The government has extended James Furse’s contract as a Non-executive Director on the board of NS&I for a further year, up to 31 December 2018. James is a Non-executive Director of Ageas UK Insurance and prior to joining the NS&I board in January 2012, he was Managing Director of John Lewis Partnership financial services. Non-executive members of NS&I’s board ensure a sound strategy is in place to meet the organisation’s remit of raising cost-effective debt financing for the government. They also act as an external source of advice, with oversight of risk control and ensuring NS&I’s links with its outsourcing partner, Atos, remain open and transparent. NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments to 25 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.

Further information

The current NS&I board members are:

• Ed Anderson – Non-executive Director and Chairman of the board
• Ian Ackerley – Chief Executive
• Peter Cornish – Director, Risk
• Dax Harkins – Director, B2B
• Jill Waters – Acting Director, Retail
• Rodney Norman – Director, Finance
• Mark Keene – Acting Director, Partnership
• Sarah Tebbutt – Director, People and Strategy
• James Furse – Non-executive Director
• Sharmila Nebhrajani OBE – Non-executive Director
• Christopher Fisher – Non-executive Director
• Mario Pisani – HM Treasury representative

HMS Ocean heading for the Caribbean. Crown copyright.

I am deeply concerned by the findings of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen that missiles and related military equipment of Iranian origin were introduced into Yemen after the imposition of the targeted arms embargo.

This puts Iran in non-compliance with Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015) and reaffirms our concerns that they are undertaking destabilising activity in Yemen and the wider region.

I call on Iran to cease activity which risks escalating the conflict and to support a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. I also call on all parties to the conflict to abide fully by applicable international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

A technical consultation on the Trade Secrets Directive has launched. We are seeking views on the draft Regulations which will bring the Directive into UK law.

A trade secret is a form of confidential business information that can give a business a competitive edge in the market. The government believes it is important businesses are able to protect their trade secrets. This is because they can be of great commercial value.

The EU Trade Secrets Directive was adopted on 8 June 2016 and came into force on 5 July 2016. It sets out minimum standards for measures, procedures and remedies that should be available in the unlawful acquisition, use or disclosure of trade secrets. It includes a definition of a trade secret and provisions for protecting confidential information during legal proceedings.

The UK has a strong and well established legal framework that allows for the effective enforcement of trade secrets. As a result, a number of provisions in the Directive already exist in UK law. The changes proposed relate primarily to procedural matters in the courts. They are intended to provide clarity, transparency and consistency across the UK’s various jurisdictions.

Responses should be sent to enforcement@ipo.gov.uk by 16 March.

A spokesperson for the Official Receiver said:

As a result of agreements entered into over the past week to purchase contracts held by Carillion ongoing employment has been confirmed for 942 employees.

Most employees who have transferred so far have done so on existing or similar terms and I will continue to facilitate this wherever possible.

Regretably 152 employees are being made redundant and they will leave the business later this week. Those who have lost their jobs will be able to find support through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service and are also entitled to make a claim for statutory redundancy payments.

Discussions with potential purchasers continue and I expect that the number of jobs safeguarded through the liquidation will continue to rise. I am continuing to engage with staff, elected employee representatives and unions to keep them informed as these arrangements are confirmed.

• in total, to date 7,610 jobs have been saved and 1,141 jobs have been made redundant through the liquidation
• this information does not include contracts where an intention to purchase has been entered into but has not yet formally occurred
• further information about rights in redundancy is available on gov.uk
• continued support by Carillion’s public and private sector customers is enabling as many employees as possible to be retained in the interim until all contracts have been worked through