This follows the companies’ decision to abandon the transaction.

Experian and ClearScore provide credit-score checking and financial product comparison services in the UK. These services allow people to understand their finances and choose loans and credit cards online.

In November 2018, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published provisional findings as part of its in-depth, Phase 2, merger inquiry. These set out concerns that the merger of 2 of the largest credit-score checking firms in the UK could result in less intense competition in the sector.

The CMA provisionally found that the merger could stifle product development, by substantially reducing the pressure to continue to develop innovative offers and to make other improvements in services, and so negatively impact consumers.

Experian and ClearScore have now decided not to continue with the deal.

Published 27 February 2019

Virginijus Narutis, 50, of Foden Road, Birmingham, and 51-year-old Jevgenijs Rumjaceus, of Dora Street, Walsall, were both charged with fishing without a rod licence and taking, destroying or attempting to destroy or take fish from a private fishing pool or place with private fishing rights.

The case against Narutis was proved in his absence and he was fined £345 in total, while Rumjaceus pleaded guilty and was fined £500. They were both ordered to pay costs and victim surcharge totalling £157.47.

Mihails Rumjaceus, 44, of Talke Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to wilful obstruction of a fisheries bailiff, fishing without a licence and failing to give his name and address to the bailiff. He was fined £375 and ordered to pay costs and victim surcharge totalling £280.

Cheltenham magistrates heard on Monday (25 February 2019) that the 3 men were out fishing together at Mythe Pool, Tewkesbury on 28 July last year when they were caught. Magistrates granted an order for all the angling equipment the 3 men had to be forfeited.

Emma Boggis

Emma Boggis has spent over twenty years working in the public and not for profit sector. Her early career started in the British Army where she had operational tours in Northern Ireland and Kosovo. After a brief spell in Management Consultancy she joined the Civil Service and worked at the Office for Standards in Education and had two spells in the Cabinet Office including as head of the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Unit, set up after London 2012 to support Lord Coe as the Prime Minister’s Legacy Ambassador.

Prior to that she was also seconded to the Foreign Office as Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Madrid and served as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. Most recently Emma has moved into sports administration and is currently Chief Executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance which is the umbrella organisation for the governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation and represents 320 members.

Emma is also the Senior Independent Director on the Board of the British Paralympic Association and a Trustee of the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, as well as a member of the NCVO’s Advisory Council. Emma is a keen sportswoman – with a number of marathons and triathlons under her belt along and she also enjoys cooking, reading and travelling often under pedal power.

Danielle Palmour

Danielle has been Director of Friends Provident Foundation since November 2004. Friends Provident Foundation is an independent charity, endowed by Friends Provident plc after the de-mutalisation of Friends Provident Life Office. The Foundation has an international reputation to innovative funding and investment practice and has been at the forefront of rethinking the role of philanthropic resources in the UK. Danielle has previously occupied senior policy and research roles throughout the non-governmental sector such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Law Society of England and Wales. She was previously a member of the Treasury’s Financial Inclusion Taskforce, the Civil Society Advisory Body of the Cabinet Office and the Financial Services Authority Financial Capability Steering Group. She is currently a board member of Big Society Capital, Civil Society Media, the Court of the University of York and a trustee of local York charities.

These roles are remunerated at a rate of £7,848 per annum. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Emma Boggis and Danielle Palmour have made no such declarations.

Dexter Dalwood is a British artist whose work has been exhibited extensively in the UK, Europe, Asia and the United States. He studied at St Martins and the RCA and had a mid-career retrospective at Tate St Ives in 2010 for which he was nominated for the Turner Prize. His works are in numerous collections: Hamburger Bahnhof-Museum für Gegenwart (Germany), Tate Gallery (UK), The British Council Collection (UK) Kunsthaus Centre d’art Centre PasquArt, Biel, (Switzerland). He was the Tate Liaison Trustee between 2017 and 2019 and is a Professor of Fine Art and Design at Bath Spa University. He has an exhibition of his latest work at the Simon Lee gallery in London this March.

This role is not remunerated. This extension has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Dexter has made no such declaration.

Published 27 February 2019

DASA is working with the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) to encourage collaboration under the Metasurfaces for Defence and Security competition.

The ‘Showcasing Emerging Technologies’ Event, hosted by the KTN will bring together the UK metamaterials community, from across industry and academia.

As part of this event, suppliers funded under Phase 1 of the Metasurfaces competition will be delivering a short presentation on the work they are undertaking.

Although new funding will not be available at this event, Phase 2 of the DASA competition will be launching later this year and will be seeking to promote teaming between academia and industry (small or large) to develop the role of metasurfaces for years to come in fields such as signature management, sensing and communications.

This event therefore provides an exciting opportunity for both current and potential suppliers to meet a wide range of the metamaterials community.

To participate in this collaboration event please register by going to the Eventbrite page.

Please note that places for this event are limited and if the event is oversubscribed, we reserve the right to limit attendance if needed.

In July 2018, DASA launched Phase 1 of the Metasurfaces for defence and security competition.

Primarily funded by the Materials for Strategic Advantage programme in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Phase 1 of this competition sought proposals to:

• maximise capabilities within limited platform space enabling technology integration into the difficult to use parts * platform
• unlock further benefits from signal processing software
• enable pan, multi- and hyper spectral system operation, and interoperability
• lead to long-term cost reduction through technology advances and eased and modular integration

Overall, 12 bids were successful with total funding of £883k awarded.

Phase 2 of the competition will be launching later this year and will be open to both new and existing suppliers.

Further details will be released on the DASA website.

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