Over 800,000 employees in the UK are now covered by the Women in Finance Charter, as more than 30 new companies sign up to the government’s plan to tackle gender inequality in financial services.

Vitality, Skipton Building Society, and Commerzbank AG are just some of the new firms signed up to the Charter, taking the total number of businesses signed up to over 330.

Today’s announcement also marks the launch of the second Women in Finance Charter Annual Review, which shows that female representation in senior management at firms who have signed up to the charter is rising, with 86% of signatories having either increased or maintained the proportion of women in the top jobs. The Review also shows that the Charter is holding firms to their promise, with 87% of signatories on track or already having met their ambitious targets.

John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury said:

Gender equality is not just a moral imperative, it’s also better for employees and better for business. Which is why it’s vital that we see conversations on gender diversity taking place across the financial sector. “Without the committed women and men championing the gender agenda at every level in their firms, we would not have seen the fantastic progress that we have today. But, we will only see long-lasting change with consistent action, so we’ll continue to monitor the progress of the sector closely to ensure it keeps up the momentum. If progress slows, we can and will take further action.

Jayne Anne-Gadhia, the government’s Women in Finance Champion said:

HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter continues to play a leading role in improving the gender balance across the UK’s financial services sector

We know that there is more to be done and I am pleased to see the progress made by Charter signatories so far, and that a further 36 financial services firms have made a public commitment to develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce by signing the Charter.

HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter asks financial services firms to commit to four industry actions to prepare their female talent for leadership positions.

Further Information:

Over 330 firms have now signed the Women in Finance Charter. The 36 new firms that have signed the Charter are:

• Addidi Wealth Limited
• Uinsure Ltd
• Glenhawk
• Sapphire Capital Partners LLP
• St Mary’s Private Wealth
• IPTF (Income Protection Task Force)
• Bridging Finance Solutions Group
• TFA (Tom French & Associates Limited)
• Hope Capital
• Vitality
• Vanilla Thinking Limited (ACQ5)
• FLA (The Finance & Leasing Association)
• AMP Capital Investors UK
• Castle Trust
• Ark Wealth Ltd
• Bibby Financial Services Ltd
• Crowe U.K. LLP
• Also Communications
• ABN AMRO UK
• Crito Capital LLP
• Skipton Building Society
• Bluestone Leasing Limited
• Triodos Bank
• AMC Executive Search
• BMW Financial Services (GB)
• AEGON UK
• Amundi London
• Commerzbank AG
• Everyday Loans Group
• Cameron Hume Limited
• ISDA (International Swaps & Derivatives Association)
• Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited
• CDC Group
• Provident Financial plc
• Pays Services UK Limited (Paysafe)
• HW Global Talent Partner

This notice was issued to Meditech UK Trade Stand.

The following contravened the Veterinary Medicines Regulation (VMR) 2013:

• Failure to keep records of POM-VPS supplies contrary to regulation 23 (Records of the receipt or supply of prescription products) of the VMR
• Trade stand has no evidence of a valid registration contrary to schedule 3, paragraph 10 (Supply by a pharmacist) as a pharmacist was supplying POM-VPS products.

The improvements required are:

• Evidence of recording of POM-VPS supplies to be provided, including a procedure for all staff outlining who can supply
• Evidence of General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC) registration to be provided

Summary

At about 01:40 hrs on Friday 8 June 2018, a road-rail vehicle (RRV) ran away while being on-tracked at a road-rail access point south of Bradford Interchange station. The RRV ran downhill for approximately 340 metres, before coming to a stop as the track levelled out in the station. The RRV’s machine operator and machine controller were able to run along with it and warned a member of track maintenance staff, who was able to move clear in time.

The RRV ran away because its rail wheels were, incorrectly, partially deployed and because the rail wheel braking system had not been correctly maintained.

Partial deployment of the rail wheels was a result of the machine operator not following the standard industry procedure for on- and off-tracking. He had routinely been on- and off-tracking in this manner and this had not been detected by his employer, Readypower.

The braking system on the rail wheels had not been correctly maintained because fitters were not following the original equipment manufacturer’s instructions and Readypower had not detected this.

An underlying factor was that the industry’s competence management system for machine operators focuses on the renewal of qualifications, rather than demonstrating ongoing competence.

Recommendations

The RAIB has made three recommendations. The first one seeks to improve the industry’s competence management system for all machine operators who work on Network Rail’s infrastructure. The second, addressed to Readypower, is intended to improve the management of competence of its staff. The last recommendation aims to improve the quality of the maintenance instructions and training provided to Readypower’s fitters.

Simon French, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said:

“Getting road-rail plant safely on and off the track ought to be a straightforward business. Unfortunately, over the years RAIB has had to investigate too many incidents in which this operation has gone wrong, and the machine involved has run away downhill, often for quite long distances. Too often the people in charge have not known what to do to stop the runaway. In this case, the machine operator’s actions were not in line with what he had been trained to do, and no-one had checked on him. Of greater concern, however, is that the machine’s brakes did not hold it stationary on the 1 in 46 gradient. This was because they were badly maintained, a state of affairs that can be traced back to poor instructions and inadequate supervision of the plant hire company’s maintenance staff.

“The management of safety in the rail plant industry is something that RAIB has expressed concern about before. In the past, one of the important issues has been the competence of machine operators and maintainers. In this case, the problems were not only at the plant hire company. The project to convert many road-rail vehicles to direct rail wheel braking also lacked important elements of safety assurance, such as provision for proper information about the machines being converted, and adequate arrangements for training the people who would have to maintain the new braking systems.

“This incident provides an opportunity for the industry to learn major lessons from a relatively minor event. Our recommendations are directed to Network Rail and one other company, but I hope that people in all areas of the rail plant sector will take note of the learning points in this report, and make sure that their company safety management systems are comprehensive and fully implemented.”

Notes to editors

1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

Newsdate: 14 March 2019

We held a very positive and productive first meeting with representatives of the charity sector on this issue, and we are grateful to them for their insight on key issues..

It was an invaluable opportunity for us to hear the sector’s views on a range of matters, including the vital importance of legacies in funding charitable work and the need for continuity of service beyond the end of Smee & Ford’s current notice period.

We were able to reflect that we are working closely with the company through this period and that HMCTS is looking to establish interim arrangements to ensure that charities continue to receive a notification service beyond July 2019 while we consider options for the longer term.

The meeting with the Institute of Legacy Management, Institute of Fundraising/Remember A Charity, National Council of Voluntary Organisations and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations follows a decision to end HMCTS’ current arrangement with Smee & Ford, which has provided a paid-for notification service to participating charities for several years. While this was established in good faith, HMCTS has found that it is not consistent with the department’s legal duties.

Susan Acland-Hood’s open letter to the charity sector was published on 31 January 2019. A summary of the meeting will be published shortly too.

I believe that every child is born with the potential to make a real contribution to society; and that communities and nations can achieve extraordinary things when the whole of society is truly empowered.

In our hearts we all know this, and yet we all still have some way to go to achieve true gender equality. In the meantime, all of our communities indeed our nations are being prevented from achieving our full potential.

Imagine, for a moment: a world without gender inequality. Imagine: no glass ceilings, no woman or girl cowed by violence or discrimination. Imagine 100% of the population, able to contribute 100% of their talents, 100% of the time. For all governments, this requires us to address the needs of women and girls at home, and to work together collaboratively to spread progress around the globe.

The UK Government will soon publish our new strategy on Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment. We will set out plans to dismantle the barriers that thwart women’s progress at each stage of their lives. Our ambition is to ensure that every woman in the United Kingdom has the freedom, has the support, has the skills, and the choice to do what they want to do, and achieve what they are capable of. We are working hard to ensure that women are as likely as men to succeed in the workplace. To tackle the gender pay gap, we introduced legislation last year requiring employers to report their data. We are pleased that 10,000 have done so. This has been a catalyst for a national conversation, and has prompted many employers to take action to close that pay gap. We also remain totally committed to advancing gender equality internationally. It is at the heart of our approach to international development, international diplomacy and defence cooperation.

Mr Chairman, the Sustainable Development Goals will not be realised if we do not achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. Which is why the United Kingdom Government has announced landmark funding to support and empower them. We are now spending more than £1.2 billion over the next five years to expand access to sexual and reproductive health services around the world. We have also made the largest ever contribution to support the African-led movement to end female genital mutilation. The United Kingdom funded Girls’ Education Challenge will help almost 1.5 million marginalised girls receive a quality education in some of the most difficult circumstances.

But perhaps most importantly, our world-leading research demonstrates that violence against women and girls is not inevitable, and our interventions can prevent it happening. And therefore we are giving support to women-led organisations, particularly women’s rights defenders, to help them transform their own lives.

Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict remains an enduring priority for the United Kingdom Government. It is a personal priority for me as our Prime Minister’s Special Representative on the issue. Which is why I am pleased to announce that the UK will host a major international conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict from the 18th to the 20th November 2019 – which marks five years since the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. It will be an opportunity to chart progress, address challenges, and secure new commitments for further action.

Mr Chairman, achieving gender equality is a universal global challenge, and one for which each of us shares responsibility. We must all do more, because unlocking the potential of half of the world’s population is in everyone’s interests. It will lead to a more just, more stable, and more prosperous world. That, Mr Chairman, is a prize worth fighting for. It is a prize worth fighting for today and every day.

Thank you.