Decommissioning of the former used fuel cooling ponds at Oldbury site has reached a major milestone.

The station is primarily used for advanced fast jet training for pilots and, whilst the previous infrastructure was strong enough for the Hawk aircraft, it has been restored to support pilots training in the likes of Tornados and Typhoons.

A £20 million contract was awarded to refurbish the ageing runway and its link taxiways. The work undertaken will also provide a new section of airside perimeter road, new visual aids, aeronautical lighting and signage for the air station.

The restoration work will extend the life of the runway by a further 25 years, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to Defence in Wales.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

This famous runway has been an integral part of the careers of generations of fast-jet pilots who have seen action across the world and are currently leading RAF strikes against Daesh.

I’m delighted that this investment will see the runway play that vital role for at least another 25 years, training new pilots in the skills they need to help keep us safe when flying the next generation of aircraft.

The fighter pilots who graduate go on to fly Typhoon and F35 Lightning II aircraft which secure the skies of the UK and overseas.

The station is also home to helicopter flying training where aircrew learn the skills required for mountains and maritime flying with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The Mountain Rescue Service which saves lives across the UK is also based at RAF Valley.

The Defence Secretary met with personnel from RAF Valley this afternoon in North Wales.

All new UK fighter pilots pass through RAF Valley before they reach their frontline Squadron. In the last 3 months, 4 graduates have gone on to fly the world’s most sophisticated fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, out in the United States.

The UK currently has 11 F-35B jets being flown in the US and 120 UK personnel being trained there. By the end of the year the UK will have 14 of the jets, with initial flight trials from the brand new Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier’s deck planned for next year.

As the US’ only Tier 1 partner, UK industry will provide around 15% of every F-35 jet which is built, and later today, the Defence Secretary will also visit the Defence Electronics & Components Agency (DECA), based at MOD Sealand, in North East Wales.

The facility was chosen as the global repair hub providing maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for F-35 avionic and aircraft components. Over the lifetime of the programme, components for hundreds of European-based F-35 aircraft will be serviced and maintained at the site.

The work will generate hundreds of millions of pounds of revenue for the UK defence industry, with the potential to unlock more than £2bn of future F-35 support revenue over the lifetime of the programme, sustaining thousands of high tech jobs and skills.

A newly-refurbished hangar at RAF Valley will also house three brand-new Jupiter helicopters which will be used to train pilots from all three Services, delivered as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).

These state-of-the-art Airbus helicopters, which closely recreate the cockpits and controls of front-line aircraft, are due to begin flying from RAF Valley later this year. The refurbishment of the hangar is part of an infrastructure improvement programme being delivered through the UKMFTS at both RAF Valley and RAF Shawbury worth a total of around £80 million.

Station Commander Royal Air Force Valley, Group Captain Nick Tucker-Lowe, said:

The visit of the Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon today has highlighted RAF Valley’s vital contribution to UK defence as the home of fighter pilot training.

Our team of military personnel, Civil Servants and industry partners take great pride in their role of training the next generation of fighter pilots for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. With our refurbished main runway, we are well prepared for the future.

UK Government Minister for Wales Guto Bebb said:

This investment in the runway is a huge boost to RAF Valley. It further demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to defence in Wales and the North Wales economy.

It is great to see Wales playing such an important role in the advancement of our defence services and with an extra 25 years now on the lifespan of this site, the future of RAF Valley and the local economy remains strong.

Four junctions along a nine mile section of the A27 between Lewes and Polegate will be improved, a section of the Polegate bypass will be upgraded to a dual carriageway and walking and cycling facilities along the whole stretch will be enhanced.

The plans were put to the public last year, with 78 per cent of respondents backing the need for improvements. Today, (Tuesday 26 September) Highways England has announced the results of the consultation and the preferred options being taken forward at each location.

Highways England Project Manager Tom Beasley said:

I would like to thank everyone who took part in our consultation. It’s great to see that there is such strong backing for improvements to this section of the A27, and there were some really good ideas put forward. People’s input has helped to shape our plans and we’ve made some key changes to our proposals to make sure they deliver the biggest benefit. In particular we’ve prioritised improvements at Polegate including the Gainsborough Lane junction, over the Selmeston bypass option and introduced a new enhanced option for upgrading the Wilmington junction – all as a result of people’s input. There will be an opportunity for people to see more detailed plans when we present the final designs at public exhibition events next year.

The plans include:

• widening Drusillas Roundabout to improve journeys along the A27 and for north-south traffic at the junction
• a new option for upgrading Wilmington junction, making it easier for drivers to join or leave the A27 and including a horse rider and cycle friendly Pegasus crossing
• widening a half a mile section of the A27 between the Polegate interchange and the Cophall roundabout to a dual carriageway, and an upgraded, signalised junction at Polegate
• near to the Polegate interchange, as a result of the consultation, introducing new proposals for upgrading the Gainsborough Lane junction by providing a right turn facility
• significant enhancements to the walking and cycle routes along this nine mile stretch of the A27, including a new pedestrian and cycle path between Firle and Polegate

Proposals to upgrade Selmeston junction have been withdrawn after no options could be found that would deliver a worthwhile benefit without having an unacceptable impact on the South Downs national park.

The proposed plans will help to make journeys more reliable, ease congestion and improve safety along this section of the A27, especially at the key pinch points in Polegate and Wilmington. They are part of the Government’s record £15bn investment in roads between 2015 and 2020, which is improving people’s journeys, making roads safer and boosting the economy.

A public consultation on the options was held from 27 October to 8 December 2016. A total of 1,140 responses were received during this consultation. Ten events were held at venues near the A27 east of Lewes scheme corridor for the public and stakeholders including local authorities, landowners and businesses, with over 1,000 people attending the events.

78% of people who responded to the consultation questionnaire said they are very concerned about road safety, with 70% very concerned about congestion or delays at junctions.

A copy of the consultation report and announcement flyer can be found on the Highways England website.

Anyone interested in the scheme can sign up to receive updates via the (project page)[http://www.highways.gov.uk/A27EastofLewes] on the Highways England website where they can also see visualisations outlining the preferred options.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Ricky Yan Kay Sum, director of Yat Yeen Limited, which traded under the name of Chung Ku, also failed to pay the under-declared VAT.

Sum has given an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which prevents him from becoming directly or indirectly involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for five years from 27 June 2017.

The business went into liquidation on 22 July 2015 owing £50,606 to its creditors. The Insolvency Service’s investigation concluded Sum had under-declared the takeaway’s sales and VAT to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and failed to pay HMRC the VAT which was properly due and payable.

Commenting on the disqualification, Robert Clarke, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Under-declaration of sales deprives the exchequer of vital funds for public services. In co-operation with HMRC, the Insolvency Service will not hesitate to investigate such misconduct with disqualification as a director the probable consequence.

Notes to editors

Yat Yeen Limited (CRO No.07239896) was incorporated on 30 April 2010. Yat Yeen traded from 564 Warrington Road, Rainhill L35 4LZ, with its registered office being at Hanover House, Hanover Street, Liverpool L1 3DZ.

Ricky Yan Kay Sum (born February 1976) was the sole formally appointed director between 30 April 2010 and liquidation.

Yat Yeen went into Liquidation on 22 July 2015. On 6 June 2017 the Secretary of State accepted a Disqualification Undertaking from Sum effective from 27 June 2017, for five years.

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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporate-insolvency-effect-of-a-disqualification-order).

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.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service).

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The UK’s interactive installation at the ‘Future Energy’ Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan has won a silver exhibition design award from the organising body of the global event, The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

An international jury composed of 9 members visited each pavilion of the 115 countries and 22 international organisations participating. In the larger pavilion category (more than 700 square metres), the UK Pavilion won silver.

The UK Pavilion, which was part of a wider UK showcase in the region, has also been voted runner up in the Best Pavilion category by Exhibitor magazine. For almost 30 years, Exhibitor magazine has been running the world’s most prestigious exhibit-design competition, honouring the very best of trade show exhibits. The structure was judged by an international panel of multidisciplinary design, marketing, and communications experts, with one judge citing it as:

Without a doubt the most unique of all the pavilions at Expo 2017.

The competition entries for both awards included pavilions representing countries from all over the world.

UK Pavilion designer Asif Khan commented:

Hearing that half a million people visited the UK Pavilion in just 3 months, and then finding out that we won silver medals in 2 of the pavilion awards has really touched me.

The impact of Expo 2017 on Kazakhstan will take years to fully comprehend at the country level, but my feeling is that if we opened up the imagination of even one Kazakh youngster, the aims of our project will be met.

Closer to home, our success really shows the value of UK government breaking from tradition and trusting new voices in design and architecture. I congratulate and am sincerely grateful to the huge team who enabled our project to become reality.

One of Exhibitor’s panel commented:

The United Kingdom’s artistic and interactive interpretation of a yurt was beautiful. The environment that element created was unique and powerful. The structure was like a rare and precious element that compels humans to gravitate toward it and interact with it. Touching the spokes was like playing a giant harp that wraps around you and emits light instead of music.

Asif Khan was part of a collaboration of British talent that included music legend Brian Eno. It highlighted UK innovations and discoveries that have changed the way we live our lives and connect with others.

The UK Pavilion, supported by the Department for International Trade, shows the UK at its creative best and over the last 3 months has been sharing the UK’s brilliant scientific and engineering expertise across the energy and mining industries with the theme of ‘We are Energy’, exploring new ways to harness the various sources of energy that surround us and secure a greener future.