Tag Archives: HM Government

The significant investment will see nearly 1000 new homes built in three locations across Salisbury Plain, the British Army’s largest training area in the UK. The locations for the new housing are Bulford, Larkhill and Ludgershall.

The new homes, which will be built by British construction company Lovell, will offer modern three and four bedroom accommodation, as well as a number of bungalows and adapted homes for families with specific needs, such as wheelchair access. Work on the new homes, which are being built under the Army Basing Programme (ABP), is expected to be completed in May 2020.

The new homes will support Service personnel and their families relocating from Germany in 2019 and also units moving within the UK.

Pre-construction work on the project has already begun, including off-site highways to facilitate access to the new homes. The returning troops can expect modern accommodation, as well as access to catering, retail and leisure facilities.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

This considerable investment in nearly 1,000 new homes is a reflection of our commitment to supporting Armed Forces families. Service families make an immense contribution to our country and I’m delighted to announce this £250 million funding for new homes to welcome our troops relocating from Germany.

The £250 million investment comes alongside a further £90 million in road and utility improvements in support of the three developments. £1.1 billion has already pledged to the Salisbury Plain area for living and working accommodation ‘behind the wire’ including 2,500 bed spaces for single soldiers and the construction, conversion or refurbishment of nearly 250 other buildings such as offices, garages, workshops and mess facilities.

The Army is also working closely with Wiltshire Council to ensure that the soldiers and their families have access to all of the services they need, including education and health facilities. Wiltshire Council is spending over £20 million of the MOD’s contribution towards local community services in support of education provision across all age ranges.

Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said:

Investing not only in new homes but in all the things that help to make a place feel like home, such as education, infrastructure and leisure facilities, will make a big difference for those returning to the UK after being posted abroad. This boost to the area will provide a close-knit community for Armed Forces and their families for years to come.

The Army Basing Programme has also recently completed building and refurbishment of accommodation at a number of other sites across the country in support of Troops relocating from Germany and within the UK. The ABP has also invested in new facilities in Kinloss, Leuchars, Catterick, South Cerney and North Luffenham, and significant refurbishments have taken place at a number of other MOD sites including York, Aldershot and Thorney Island.

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Keep warm keep well warnings are being issued by Public Health England (PHE) today (24 November 2017), as weather forecasts suggest the winter’s first blast of cold weather is on its way.

Met Office forecasters have said today that by tomorrow (Saturday) temperatures in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber will fall below 2°C.

This first drop in temperatures has prompted PHE’s Extreme Events team to remind people all over the country that before cold weather arrives is the best time to prepare.

Dr Thomas Waite, of the Extreme Events team, said:

We’re well used to winter in this country so most people know what to do to protect their health before and during cold spells.

But there are people who may not take precautions and who are at a very real risk. We know that every winter thousands of people fall ill and many die because of exposure to cold both in the home and while outdoors.

Those most at-risk include older people, very young children and those with conditions like heart and lung disease. That’s why every cold season we urge people to look out for family, friends and neighbours who may be at risk. Ask yourself if you could check on a neighbour to see if there’s anything they need?

Paul Gundersen, Chief Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office, said:

Colder air has now reached most parts of England, with temperatures expected to fall further by Saturday, when the cold will be accentuated by strengthening winds. Wintry showers are also likely in places, but any snow showers are expected to be confined largely to higher ground. A temporary incursion of warmer air is expected on Monday, with the colder air forecast to return by Tuesday.

You should:

• look out for friends and family who may be vulnerable to the cold and ensure they have access to warm food and drinks and are managing to heat their homes adequately
• try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18°C, particularly if you are not mobile, have long term illness or are 65 or over
• stay tuned for weather forecasts, ensure you are stocked with food and medications in advance, have deliveries or ask a friend to help
• take weather into account when planning your activity over the following days
• seek entitlements and benefits such as Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments, which are available to some
• avoid exposing yourself to cold or icy outdoor conditions if you are at a higher risk of cold related illness or falls.
• discuss with friends and neighbours about clearing snow and ice from in front of your house and public walkways nearby

Power and utility companies have schemes which make at-risk groups a priority for reconnection following power cuts. Find out if you meet the criteria and if so, sign up. Visit ofgem.gov.uk for more information.

There’s lots of useful advice on the Stay Well This Winter website.

Dr Waite added:

We know that more deaths occur every winter in the UK than in the summer due to a wide range of causes including cold weather, influenza and other respiratory infections. The flu vaccination is the best protection we have against flu and it’s really important to have it if you are eligible. If we all keep a close eye out for each other over the coming months hopefully we’ll all be able to stay well this winter.

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The purpose of their visit is to help MSPs to better understand the range of social and welfare issues relevant to armed forces personnel, and their families, within their community.

During their visit the MSPs saw displays of Royal Marine marksmanship, all terrain driving, stalking, artillery, and met with the Royal Navy’s bomb disposal experts from HM Naval Base Clyde. They also met with the families of RM Condor and the Naval Families Federation.

Naval Regional Commander Captain Chris Smith said:

While Defence is clearly reserved to Westminster, it is the Scottish Parliament’s policies and decisions that affect the day to day lives of Scots-based service personnel.

This is why it is essential that our elected representatives better understand military life, all the more so given that Scotland will be home to the entire Submarine Service from 2020, as well as an Army Infantry Brigade, the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert interceptors (North) and submarine hunting Maritime Patrol Aircraft flying from Lossiemouth.

As part of the Armed Forces Visit Programme, a group of MSPs visited the Royal Marine base at Arbroath.

Launched by Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh MSP and the Ministry of Defence in April, the Armed Forces Visit Programme has already had successful fact-finding visits to the Army’s Glencorse Barracks, Penicuik, and RAF Lossiemouth, Moray.

The MOD has around 10,000 sailors, soldiers, and air personnel living permanently in Scotland, supported by 8,000 reservists and civilians.

Scottish industry benefits from Defence spending £1.5bn with it each year, supporting 9,750 private sector jobs in Scotland.

The Defence Board confirmed in February 2017, that £1.7 billion would be invested to upgrade Scottish military bases over the next decade.

List of attending MSPs:

• Keith Brown MSP, SNP, Clackmannanshire/Dunblane, (Cabinet Secretary Economy, Jobs and Fair Work/Veterans)
• Maurice Corry MSP, Conservative, West Scotland
• Graeme Dey MSP, SNP, Angus South
• Murdo Fraser MSP, Conservative, Mid Scotland and Fife
• Daniel Johnson MSP, Scottish Labour, Edinburgh Southern
• Liam Kerr MSP, Conservative, North East Scot
• Gordon Lindhurst MSP, Conservative, Lothian Region
• Lewis Macdonald MSP, Scottish Labour, NE Scotland
• Graham Simpson MSP, Conservative, Mid Scotland and Fife
• Annie Wells MSP, Conservative, Glasgow

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The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a new statutory inquiry into Into the Light Ministries, registered charity number 1143539. The investigation was opened on 11 October 2017.

The charity’s objects are to advance the Christian faith and to relieve sickness and financial hardship and promote and preserve good health through the provision of funds, clothing or other basic essentials.

After receiving information from a third party that questioned the adequacy of the charity’s financial controls, the Commission obtained bank account records and reviewed accounts previously filed. This revealed significant concerns regarding the charity’s accounts, potential conflicts of interest, non-primary purpose trading and public benefit, indicating a possible risk to charitable property.

The accounts submitted for the financial year ending 31 August 2016 were also not compliant with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) which sets out how charities must prepare their accounts.

As a result we took regulatory action under section 76 of the Charities Act to safeguard the charity’s property and funds, and have opened a statutory inquiry to examine the governance, management and administration of the charity. The inquiry will focus particularly on whether:

• the charity has adequate control systems in place to enable the timely preparation and submission of accounting and returns information
• any trading carried out by the charity is compliant with current legislation;
• the trustees are responsibly managing the charity’s resources and financial affairs
• conflicts of interests and transactions with connected parties have been adequately managed
• receipt of any payments and benefits to trustees and connected parties have been validly authorised in accordance with the provisions of the charity’s governing document

We will also consider to what extent the charity operates for the public benefit, and whether there has been mismanagement and/or misconduct.

The Commission stresses that opening an inquiry is not in itself a finding of wrongdoing. The purpose of an inquiry is to examine issues in detail, investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether there has been mismanagement and/or misconduct; establish the extent of any risk to the charity’s property, beneficiaries or work and decide what action needs to be taken to resolve the serious concerns, if necessary using its investigative, protective and remedial powers to do so.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

Ends

PR 75/17

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.
2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.

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In all, 20 directors in 16 separate businesses across the United Kingdom have been disqualified recently, following investigations by the Insolvency Service, all of whom were already fined for employing illegal workers. Eighteen people have been banned from being company directors or being involved in the management of companies for six years each, whilst two have been disqualified for 7 years.

The businesses, which include 11 restaurants, four takeaway/fast food establishments, and a shop, are based in London (4), Sussex (3), North West (3) South Wales (2), Glasgow, Antrim, Frome and High Wycombe.

Between them, they employed 41 illegal workers and were fined a total of £505,000 by the Home Office, none of which was paid. Two of the companies have now entered into liquidation, with a further two having been dissolved.

The Insolvency Service is continuing to work very closely with Home Office Immigration Enforcement to take action in cases where the company is still active and not subject to insolvency proceedings.

The matters leading to all of the disqualifications are that the directors failed to ensure that the companies complied with statutory obligations under The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained, resulting in the employment of illegal workers.

Following visits from Home Office Immigration, during which the breaches were discovered, the companies were issued with penalty notices ranging from £10,000 to £15,000 per worker, which remain unpaid.

All were directors of the companies at the time of the Home Office visit.

Commenting on the disqualification, Cheryl Lambert, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Employing illegal workers is not consequence free, either for the employer, the employee or the consumer.

These directors sought an unfair advantage over their law abiding competitors by employing people who were not entitled to work legally in the UK. By definition this is a set of people who are without the protection of the law and knowledge of the authorities, and thereby extremely vulnerable to exploitation in all its forms.

It is bad for business and bad for society as a whole.

If a company is found to be employing illegal workers and not carrying out the checks they are required to by law, then the Insolvency Service will continue to liaise with the Home Office to ensure that not only the workers, but the employers will be removed from the market place. This is regardless of the whether the company remains trading or is in Liquidation

These actions are a warning that the Government is pursuing bad employers.

A Home Office spokesperson said:

Illegal working is not victimless. It undercuts honest employers, cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities and defrauds the taxpayer.

Businesses should be aware that they have a duty to check that their staff have permission to work in the UK.

We are happy to work with employers who play by the rules but those who do not, should know that they will not go under our radar.

The disqualified directors are:

London

• Mohammed Aleem Tayyab and Mohammed Waseem Tayyab directors of Tayyab & Sons Limited which traded as a restaurant known as Tayyabs, 83 Fieldgate Street, London, E1 1JU were disqualified for 7 years each on 4 September 2017. Eight illegal workers were found in two separate Home Office raids and fines totalling £95,000 were levied
• Naqibullah Azizi, a director of Ameen Foods Ltd which traded as a restaurant/takeaway known as Bella Pizza, 101 Church Lane, Kingsbury, NW9 8JU, disqualified on 5 May 2017. Two illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £20,000 being levied
• Mohammed Qahhar Choudhury, a director of Majestic Romford Limited which traded as a restaurant known as Indian Fusion, 27 Station Road, Chadwell Heath, Romford, RM6 4BE, disqualified on 6 July 2017. One illegal worker was found resulting in a fine of £15,000 being levied
• Ashim Kumar Saha, a director of Save & Pick Limited, which traded as a shop known as Savers, 372-374 High Road, Leyton, E10 6QE, disqualified on 4 August 2017. One illegal worker was found resulting in a fine of £10,000 being levied

Sussex

• Muhammad Furqan, director of Hsg Capital Ltd which traded as a pizza takeaway known as Slicebox, 6 Broadwalk, Crawley, RH10 1 HQ, disqualified on 27 July 2017. Two illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £20,000 being levied
• Sujon Miah, a director of Jaipur Restaurant (Worthing), which traded as a restaurant known as Royal Jaipur, 35 Brighton Road, Worthing, BN11 3EF, disqualified on 11 August 2017. Three illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £45,000 being levied
• Saleha Hussain Lucky, director of Curry Direct Limited, which traded as restaurant known as Cardamom Bay, 43 Queensway, Bognor Regis, PO21 1QN, disqualified on 8 September 2017. Two illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £20,000 being levied

North West area

• Mohammad Seraz Ullah, director of Blue Cloud Limited which traded as a restaurant known as Last Monsoon, 54 King Street West, SK3 0DY, disqualified on 11 July 2017. Two illegal workers were found and a fine on £30,000 was levied
• Abbas Rashid Ahmed, director Aa Foods (UK) Limited, which traded as a takeaway known as K2 Taj, 32 Hamilton Road, M13 4PD, disqualified on 6 April 2017. One illegal worker was found and a fine of £15,000 was levied
• Helena Tohamy, and Mohammed Fathelbab, directors of Old Swan Grill Limited, which traded as a takeaway known as The Charcoal Hob, 379 Prescot Road, Old Swan, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L13 3BS, were disqualified on 14 September 2017 and 3 October 2017 respectively. Two illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £20,000 being levied.

South Wales

• Sazzadur Rahman. A director of The 3 Mughals Restaurant Ltd, which traded as restaurant known as The 3 Mughals, 7 Western Valley Road, Rogerstone, Newport, NP10 9DS, disqualified on 30 June 2017. Two illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £20,000 being levied
• Bunyamin Hurum, a director of BH Catering Limited, which traded as a takeaway known as Best Kebabs, 3 Caerlon Road, Newport, NP19 7BU, disqualified on 14 August 2017. One illegal worker was found resulting in a fine of £15,000 being levied

Glasgow

• Manoj Barua and Vipan Kumar Sharma, directors of MV Hospitality Limited which traded as restaurant known as Café India, 29 Albion Street, Glasgow, G1 1LH, disqualified on 18 July 2017 and 23 June 2017 respectively. Four illegal workers were found and a fine of £40,000 levied

Northern Ireland

• Wen Qing Chen and Guanda An, directors of China Express (N.I.) Limited which traded as restaurant known as China Express, 76 Main Street, Crumlin, Antrim, BT29 4UU, disqualified on 24 July 2017 and 30 June 2017 respectively. Four illegal workers were found and a fine of £60,000 was levied

Somerset

• Abdul Rahim, director of Jhalmuri Limited which traded as a restaurant known as Jhalmuri, 14 Palmer Street, Frome, BA11 1DS, disqualified on 18 April 2017. Three illegal workers were found and a fine of £30,000 was levied

High Wycombe

• Mohammed Zinuk Khan, director of Royel Taj HW Limited, which traded as Memsaab Indian Restaurant, London Road, Wooburn Green, High Wycombe, HP10 0NJ, disqualified on 14 September 2017. Three illegal workers were found resulting in a fine of £30,000 being levied

Notes to editors

All disqualifications take legal effect 21 days after the date shown.

The personal details of the directors and current status of the limited companies are shown below, in the same order as presented as above.

London

• The directors of Tayyab & Sons Limited (CRO 06816002) were Mohammed Aleem Tayyab (born September 1973 and residing in London, E1 1JU) and Mohammad Wasim Tayyab born January 1975 and residing in London
• Naqibullah Azizi, a director of Ameen Foods Ltd (CRO 08930382) was born July 1974 and resides in Colindale
• Mohammed Qahhar Choudhury, a director of Majestic Romford Limited (CRO 08876907) was born August 1993 and resides in Southampton. Majestic Romford Limited entered liquidation on 13 July 2017 with Stephen Gordon Franklin, Panos Eliades Franklin & Co, Olympia House, Armitage Road, London, NW11 8RQ appointed liquidator
• Save & Pick Limited (CRO 09367312) was dissolved 21 March 2017. Ashim Kumar Saha, the director was born February 1981 and resides in London

Sussex

• Muhammad Furqan, director of Hsg Capital Ltd (CRO 09154310) was born August 1979 and resides in Greenford
• Sujon Miah, a director of Jaipur Restaurant (Worthing) Limited (CRO 07147296) was born December 1972 and resides in Worthing
• Saleha Hussain Lucky, director of Curry Direct Limited (CRO 08421972) was born on 7 March 29183 and resides at 3 Sandymount Avenue, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 9ET. Curry Direct Limited entered liquidation on 18 July 2017 with Muhammad Usman Nazir, 1 Friary, Temple Quay, Bristol, Avon, BS1 6EA appointed a liquidator

North West area

• Mohammad Seraz Ullah, director of Blue Cloud Catering Limited (CRO 09584282) was born June 1968 and resides in Oldham
• Abbas Rashid Ahmed, director Aa Foods (UK) Limited, (CRO 09271804) was born August 1992 and resides in Manchester
• The directors of Old Swan Grill Limited (CRO 10232862.) were Helena Tohamy (born March 1987) and Mohammed Fathelbab (born January 1986) both reside in Liverpool

South Wales

• Xia Cua Xia, a director of Tin Sang Treham’s Limited (CRO 10306416), was born January 1985 and resides in Treharris
• Sazzadur Rahman, a director of The 3 Mughals Restaurant Ltd (CRO 07481949) was born August 1959 and resides in Newport
• Bunyamin Hurum, a director of BH Catering Limited (CRO 07231445) was born February 1988 and resides in Uxbridge

Glasgow

• MV Hospitality Limited (CRO SC458793) was dissolved on 25 April 2017. Manoj Barua was born on 27 July 1963 and resides in Glasgow and Vipan Kumar Sharma was born August 1975 and resides in Glasgow. Northern Ireland
• The directors of China Express (N.I.) Limited (CRO NI635323) were Wen Qing Chen ( born March 1978 and resides in Belfast) and Guanda An (born August 1979 residing in Crumlin, Antrim) Somerset
• Abdul Rahim, director of Jhalmuri Limited (CRO 07499776) was born February 1987 and resides in Frome, Somerset

High Wycombe

• The director of Royel Taj HW Limited (CRO 09415059 ), Mohammed Zinuk Khan, was born on December 1989 and resides in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the companies should be made to: Cheryl Lambert, Head of Outsourced Investigations, Investigations and Enforcement Services, The Insolvency Service, 3rd Floor, Abbey Orchard Street, London SW1P 2HT. Tel: 0207 596 6117. Email: Cheryl.Lambert@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

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