Veterans who have become homeless, or at risk of it, will be supported through an extra £1 million boost, the Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP announced today (20 March 2019).

The money will help ensure those who have served their country have a roof over their heads and have the support they need once leaving the Armed Forces.

The fund will be shared among the ten combined authorities and the Greater London Authority who will be able to use the funding to provide veterans with the bespoke support they need as they navigate civilian life.

Money could also be used to direct former soldiers to existing specialist support services on offer, such as access to supported housing and training for staff on mental health issues, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and how to support those former service personnel who may initially be reluctant to receive help.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

Our veterans play a vital role in keeping our country safe and many have dedicated their lives to the services. For those who fall on hard times and end up on the street, it is only right that we give them all the support they need to put a roof over their head.

Local authorities across the country already provide much needed support for veterans, but this boost will allow them to go further and ensure that more people have access to valuable services, such as housing advice or mental health support.

This additional funding goes hand in hand with the £1.2 billion which has been set aside to tackle all forms of homelessness, including £100 million for rough sleeping, helping ensure everyone has a safe and secure home to call their own, regardless of their background.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The vast majority of those leaving the Armed Forces go on to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives, but it’s right that we support those who struggle.

One veteran on the street is one too many and I welcome today’s announcement on funding to address homelessness and rough sleeping.

This, along with the support we already provide through the Veteran Gateway, underlines our commitment to helping those who have served our country.

Last month, ministers confirmed over £19.5 million is to be shared among 54 projects across the country to help thousands of people who are homeless to secure their own home – through support such as paying deposits for a tenancy or putting down the first months’ rent. This will help vulnerable people secure a home in a property they may otherwise not have been able to access.

This work supports the ongoing government commitment to put an end to rough sleeping for good, through a number of initiatives set out in the £100 million backed Rough Sleeping Strategy. So far, over 1750 beds and 500 additional support staff jobs have been created, helping to get rough sleepers off the street and into a more permanent home. This will allow them access employment, benefits and the necessary mental health or addiction support services to rebuild their lives for good.

• Centre will investigate how to maximise the benefits in the use of algorithms in recruitment, local government and financial services

• Comes as organisation publishes its first full-year work programme and strategy setting out its priorities for the year ahead

The potential for bias in the use of algorithms in crime and justice, financial services, recruitment and local government will be investigated by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI).

Algorithms have huge potential for preventing crime, protecting the public and improving the way services are delivered. But decisions made in these areas are likely to have a significant impact on people’s lives and public trust is essential.

Professionals in these fields are increasingly using algorithms built from data to help them make decisions. But there is a risk that any human bias in that data will be reflected in recommendations made by the algorithm. The CDEI wants to ensure those using such technology can understand the potential for bias and have measures in place to address. It also aims to help guarantee fairer decisions and where possible improve processes.

In crime and justice, algorithms could be used to assess the likelihood of re-offending and inform decisions about policing, probation and parole. For example, some police forces have already started to use algorithms to feed into their decision-making – such as the Harm Assessment Risk Tool in Durham which is being used to assist officers in deciding whether an individual is eligible for deferred prosecution based on the future risk of offending.

The establishment of the CDEI supports the government’s wider Industrial Strategy, and it was set up to make sure data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence are used for the benefit of society. It will partner with the Race Disparity Unit to explore the potential for bias based on ethnicity in decisions made in the crime and justice system.

Speaking ahead of a Downing Street event to mark the publication of the centre’s first work programme and strategy setting out the CDEI’s priorities, Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said:

Technology is a force for good which has improved people’s lives but we must make sure it is developed in a safe and secure way.

Our Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has been set up to help us achieve this aim and keep Britain at the forefront of technological development.

I’m pleased its team of experts is undertaking an investigation into the potential for bias in algorithmic decision-making in areas including crime, justice and financial services. I look forward to seeing the Centre’s recommendations to Government on any action we need to take to help make sure we maximise the benefits of these powerful technologies for society.

Roger Taylor, Chair of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, is expected to say:

The Centre is focused on addressing the greatest challenges and opportunities posed by data driven technology. These are complex issues and we will need to take advantage of the expertise that exists across the UK and beyond. If we get this right, the UK can be the global leader in responsible innovation.

We want to work with organisations so they can maximise the benefits of data driven technology and use it to ensure the decisions they make are fair. As a first step we will be exploring the potential for bias in key sectors where the decisions made by algorithms can have a big impact on people’s lives.

I am delighted that the Centre is today publishing its strategy setting out our priorities.

The CDEI will also explore the opportunities for data-driven technology to address the potential for bias in existing systems and to support fairer decision-making. This may include increasing opportunities for those in the job or credit markets in existing recruitment and financial services systems. It will also explore opportunities to boost innovation in the digital economy.

In recruitment, computer algorithms can be used to screen CVs and shortlist candidates. This could help potentially limit the impact of unconscious bias, where people discriminate against candidates because of their background. But there have also been reports of such technology inadvertently exacerbating gender bias.

And in financial services data analysis has long been used to inform decisions about whether people can be granted loans. But the rise of data and AI machine-learning presents increased issues about the transparency and fairness of such decisions.

The CDEI today sets out its priorities in its first Work Programme and Strategy. This also includes plans for it to investigate how data is used to shape online experiences through personalisation and micro-targeting – for example where you search for a product and then adverts for similar products appear later in your browser.

This review will explore where, how and why online targeting approaches are used, and their impact on members of the public. The CDEI is launching a series of nationwide workshops to investigate public views on the acceptability of micro-targeting.

Both policy reviews will publish interim reports in the summer with final reports set to be published early next year.

An algorithm is a series of instructions for performing a calculation or solving a problem, usually with a computer. They are often built using historical data (collected, for example, by police officers, doctors) and the computer identifies patterns in previous decisions to make future decisions.

The government established the UK’s pioneering Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to ensure that people have confidence in how data and technologies, such as AI, are used. It is led by an independent board chaired by Roger Taylor. More details here.

The Race Disparity Unit (RDU) was established in the Cabinet Office, following the Prime Minister’s commission of a Race Disparity Audit in 2016. Using the latest published data available, the Audit continues to highlight disparities in outcomes that those from different ethnic and social backgrounds experience from the public services they use. For more information about the RDU, and how it has been working with Departments and stakeholders to address disparities found, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/race-disparity-unit.

The AI and Data Grand Challenge

The Industrial Strategy sets out Grand Challenges to put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future, ensuring that the UK takes advantage of major global changes, improving people’s lives and the country’s productivity. Artificial intelligence and data is one of the 4 Grand Challenges which will see AI used across a variety of industries and put the UK at the forefront of the AI and data revolution.

Find our more about the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.

Contact the DCMS Press Office on 0207 211 2210.

Thank you Madam President. And let me begin by thanking the Ambassador of Indonesia for his briefing and for his work since assuming the Chair of the 1540 Committee.

Madam President, the 1540 Committee is an important cornerstone of the international non-proliferation architecture and as such, it’s a key part of the rules-based international system. The Committee plays a vital role in helping states prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to Non-State Actors and thus strengthening our collective efforts to deter and eradicate the use of these weapons.

We only need to look at instances of recent years where chemical weapons have been used by groups such as Daesh in Iraq and Syria to realise what is at stake. We cannot stand by and allow the unconscionable use of such weapons to take place. The UK therefore is and will remain a strong supporter of the work of the Committee. We are pleased that this year’s programme of work has been adopted swiftly and see two key priorities for the Committee’s work this year under the leadership of the Indonesian Ambassador.

First, implementation of Resolution 1540: All states with the assistance of the Committee should work to ensure that their legislation, national control frameworks and mechanisms for both internal and international cooperation are up to date and fit for purpose. It is particularly important that States whose specific circumstances, such as being nexus points in global supply chains, take extra care to ensure that they are implementing Resolution 1540 effectively.

As the Ambassador from Indonesia has mentioned this morning, developing voluntary National Action Plans and assigning national points of contact are practical steps that all States can take and we commend these steps to all UN Member States today.

We also join the United States in urging all States who have not yet voluntarily reported their implementation of Resolution 1540 to the Committee to do so as quickly and as practically as possible. In an interconnected world, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And the responsibility lies with all of us. Looking ahead, we recognise that the next comprehensive review of the implementation of 1540 will take place in 2021 and the UK stands ready to do all we can to make sure that process is thorough, effective and leads to practical outcomes in deterring and preventing the proliferation of WMD.

Second, Madam President, a second priority should be assistance to States. Again, I am grateful that the Ambassador from Indonesia highlighted this issue in his remarks this morning. Effective implementation of Resolution 1540 isn’t straightforward, however vital it may be. I welcome the work already being done by the Committee to facilitate the provision of assistance to States who have requested it, including by helping coordinate this with States and international organisations who have the capacity to provide it.

The UK stands ready to provide legal and regulatory expertise as well as broader support to States looking to meet their obligations and strengthen their national frameworks. In this regard, the work of Working Group 2, coordinated by France, is particularly important and I take this opportunity to thank France as well as Peru, Cote d’Ivoire and the United States who coordinate the other working groups for their diligent work here.

I also take the opportunity to recognise the vital work undertaken by the Group of Experts, coordinated by Mr. Raphaël Prenat. The UK notes with concern the financial situation highlighted by the Ambassador from Indonesia and we’ll be following this issue very closely.

Madam President, the work of the 1540 Committee focuses on preventing the use of weapons of mass destruction by Non-State Actors. However, I cannot conclude my remarks without also touching briefly – as my colleague from Equatorial Guinea did – on the use of weapons of mass destruction by State Actors because when we see States using chemical weapons in flagrant breach of international law, there are proliferation consequences. The use of such weapons by an organisation as craven as Daesh is unconscionable, as is government use of chemical weapons against its own people, as in the case of Syria, or against another state, as happened on the streets of Salisbury in the United Kingdom just over one year ago.

Madam President, the rules-based international order has been essential to the security and safety of the international community for over 70 years. If we are to continue to enjoy that security and safety it must be and must remain our collective duty to uphold that rules-based international order and prevent the heinous use of such weapons by whomsoever they are used.

Thank you.

DASA will be attending the Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) event on 28 March 2019.

DPRTE provides an opportunity for both buyers and suppliers to engage across a range of interactive and educational features. Officially partnered with the Ministry of Defence, DPRTE provides a dedicated platform for the enhancement of skills, knowledge and efficiency across the defence sector.

DASA will be located in the Innovation Zone, Stand IZ2 and will be joined by Ploughshare Innovations, who will be presenting at the DASA stand.

Head of DASA, Lucy Mason, will be presenting in the Keynote Arena at 10.55-11.15am. A DASA Innovation Partner will be presenting in the Technology and Innovation Zone at 11:50-12:20. More information can be found on the Technology and Innovation Agenda.

If you’re attending too, we look forward to seeing you.

If you have any queries, please do contact us at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

2019 is a massive year for British politics

And not just because it’s the year I joined Taylor Swift’s squad.

As we leave the European Union, we have an opportunity to set out a new economic agenda.

We’re leaving the era of post-crash consolidation and recovery.

And we’re entering a new era of growth and opportunity for Britain.

When we reach out to a much wider world…

…we are friends and rivals pushing us all to greater heights.

This will be a year of change and renewal for Britain.

Leaving the European Union with the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal gives us back control over our money, laws and borders.

And we should use this opportunity to think about the future.

This year’s Spending Review, where we will set budgets from 2020 through to 2023, allows us to make a real and lasting impact.

We will have the power to modernise the state, making it sleeker, more effective and better value for the people it serves.

We have got a big opportunity to unleash economic growth, as well as the potential of everyone in the country – giving them the chance to take control of their own lives.

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We should be guided by three principles.

1. First of all, we should focus on people’s priorities not the blob of vested interests.

2. Second, for a free market economy to succeed – everyone must have a shot.

3. Third, the state should help people on the margins take control of their own lives – not tell capable citizens what to do.

I start from the principle that every pound in the exchequer is money that somebody has worked hard to earn.

That means we have a responsibility to make sure that public money is spent on public priorities, not those of vested interests.

But there is a growing blob of lobbyists, corporations, quangos and professional bodies who ask again and again for Government favours – arguing that they are the exception, that their cause deserves special treatment.

But if we gave in to all their demands, what would we squeeze out? And should they be taking money from those on relatively low earnings, who could be spending it on a new car, a holiday, or a treat for their children?

I want to make sure that the Spending Review works for people right across our country, from Plymouth to Perth and Darlington to Dereham – people that go to work every day and don’t have the time or money or inclination to hang around Whitehall.

This should be the People’s Spending Review.

That’s why I’m travelling around the country asking the public what their priorities really are.

So far, I’ve been in Felixstowe, Walsall and Tadcaster.

People have told me they want money focussed on core public services – the police, education, roads, defence and the NHS

We have already started on this. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor increased spending on the health service – with a £33.9 billion annual cash increase by 2023/24 – making it the government’s No. 1 spending priority.

And we’re also making sure the health service reduces waste so that more money is spent on the front line.

That is the approach we’re going to take across the Spending Review – making sure we’re prioritising the core services that people want.

People are also very clear that they don’t want to see the government waste taxpayers’ money.

Let’s not forget how angry people get when politicians get this wrong. [Political content removed] or the EU blowing our money on things like dog fitness centres and donkey milk research projects.

This waste betrayed contempt for the taxpayer, and damaged their faith in politicians.

We must never go there again. It’s still underappreciated in politics how much people hate their money being frittered away.

The public have little truck with the nanny state or with vanity projects.

They don’t want their hard-earned cash spent on announcements designed purely to get column inches.

Or on billboards that brag about the government’s generosity. They don’t want to hear that their money is used for corporate subsidies. Or to prop up zombie industries. Or to be told exactly how much to eat or how much to exercise.

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Support for business spread over numerous government departments including tax credits, costing around £18 billion.

Across the board there were hundreds of opaque organisations with ill-defined aims demanding public money for their latest pet project…

…erecting barriers and piles of bureaucracy and admin.

We have reduced the number of quangos from 561 in 2013, to 305 in 2017.

But it is still the case that the administration budget of these bodies costs us £2.5 billion.

And that too many hard-working public servants and business people are spending their time filling in forms and applying for grants.

There are those prophets of doom who say the size of the state must inexorably grow. But, as we leave the EU, I’d point to some of those countries we are now competing with.

Countries like South Korea and Japan show that it is perfectly possible to fund the services people care about while keeping taxes low…

…the way to do it is to grow the economy – just as we have for the past nine years…

…so that we have more pie to share out.

And at the same time prioritise ruthlessly – keeping the people’s interests at heart.

We will do this during the Spending Review.

In the zero-based capital review, we will look at the major projects we are investing in, and asking whether they are really working for us – whether they are having positive effects on growth and the wealth and wellbeing of individual people.

We need to make sure we are upgrading and maintaining our public realm, while also focusing on the less sexy projects – the nitty gritty that has a high return on investment. One example is local transport around our cities and counties – the journey into work each day that really affects everyone’s lives.

It was one of the top priorities for people I met. They want the local roads fixed and not to have to sit in a traffic jam. They want a less crowded commute into work. They want the basics sorted.

British cities lag our continental neighbours in terms of local public transport connections. Leeds is the biggest city in Europe without a mass transit system. (Don’t I know it from my time spent on the no19 bus.) And the two most congested commuter lines in the country are the train lines going in to Manchester.

Birmingham, meanwhile, has a Metro with just one line, whereas Lyon, a city half the size, has four.

It means that the people in the city have to rely on slow buses that get stuck in traffic.

And in effect creates a barrier that stops people commuting in from the suburbs.

A study from CityMetric shows that Birmingham’s productivity is 33% lower than a city of its size should be – in large part because of its poor cross-city transport.

That’s why we have funded Andy Street, the inspirational Mayor of the West Midlands, to the tune of £400 million to improve and extend the city’s Metro.

Projects for commuter line improvements and local roads generally have a much higher return on investment than long distance routes. That’s why we created the £2.5 billion Transforming Cities fund – because we know that these are the sorts of projects that make a real difference to productivity, and to people’s lives.

By focusing on the core services that matter to the public, we can boost growth – both personal and economic.

And we can do so while keeping taxes low – which means that people have more freedom to spend on their own priorities, and more of a stake in their own future.

We’re opening up opportunities for people across Britain.

Thanks to our policies:

• More children from low income backgrounds are now going to university.

• More young people are setting up businesses.

• We’ve got fewer workless households than ever before

• And because we’ve cut stamp duty, over half of new homes are being bought by first time buyers

But we must go further, if we are to grow our economy.

To be a successful popular free market economy – everyone has to have a shot at success.

I came into politics because I want Britain to be a success story and that means everyone in the country being a success story.

Everyone, regardless of their background, has to believe that they can be a successful business person, a judge, or even a leading politician.

I came from a comprehensive, went on to Oxford University and became a Cabinet minister.

But I was very lucky in having great parents and good teachers – things in my early life that gave me the opportunity to go far.

Not everyone has that, and success in life should not be a fluke of circumstance.

A fully functioning free market depends on the success of new entrants generating new ideas.

So we have to crack down on any entrenched privileges that stop talented people coming through.

• It’s still the case that eight schools get as many students into Oxbridge as three quarters of all schools put together.

• It’s still the case that seven in ten senior judges are the product of a private education, ten times the proportion in the general public.

• It’s still the case that 90% of Venture Capital funding deals in the UK go to all-male teams.

• And it’s still the case that – because of our restrictive planning system people are paying a greater proportion of their income in housing than ever before.

• In 1947 people were paying less than an eighth of their total expenditure on housing – now it’s over a quarter. And people who rent in London are spending half their income on rent.

If we don’t deal with these entrenched barriers, it will undermine people’s faith in our economic model [political content removed].

These barriers cost us all dearly.

They block people’s path to success, stopping them get the education, the job and the home that their efforts deserve.

And the public pay the penalty twice over.

Because they have to pay higher taxes to paper over the cracks:

Next year we will spend £34 billion on housing support, over £1 billion in support for the fuel poor, and over £17 billion on out of work benefits.

All of that comes from taxpayer’s pockets, so it’s in all our interests to eradicate these barriers.

Inside every one of us are aspirations and dreams.

And the role of government shouldn’t be doing things on people’s behalf like an overbearing helicopter parent. It should be clearing the barriers to their success.

So how do we do this?

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Finland carried out a trial in 2017 to see if universal basic income could solve their high unemployment rate.

But, after giving a random sample of 2,000 people €560 a month to do what they liked, they found they were no more likely to find work.

The programme removed the incentive to work and earn.

And the OECD warned them that in order to expand the programme across the country, they would need to increase income tax by nearly 30%.

After all the fanfare, the promise of free money for all was revealed to be as expensive as it was ineffective.

In the UK, just as in Finland, the answer is to create a truly free market, in which everyone has a chance.

Where everyone has a chance to work – the best route out of poverty.

And not just work, but succeed – to move in and move up.

And that means identifying the barriers to success, and taking them away.

What people need is not handouts or Universal Basic Income, but the Universal Basic Infrastructure of life.

The foundations of living a full life in a modern free enterprise country.

Foundations that give people the chance to get where they want to go.

Access to good education…a good home with fast internet…and good transport links to get to a good job.

That’s why we have reformed the welfare system to get people off benefits and into work…

…and we’re also investing in capital at a 40-year high, as the Chancellor reiterated at the Spring Statement.

As we improve rail, roads and fibre right across the country, we’ll be guided by our industrial strategy, and use our zero-based review to make sure we are getting maximum value for the public.

We’re also transforming education with our academy and free schools programme.

And in housing, we’re reforming our planning system, just as places like France, Germany and Japan have.

I’m delighted that James Brokenshire is soon launching his planning green paper – I look forward to seeing what’s in there.

At the Spending Review we’re going to look at every bit of spending and make sure it is delivering for everyone regardless of their background.

To make sure that everyone has that Universal Basic Infrastructure to be successful.

There are people who talk down success.

They demonise profit.

They believe any one person’s triumph must come with another’s failure.

They are wrong and they damage the prospects for those one lower incomes by taking the ladder away.

Success is not a zero-sum game. If we get the conditions right, it’s there for everyone to grasp.

If we give everyone the platform for success, and the chance to run their own business, or work in someone else’s…

…we will help people achieve their potential, solve social problems, and increase economic growth.

But we also need to recognise that there are some people who will not yet be capable of using this platform.

Perhaps because they are struggling with health conditions or addiction. Or because they have missed out on a basic education.

Or because they have been traumatised and left in despair after suffering the consequences of crime.

And it should be government’s responsibility to prioritise support for these people – helping those on the margins move to a position where they can take control of their lives.

And to stop any more people getting into that position in the first place.

It’s a simple idea: that we should spend more on the areas which have the biggest impact, and less on those that don’t.

And it points towards the moral case for proper public spending control.

That every pound wasted on a pet project could have been used to change someone’s life.

[Political content removed]

• Giving more children in care the best start in life.

• Or more support to help disabled people get into work.

• Additional focus on preventing grooming and child sexual exploitation, so that more girls in places like Rotherham and Oxford don’t see their futures taken away from them.

Targeting spending towards those who genuinely cannot do without the state’s help is the way to spend money well.

I saw how the No Wrong Door programme in North Yorkshire provides a loving family like environment for the children in their care. I spoke to a young man there who had now got a job but came back regularly because he knew they were looking out for him. This programme has reduced crime and improved health but most importantly it’s giving these children a lodestar in their life – encouragement to succeed.

We are rolling out up to 20 more programmes like this and will be looking at this area in the Spending Review.

I’m a great believer that we should not tell capable adults what to do. And that we all need the freedom to make decisions, good or bad, and live our own lives.

But we all have a duty of care to make sure that children growing up in Britain have the best start in life.

In this country, we spend just over £3,000 per pupil in early years, just under £5,000 in primary, just over £6,000 in secondary, and we contribute approximately £6,500 to students’ university education.

The academic evidence shows that when it comes to intervention the earlier the better. Professor James Heckman argues that focusing investment between birth and the age of five “creates better education, health, social and economic outcomes that reduce the need for costly social spending”.

Of course, shifting funding towards earlier intervention is difficult. This requires us to be patient. Too often we question why a policy hasn’t worked immediately.

Take our phonics scheme, which has helped our nine-year olds us rocket up the European literacy rankings, and proved one of our biggest policy successes of recent times – championed by Nick Gibb.

The benefits will be felt most in 10-20 years’ time, when these children are entering the world of work and starting their own families.

These children are not yet in secondary school, much less the jobs market.

But in the future, we’ll have more independent adults able to succeed.

And so this is exactly the sort of long-term policy the government should be supporting.

That’s why we we’re working with the Office of National Statistics on valuing Human Capital.

This sounds like a dry concept, but what we’re really talking about is how do we maximise everyone’s opportunities – how do we give everyone the best chance of living a healthy, successful life.

Using this as a lens for the Spending Review will help direct resources to improve people’s opportunities while keeping taxes low.

We will constantly ask ourselves the consequences of our spending decisions on people’s lives – not just in the here and now… but long into the future.

By cutting out unnecessary activities that drive up costs for the government…

…we can cut taxes so that people can keep more of their own money…

…make sure everyone in Britain has the basis of success…

…and afford to help the most vulnerable.

For the first time in many years, we have the power to make positive decisions. We’ve got choices.

We’re throwing off the constraints of the post-financial crash world.

And the constraints of the European Union.

We’re now in a position to make Britain a success story into the future.

By growing the economy, and realising the potential of everyone in our country.