The government has carefully considered the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) recommendations for police pay 2018 to 2019. These recommendations are not being accepted in full.

The government is announcing today that the 2018 to 2019 pay award for the police which will award police officers an increase of 2% consolidated from 1 September 2018. This also includes the recommended 2% increase in London weighting and 2% increase in Dog Handlers’ Allowance.

Officers who have not reached the top of their pay band will also receive incremental progression pay worth at least 2%, depending on satisfactory performance.

The PRRB issued early recommendations on police apprentice pay ahead of their main report. The government is accepting PRRB recommendations on this issue, in that forces should appoint apprentice constables on a starting salary of between £18,000 and pay point 1, with understandings that:

• individual forces are able to choose to use a starting salary between £18,000 and pay point 1
• the pay expectations of apprentices will not be undermined by later changes to the arrangements
• the NPCC will develop further proposals for apprentice pay and career progression beyond the first year

The government is committed to world class public services and ensuring that public sector workers are fairly paid for the vitally important work that they do. It is thanks to our balanced approach to public finances – getting debt falling as a share of our economy, while investing in our vital services and keeping taxes low. We ended the 1% average pay policy in September 2017, because we recognised more flexibility is now required to deliver world class public services including in return for improvements to public sector productivity.

We value the role of the independent pay review bodies and thank them for their work in considering pay awards. In reaching a final position for 2018 to 2019 public sector pay awards, we have balanced a need to recognise the value and dedication of our hard-working public servants whilst ensuring that our public services remain affordable in the long term, to contribute to our objective of reducing public sector debt. We have also sought to ensure that pay awards are fair and consistent across public sector workforces, reflect existing pay and benefit packages, in addition to recruitment and retention levels.

It is vital that we consider all pay awards in light of wider pressures on public spending. Public sector pay needs to be fair both for public sector workers and the taxpayer. Around a quarter of all public spending is spent on pay and we need to ensure that our public services remain affordable for the future.

It is also vital that our world class public services continue modernising to meet rising demand for the incredible services they provide, which improve our lives and keep us safe.

The PRRB report has been laid before Parliament and copies are available in the Vote Office and on GOV.UK.

Companies of all sizes from across the UK will benefit from first-hand advice as the Export Champion Community will today (Thursday 28th February) be launched by International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP.

Almost 1,000 businesses that have successfully entered overseas markets will encourage their fellow firms to start exporting, offering practical advice.

Over 730 new Export Advocates have agreed to join businesses that are already working with the Department for International Trade (DIT) to help promote the government’s message to their industry audience and get businesses thinking globally.

Together these businesses form the new Export Champion Community – a nationwide network of UK companies acting as ambassadors for exporting, sharing success stories, offering practical advice and leading by example.

Launching the Export Champion Community in Durham, International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade Dr Liam Fox MP said:

The Export Champion Community is an important initiative and its members will play a vital role in creating the culture of exporting that my international economic department is building in Britain.

By raising the profile of exporters in this way, we will help to normalise exporting across the country, expanding horizons, removing barriers to market access and facilitating expansion here in the UK.

Supported by a community of the UK’s leading exporters, I am confident that our businesses will continue to grow their exports in the months and years ahead.

Minister for Trade and Export Promotion Baroness Fairhead added:

A key part of DIT’s role is to help UK businesses to export. That is why our Export Strategy is unapologetically business-led.

So today, I am delighted to help launch this Export Champions programme which was created in response to business demands for a peer-to-peer means of finding information, advice and inspiration. It will allow companies to seek support from ‘those who look like them’.

I’d encourage any business looking to export for the first time, or seeking to expand its exports, to get in touch with DIT to find out more about this programme or any of the other of the services we offer. We are here to help.

As the Board of Trade meets later at Durham University, Dr Fox will present companies from across the Northern Powerhouse with Board of Trade Awards (BOFTAs) for their exceptional performance in international trade.

A hallmark of British quality, these awards have become a globally-recognised certificate of excellence, shown on product labels of successful businesses from every corner of the UK.

Six companies will be presented with BOFTAs later today:

• Powdered baby milk producer Kendal Nutricare
• Middlesbrough based Wilton Engineering
• Leeds medical lighting company Brandon Medical
• Huddersfield firm Paxman Coolers, which provides scalp cooling for chemotherapy patients
• Ulverston’s Playdale Playgrounds
• Gateshead based components manufacturer Gate 7

Dr Fox will also visit students at Durham University who have been tasked with designing their own British heritage fashion brand and export strategy, as part of the National Trade Academy Programme.

Professor Stuart Corbridge, Vice-Chancellor at Durham University, said:

We are delighted that the Department for International Trade has recognised the impact of our research and collaboration locally, nationally and internationally.

It is great to see Durham University spin-out, Kromek, become an export champion. The company is an excellent example of how academic research can be commercialised, leading to global export success and job creation.

As a University we are rooted in the North East of England, but our global connections and partnerships are important to us and mean that our research has the ability to tackle challenges in many corners of the world.

Last August, DIT launched the government’s ambitious new Export Strategy, seeking to move exports as a percentage of GDP from 30% to 35%.

The strategy sets out a range of support which will help companies make the most of global business opportunities.

Businesses that wish to apply to become part of the Export Champion Community, or those seeking further information, should visit great.gov.uk.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The Department for International Trade (DIT) helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade.

We are an international economic department, responsible for:

• supporting and encouraging UK businesses to drive sustainable international growth
• ensuring the UK remains a leading destination for international investment and maintains its number one position for international investment stock in Europe
• opening markets, building a trade framework with new and existing partners which is free and fair
• using trade and investment to underpin the government’s agenda for a Global Britain and its ambitions for prosperity, stability and security worldwide.

DASA will be attending the Security and Policing Home Office Event 2019 at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre from 05 March to 07 March. This year the event is being hosted by the Joint Security and Resilience Centre (JSaRC) and is partnered with the Department for International Trade Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO).

The event will provide the opportunity to view the latest developments in the UK security market with almost 400 companies exhibiting under the one roof.

DASA has two locations at this event; a stand within the Government Networking Zone and a stand within the Government Demonstration Zone and will be joined by:

• Department for Transport (DFT) – Future Aviation Security Solutions Programme (FASS)
• Scanna MSC- – Future Aviation Security Solutions (FASS) supplier
• Krowdthink – Improving Crowd Resilience (ICR) supplier
• Montvieux – Open call, Rapid Innovation supplier
• Aleph Insights Ltd – Revolutionise the Human Information Relationship for Defence’ Supplier

Further details can be found on the Security and Policing Home Office Event website.

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

• £10 million fund for universities will launch to help develop proposals for up to 10 new University Enterprise Zones (UEZs) in England
• the move will strengthen ties between universities and surrounding businesses – boosting local economies, jobs and growth

The rollout of new University Enterprise Zones will strengthen links between the research and expertise developed in universities, and ensure they further align with the needs of local businesses.

UEZs are a form of ‘incubator’ that provide physical space and facilities for small businesses, where they access support, specialist facilities and knowledge. Helping universities to better understand what employers are looking for from graduates will inform research specialisms while allowing businesses to benefit from a university’s expertise.

The move is part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy to boost local economies by creating new jobs and harnessing the opportunities of the UK’s world-leading reputation in innovation.

Treasury Minister Robert Jenrick and Universities and Science Minister Chris Skidmore launched the £10 million fund during a visit to Nottingham University, which has successfully piloted a UEZ that is supporting start-ups and enterprises in the East Midlands.

The new scheme is funded through £5 million form the Research England Development (RED) Fund, with Chancellor Philip Hammond providing an extra £5 million at the 2018 Budget to allow up to 10 further UEZs to be established across England.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, said:

Our universities are recognised around the world as centres of research and knowledge. At the same time, Britain is a country brimming with entrepreneurs and innovators.

We want to bring these two assets together, so that businesses and universities can benefit from what each other has to offer.

By making sure universities are equipping graduates with the expertise that surrounding businesses are looking for, and entrepreneurs can operate in business-friendly environments, we can help fire up local economies, create more jobs and boost growth.

Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Chris Skidmore, said:

Our universities are among the best in the world, and when they join forces with our ambitious and innovative small businesses, they have the potential to meet the grand challenges of the future.

Today’s investment to bring business and academics together will not only lead to the creation of new products and services, it will boost job creation for local areas to feel the benefits of UK innovation which demonstrates our modern Industrial Strategy in action.

University of Nottingham Vice Chancellor, Professor Shearer, West:

We are immensely proud of what has been achieved so far at the University Enterprise Zone, and plan to build on its success by developing both the site and the services it offers in a way that benefits the world around us.

As a University, we firmly believe that our research expertise can make a valuable contribution to progress both by using technology and ideas to solve some of the problems we’ll face in the future, and by creating opportunities for the partners we work with and the people of our home city.

We have been delighted to host the two government ministers and wholeheartedly support their efforts to grow University Enterprise Zones elsewhere. They are an important demonstration of the wider value universities bring to their localities.

Director of Knowledge Exchange at Research England, Alice Frost, said:

We are delighted to be able to offer further funding to drive forward the Government’s University Enterprise Zones goals. This will help further local university-business links to deliver economic growth.

These are important aspects to Research England’s contributions to the Government’s place and commercialisation agendas, ensuring that the benefits of research and innovation are spread around the country.

Evidence shows that universities are major contributors to the provision of incubators and accelerators in the UK, particularly in areas of lower productivity and technology development. This funding will build on these strengths to identify and spread best practices.

The UEZs will increase the link between jobs, growth and productivity through a focus on incubation, and will complement university-business engagement activities funded through Higher Education Innovation Funding, and encouraged by development of the Knowledge Exchange Framework.

As part of the launch, the government has published its prospectus setting out the criteria Universities must meet to establish a new UEZ.

Universities interested in establishing a new University Enterprise Zone can now submit their proposals to Research England, with £10 million of funding available to them to help develop these plans.

December 2018 energy statistics that allow a provisional assessment to be made of trends in energy production and consumption in 2018. A more detailed analysis will be available in Energy Trends, to be published on 28 March 2019.

PDF, 210KB, 5 pages

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Published 28 February 2019