise. Our respective peacekeepers are enjoying a very strong and collaborative relationship in South Sudan with British peacekeepers providing English lessons for their Mongolian counterparts in exchange for wrestling and martial arts training!
We continue our work to support economic development and diversification for example in education, the cashmere sector and green growth. And it is indeed green growth that is our theme for this year’s Queen’s Birthday Party.
Taking action to combat climate change and environmental degradation is a top priority for the UK government both at home and around the world. These issues are highly important for Mongolia’s economic development too.
You will see around you this evening examples of British activities and innovative technologies showcasing the UK’s Green support for Mongolia in areas such as renewable energy, low carbon initiatives. protection of the environment and conservation of Mongolia’s iconic wildlife and forest steppe ecosystem. We also have a recycling point to reflect our aim of being a Plastic Free Embassy by the end of this year. I am grateful to Shine Zuun shop, to Raspberry Pie, the National University of Mongolia and the Academy of Sciences and students from the New Mongol College of Technology for enabling these displays tonight. Do check them all out during the evening.
And we continue to make good use of the UK’s soft power with our Great Train Journey earlier this year, a video of which you can see on the LED screen and the BBC’s documentary about the UK Foreign Office which included a section on the UK/Mongolia relationship featuring the President of Mongolia among others.
One well known example of our soft power has of course been the Steppe Inne pub at the Embassy which has for so many years provided a haven for Mongolians and Brits alike. Sadly, its reign is coming to an end as we will shortly move to new offices in the Shangri-La complex after more than 50 years in our current office. But to celebrate the legacy of the Steppe Inne, we have created a mini-version for you here this evening!
Of course, there are many other things which make up the UK/Mongolia relationship and all of you here this evening play your own particular role and I am grateful to you all for that. Before I finish, I wanted to say a big thank you to our sponsors this evening: Cummins Mongolia, Jaguar Land Rover, Pandrol, Diageo, Chinggis Beer and Ahmad Tea. To our caterers, Namaste Restaurant. And of course to my wonderful Embassy team who continue to excel themselves and have once again done incredible work to make tonight’s event such a success. So please enjoy the food, drink, music and company and thank you again for coming.
Published 21 June 2019
11th Conference of the Pacific Community
Honourable ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to be representing Pitcairn here today, and it is a privilege to listen to such expert and thought-provoking interventions.
Pitcairn is the smallest and most remote of the members of the Pacific Community. Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between New Zealand and Chile, and two days away by boat from the nearest other human settlement. It has just 50 inhabitants. It is a community that has endured, against the odds, since 1790, and is by necessity a community closely connected to the sea.
And despite its size and location, it is deeply committed to playing its part on these critical global issues under discussion today – and in particular in protecting our oceans, our sea life, and tackling the scourge of plastic pollution.
Pitcairn is proud to be home to an MPA of 835,000km2. The sea life there is extraordinary – when you dock up at Pitcairn, hundreds of sharks come to swim in the lights of the boat.
Henderson Island, one of the three uninhabited Pitcairn Islands, has the highest density of plastic pollution anywhere in the world.
And as I speak we have a scientific expedition underway on Henderson Island, clearing up the plastic, studying it and its impact on the environment, setting up cameras to monitor plastic pollution build up and impact, and highlighting the plight of plastic pollution to the wider world.
It is still underway, but to date the team have cleared 5 tonnes of rubbish and cleared 2.3km of beach. And the science outcomes will include data on ocean temperatures, depth and sea bed sampling; underwater footage of the coral reefs; a research paper on hermit crabs; data on the effect of plastic pollution on turtle nesting sites.
And of course amazing footage and reporting – through newspapers, social media and the National Geographic – highlighting the scale of the problem and helping to galvanise action to tackle plastic pollution.
We will share the outcomes of the expedition – in terms of science and communications -with our Pacific Community partners.
Flags of the Pacific Community
Ladies and Gentlemen Pitcairn is, of course, a territory of the United Kingdom, and I want to use the floor briefly to highlight our bid for a UK Presidency of COP26, in partnership with Italy. The UK and Italy have a strong track record of high ambition on tackling climate change – the UK recently became the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050.
Our Presidency will encourage the highest possible ambition through COP26, and focus on tangible actions to deliver on the Paris agreement. We will champion robust science as the basis for global climate action. We will have a prioritise youth engagement – as it is the youth and those not yet born who will bear the brunt of climate change impacts. And we will put Small Island Developing States – and in particular the Pacific – at the heart of our Presidency, in recognition that these countries are on the frontline of this existential crisis facing our climate and our oceans.
