Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will benefit from reduced congestion and improved connectivity through £160.8 million investment for 4 major road projects across England.

Today (3 June 2022) the government has announced 4 schemes in Newcastle, Cornwall, Greater Manchester and Southampton, which will generate an estimated £659.3 million in economic benefits for the regions through improved investment, new housing and employment opportunities.

The road and bridge schemes will level up infrastructure across the country, helping local economies thrive through bolstered employment opportunities, new housing developments and improving connectivity to incentivise business investment.

The 4 major road schemes announced today, backed by a total of £160.8 million investment, include:

• £78.5 million for a new 3.85 mile (6.2 kilometre) road linking St Austell to the A30 – the main transport artery in Cornwall, creating 6,300 new local jobs – the scheme will generate almost £112 million in wider economic benefits through reduced journey times, increased investment in the local area and better opportunities for clean travel thanks to a new shared pedestrian and cycle facility running alongside the whole length of the new road

• £35.3 million for essential maintenance to the Tyne Bridge and adjacent Central Motorway, including improvements to traffic management and cycle route facilities – the repairs will generate £130.5 million in economic benefits by improving local connectivity, tackling congestion and poor air quality as they will avoid the rerouting of HGVs through residential areas

• £33.6 million to enhance walking and cycling accessibility and tackle congestion across the A34 between Greater Manchester and Stockport – with estimated economic benefits of £76.8 million, the scheme will support the development of more than 2,500 new homes and 33.3 hectares of employment space, while boosting transport links to Manchester Airport and HS2

• £13.4 million for essential maintenance to the A35 Redbridge Causeway – a vital link between New Forest, Southampton and its port – the scheme is estimated to be very high value for money and will generate almost £340 million worth of direct economic benefits through better connectivity, improved employment and housing opportunities and the expansion of the Port of Southampton

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:

We are committed to delivering world-class infrastructure across all parts of the country which supports local economies to thrive.

This £160.8 million investment will level up those opportunities from the North East to the South West, while giving motorists, cyclists and pedestrians the modern, safe and uncongested roads they deserve.

These schemes also present yet another important stepping stone towards cutting emissions and building a clean, efficient road network that is truly accessible to all.

These schemes will also boost green travel opportunities through upgraded lanes and paths for cyclists and pedestrians to support low-emission, active travel, working towards the country’s net zero goals.

The investment follows a string of government measures to encourage active travel and help level up the country by improving road infrastructure.

These include £200 million to encourage cycling and walking, more than £5 billion over 2020 to 2025 for highways maintenance and the introduction of a new inspection regime to tackle the plague of potholes.

Martin McTague, National Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:

Investment in local infrastructure projects is vital to improving connectivity across the country, reducing congestion and upgrading the roads that small businesses use on a day to day basis.

Small firms and sole traders rely heavily on road networks to be accessible, efficient and safe. They are also looking to reduce environmental impact and improve the air quality in their local community – and so embrace green travel options when they are available.

Our economic recovery relies on a solid transport system and this latest investment is a positive step in the right direction.

Post-Brexit plans to return the Crown symbol to pint glasses and to remove the EU ban on imperial measures have been set out today (Friday 3 June).

In a tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, new government guidance published today will help businesses apply the Crown symbol to pint glasses.

As long ago as 1698, British pint glasses intended for measuring and serving beer were marked with a crown stamp as a declaration that the glass, when filled to the brim or to a line measure, accurately measured a pint of beer. The Crown stamp gave customers confidence that they were not being sold a short measure of beer. But the symbol was replaced by the EU-wide ‘CE’ marking’ in 2006 in order to conform with EU rules in the UK.

Alongside the Crown symbol guidance, a consultation has been published today on how to implement a change to the law on weights and measures, so that shoppers and business have greater choice over the way they buy and sell products.

The consultation will help the government consider, for example, allowing vegetables to be sold in pounds only, or in pounds with a less prominent metric equivalent, should businesses wish to do so. This will help inform the Government’s plans to legislate to give businesses greater choice in the units they use. There is no intention to require businesses to change their existing practices and so this will not place greater costs on businesses.

Today’s announcement is not just about pounds and ounces, but about where the UK’s laws are made. The ‘metric martyrs’ was a totemic case in establishing the supremacy of EU law. Now we have left the EU, the UK can take decisions in the best interests of British businesses and consumers.

Business Minister Paul Scully said:

This Platinum Jubilee weekend we’re raising a toast to Her Majesty The Queen’s health and service to this country. It’s a fitting tribute that we’re now helping businesses to restore the Crown symbol to pint glasses.

While we think of our fruit and veg by the pound, the legacy of EU rules means we legally have to sell them by the kilo. Our consultation today will help shops to serve customers in the way their customers want.

UK law currently requires metric units to be used, as the primary indication, for all trade purposes with only limited exceptions, reflecting rules from our time in the EU. Currently, imperial units are only authorised for use on their own in a small number of cases such sales of draught beer and cider. Now we have left the EU, the UK can act in the best interests of its businesses and consumers.

• UK law currently requires metric units to be used for all trade purposes with only limited exceptions. Our legal framework reflects the requirements placed upon the UK as part of its membership of the EU by the requirements set out in EU Directive 80/181/EC (as amended) which concerns units of measurement.

• The Government announced its intention to review the ban on the use of imperial units for sales and marking on 16 September 2021, as part of a wider announcement of a range of regulatory reforms taking advantage of Brexit. It also follows on from a recommendation made by the independent Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform. The Taskforce’s Report to Government published on 16 June 2021, recommended that the Government should amend the Weights and Measures Act 1985 to allow traders to use imperial measures without metric equivalents.

• The measurements consultation will run for 12 weeks, and a range of stakeholders are being invited to contribute, including businesses, trade associations, enforcement bodies and consumer organisations.

• For centuries, British pint glasses intended for measuring and serving beer were marked with a crown stamp as a declaration that the glass accurately measured a pint. In 2006 the crown stamp was replaced by the CE mark, which was a new conformity marking required by EU legislation, and the crown stamp was no longer required as a conformity marking for pint glasses in the UK. The crown symbol is fondly remembered by many people as a symbol that they associate with traditional pint measures. In recognition of the heritage of the crown stamp, the Government is providing this guidance on how manufacturers can apply a crown symbol to beer glasses as a decorative mark on a voluntary basis. Pint glasses used to measure and sell drinks will still be required to continue to display the legally required conformity markings to show they are accurate, in addition to any voluntary decorative markings.

• In England, Scotland, and Wales capacity serving measures, such as the pint, are required to carry the UKCA marking to indicate conformity with the legal requirements, along with the M marking. CE-marked pint glasses will continue to be accepted on the GB market until 1 January 2023.  In Northern Ireland they must carry the CE mark (or CE + UKNI mark if conformity assessment was carried out by a UK approved body), along with the M marking. The crown symbol can be added as an additional decorative image. It is for businesses to decide whether to apply the crown symbol.

An extra £5.4 million in funding will help even more families to resolve disputes away from court, such as contact arrangements for children. 

Under the scheme, £500 mediation vouchers are provided to divorcing couples with the aim of helping them find mutually agreeable solutions and freeing up space in the family courts. It seeks to spare parents and their children the anxiety and cost of often lengthy and acrimonious courtroom disputes.

The scheme has been a success with around two-thirds of cases reaching full or partial agreements away from court.

The money announced today (3 June 2022) more than doubles the investment into the initiative since its launch in March last year which now totals £8.7 million.

It will provide around 10,200 additional vouchers for mediation services – adding to the 8,400 which have been issued so far.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said:

We are investing over £5 million this year alone to help more families to resolve their disputes without the stress and trauma of  lengthy courtroom battles.

Mediation protects children, by removing the bitterness of parental disputes from the amplifying effect of a courtroom – and allows the family courts to focus on adjudicating cases with serious safeguarding concerns, including domestic abuse.

Mediation is often a quicker and cheaper way of resolving disputes. It involves couples working through their differences –  led by a trained and accredited mediator – to reach agreements they are both prepared to accept, such as how to split assets or arrange child contact times, rather than have a judge decide for them. The specialist mediator helps participants to reach solutions tailored to their circumstances with many coming to agreements within 2 sessions.

Preliminary research from the Family Mediation Council (FMC), who run the scheme, show promising results. Survey data of the first 2,800 completed cases using the vouchers revealed 65 percent reached either a whole or partial agreement away from court, while a further 3 percent only attended court to formalise their agreement. It also showed 50 percent of participants would not have attempted mediation without the financial incentive offered by the scheme.

Without the vouchers, mediation sessions would normally be charged for unless one of the parties has access to legal aid.

If a case is eligible for vouchers, the mediator will automatically claim back the contributions from the FMC. The investment announced today will extend the initiative to March 2023.

Notes to editors

• In total, an extra £5.38 million is being invested in the scheme, bringing total funding to just under £8.68 million since March 2021.
• The scheme is administered by the Family Mediation Council, on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
• Further information about the scheme and how it works is provided to parties at their Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM), which all those involved in family cases are required to attend, unless they have a valid exemption.
• Mediation can be undertaken by other family members, not just separating parents.
• In June, 2020, we announced a major overhaul of the family courts to protect domestic abuse victims which included more special protections in courts, stronger powers for judges, and piloting Integrated Domestic Abuse Courts.
• In June, 2020, the Divorce Act received Royal Assent, which will remove the needless ‘blame game’ that can harm children while ensuring couples have the time to reflect, plan for the future, or if necessary to turn back. This came into force on 6 April, 2022.
• We’re investing record amounts across our courts and tribunals, with £324 million over the next three years to improve timeliness in civil and family courts and tribunals. Another £200 million will complete our £1.3 billion court reform programme, modernising the justice system to make it quicker and more efficient.

What is family mediation?

• Family mediation is a process in which an independent, professionally trained mediator helps parties work out arrangements for children and finances where there is a dispute.
• The mediator is not there to tell each side what to do, but can help them reach an agreement while trying to improve communication between them. They aren’t there to try and keep couples together but help them find a practical way forward after a relationship has broken down.
• Mediation allows the parties to stay in control, as no one will be forced to do or agree to anything against their wishes. Unlike in a courtroom both partners can agree to a solution rather than have a judge decide for them.
• The mediator will work with the parties, either together or separately, to help them find a solution which works for them both.
• Mediation can be less stressful than going to court, especially for children who are involved in proceedings. It is also cheaper than going through the court process, and it is also confidential unlike proceedings in the family court.
• Prior to the voucher scheme, funded mediation was only available for those who meet the financial requirements through the Legal Aid scheme.
• Agreements made in mediation can be made legally binding by a court if necessary and the legal support to do this can be offered.

Thank you Mr President,

Let me pay tribute to Albania for choosing this important subject for the first day of your historic first Security Council Presidency.

We are also grateful to President Donoghue,  High Commissioner Bachelet and Professor Akande for their presentations today. On behalf of the United Kingdom, I would also like to extend our condolences to Brazil on the passing of Judge Trindade, whose life was dedicated to the topic of today’s debate.

Mr President, today, those violating international law clearly do not fear accountability or justice.
That needs to change.

Because the way we approach accountability reflects the state of our world. After World War 2 we understood this and established the International Court of Justice. If we want a multilateralism that works,  we need rules that are respected.

Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the most fundamental rules of international law and, as the Secretary-General said, an attack on the UN Charter.

Russia and all those that violate international law must be held accountable.

I would like to stress two points around how we can address this:

First, the importance of using the full breadth of fora and instruments available to us.

While this Council has been blocked from taking action in relation to Ukraine, this has not prevented the international system from taking steps to pursue justice. As we’ve heard today and as we heard in the Arria meeting convened by Albania and France in April, the International Court of Justice, the Human Rights Council, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights are all engaged according to their mandates. The United Kingdom played a leading role in convening a record number of States in the referral of the situation to the ICC.

The breadth of the response is striking and demonstrates – like the huge majority votes in the General Assembly – that the world will not let these violations go unanswered.

Moreover, while Russia has shown contempt for the ICJ and international law by doing nothing to comply with the Court’s legally binding Order, many other States comply with the international obligations and this is a source of hope.

Second, the importance of evidence collection that meets the appropriate standard.

Once we have the evidence, prosecutions are ready to strike at the right time. For example, evidence collected and preserved by the IIIM and UNITAD is helping to bring some of those responsible for the most heinous crimes in Syria and Iraq to justice. In Ukraine, we have a seen a massive, coordinated effort to ensure the evidence is available for future cases.

Of course, to collect evidence on the ground, it is necessary to have access. It is therefore a matter of deep regret that the Chinese authorities did not provide the full, unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that we and our international partners have long called for.

Today’s debate has demonstrated that there are diverse ways of pursuing those who commit serious violations of international law. Perpetrators cannot rest on their ability to block progress in the Security Council or elsewhere. Accountability and justice will find a way. This is the principle on which the multilateral system rests, and we must step up to defend it.

Mr. Chairperson,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union Member States.

Today, our delegations will send the following letter to OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Director Matteo Mecacci, invoking again the Moscow Mechanism, with the support of Ukraine, as we continue to have concerns regarding the humanitarian impacts of Russia’s invasion and potential for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

ˮDirector Mecacci,

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation, with the support of Belarus, launched an invasion to wage war against Ukraine. This further invasion took place against the backdrop of ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine that has, since 2014, violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and territorial waters.

On 3 March 2022, forty-five OSCE Delegations, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, invoked the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document. We requested that the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to address the human rights and humanitarian impacts of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war, supported by Belarus, on the people of Ukraine, within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and territorial waters.

A mission of experts were subsequently tasked, inter alia, to undertake the following:

• Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of OSCE commitments, and violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law;
• Establish the facts and circumstances of possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including due to deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure; and to collect, consolidate, and analyze this information with a view to presenting it to relevant accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.

On Tuesday, 12 April 2022, OSCE participating States received the independent experts’ report, which confirmed our shared concerns about the impact of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war.

Concerned of the continuing impact of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the delegations of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, invoke again the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document. We request that the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a new mission of experts to consider, follow up and build upon the findings of the Moscow Mechanism report received by OSCE participating States on 12 April.

We also request ODIHR provide any relevant information or documentation derived from any new mission to other appropriate accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction. ˮ

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.