Thank you, it’s great to be here for the opening event of London International Shipping Week 2017.

Three hundred and thirty years ago, and just a short walk from here, an entrepreneur by the name of Edward Lloyd opened a new coffee shop.

It soon became popular with London’s maritime community; its sailors, ship-owners and merchants.

Good coffee fueled good conversation, as the patrons debated the latest shipping and maritime business news.

Edward Lloyd’s shop was a great success.

So much so that it led to the creation of Lloyd’s of London, Lloyd’s Register, and Lloyd’s List.

That’s just one example of how the City of London’s success as a financial city is interwoven with its success as a maritime city.

There are others.

The Bank of England was established so that the government could fund a new navy.

The prices in this stock exchange have long been connected to the movement of the world’s trade by sea.

Today London remains the world’s leading supplier of shipbroking services.

More vessels are insured here than from any other location in the world.

English law is applied to more shipping disputes than that of any other country, with legal services often provided by the City’s commercial law firms.

Today London provides a home to many leading maritime bodies: the International Maritime Organization, the International Chamber of Shipping, the Baltic Exchange – and many more.

And 330 years on from when Edward Lloyd opened his coffee shop, the combined expertise of the Lloyd’s market and the International Underwriting Association of London, make the City the best destination in the world for insuring complex risk.

So the City of London has a maritime economy as much as it has a financial economy.

And when one grows, often so does the other.

So today (11 September 2017) I am pleased to commit to a target.

I want to more-than double the size UK fleet – the ships flying the UK flag – from the 14 million tonnes it was 2 years ago to 30 million tonnes.

I have given the UK Shipping Register the resources it needs to achieve that target.

It will be a challenge, but a worthwhile challenge.

It’ll put us back into the top 15 shipping nations on earth.

And it’ll increase the number of ships brokered here, insured here and sailing from here.

So I am thrilled to open London International Shipping Week 2017 from the London Stock Exchange.

This is the week that brings the world’s shipping home to London.

A week that makes plain the unbreakable link between the high seas and high finance.

It’s a week for London, for shipping, and for the world.

Thank you.

The Environment Agency and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have officially agreed to carry out joint operations across England to cut the transportation of illegal waste and to improve road safety.

The memorandum of understanding signed today by chief executives, Sir James Bevan and Gareth Llewellyn will see the Environment Agency and the DVSA using their combined enforcement powers to tackle the transportation of waste to illegal or poorly-performing permitted sites.

The agreement will involve:

• DVSA staff located within EA teams to ensure a coordinated and effective approach,
• sharing of information to increase the effectiveness of roadside enforcement on waste industry vehicles up and down the country;
• providing enforcement teams with intelligence relating to waste industry operators
• identifying high risk or illegal goods vehicle operators involved in waste transport
• reducing the number of seriously and serially non-compliant waste industry vehicles on England’s roads.

The Environment Agency and DVSA have worked together for a number of years to stop waste crime, making sure companies are operating legally and vehicle safety is improved. This agreement will enable the two organisations to tackle waste crime more efficiently by intervening earlier in the waste chain and using prevention tactics.

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive, Environment Agency said:

We want to protect people and communities from the impact that vehicle and waste crime can have and create a level playing field for all operators.

This Memorandum of Understanding with the DVSA will help both organisations work with the waste industry to improve compliance and vehicle and driver safety standards.

To help us with this, we are encouraging people to check with the Environment Agency if the company they are employing to take their waste away is a fully registered waste carrier.

DVSA’s Chief Executive, Gareth Llewellyn, said:

DVSA priority is to protect you from unsafe drivers and vehicles. I am delighted that we will be working with the Environment Agency to tackle those who illegally transport waste. By combining our enforcement powers and intelligence we’ll be able work with those who break the rules more effectively.

DVSA traffic examiners will issue fines to those waste carriers we find to be operating in and unsafe manner. These operators are putting themselves and other road users at risk and pose a danger to our environment.

Anyone who suspects that an operator is transporting waste in an unsafe manner should report their concerns to DVSA on 0300 123 9000 or enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk.

Members of the public can check if a waste company is registered with the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 and at www.gov.uk/waste-carrier-or-broker-registration.

Alun Cairns has welcomed the latest job figures which show that unemployment rates in Wales have dropped in the last quarter and are now at the same level as the rest of the UK.

Looking back over my 5 years as Health Secretary, one conversation that left the deepest mark was very early on with a young couple from Devon.

Scott and Sue Morrish came to London to tell me about the tragic death of their 3-year-old son Sam, who died just a few days before Christmas in 2010 after a repeated failure to spot that he was suffering from sepsis. Scott and Sue quietly and eloquently explained the story of his illness, and finally treatment that came too late.

They said that when they tried to raise the issue with their local NHS, the ‘shutters came down’ and no one wanted to talk to them.

I have talked to the hospital concerned and believe the culture has now dramatically changed. But the fact is that in the UK, around 123,000 people of all ages develop sepsis every year, with potentially 30,000 avoidable deaths.

It is often referred to as the silent killer because the early symptoms – fever, lethargy and pallor – can be mistaken for other problems.

The key is to spot the problem early and administer antibiotics and fluids quickly to halt the infection in its tracks.

But in Sam’s case, no fewer than 4 healthcare providers had missed opportunities to identify the condition and administer the treatment that could have saved his life.

Today, on World Sepsis Day, I remember the conversation with Sam’s parents and pay tribute to their courage and determination – alongside other sepsis campaigners like Melissa Mead – to raise awareness and change practices within the NHS.

Their campaigning has already triggered a much tighter, more systematic approach to identifying and treating the condition.

Many hospitals have now put in place clear guidelines and training to ensure that every member of their medical team is trained to spot the signs and symptoms of sepsis and treat them effectively. And practical measures like routinely checking patients arriving at Accident & Emergency departments for signs of sepsis are estimated to have saved almost a thousand lives in recent years.

But do I think even more deaths could be prevented? The answer is, undoubtedly, yes. That’s why we are now setting out further measures to improve standards in hospitals, surgeries and other healthcare settings.

It will mean more training resources, greater awareness and better recording and identification of sepsis cases across the NHS. Every part of the NHS will be expected to be on the highest alert to tackle this killer condition.

But everyone needs to help win the fight against sepsis – by being aware of the facts.

If you do one thing this week, please watch and share the awareness video that we’ve developed in partnership with Melissa Mead and the UK Sepsis Trust.

By understanding what sepsis is and how it shows itself in people of different ages, we can all arm ourselves with the information to keep our loved ones safe.

Let’s be smart about sepsis – and together, we can finally win the war against this silent killer.

The Government Chief Vet has today announced the UK has met international requirements to declare itself free from Avian Influenza (AI) H5N8, but reiterated calls for all poultry keepers to remain vigilant for signs of disease, as there is a real and constant threat.

The disease continues to circulate in Europe and as winter approaches the risk of migratory wild birds infecting domestic poultry will rise. The UK was previously declared free of Avian Flu in April 2016 but the disease returned in December that year – so the government is not complacent.

Declaring the UK free from AI means trade discussions on UK poultry and poultry products can restart with existing and potential new trading partners.

Between December 2016 and June 2017, 13 cases of AI were confirmed in kept poultry in the UK. In all cases, the Animal and Plant Health Agency put movement restrictions in place to limit the spread of disease and carried out thorough investigations into the source and possible spread of infection. The government also introduced UK-wide measures to protect poultry from infection from wild birds, including a requirement to temporarily house birds and a ban on bird gatherings.

Today Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens urged keepers to remain vigilant for signs of disease as winter approaches and reiterated the need for good biosecurity at all times:

Declaring the UK free from avian flu is an important milestone that will help our efforts to re-open export markets. The past nine months have been very challenging for all those who keep poultry, and I would like to thank everyone for their efforts in helping us contain the disease to a handful of premises.

However, I urge all keepers to be vigilant – there is a constant risk of avian flu from wild birds and this is likely to increase as winter approaches, temperatures fall, and migratory birds arrive in the UK.

All poultry keepers should take steps to reduce the risk to their birds, such as cleaning footwear, feeding birds indoors, and minimising contact with wild birds. Building these simple actions into routines now can help prepare for any future outbreaks.

H5N8 avian flu was confirmed at commercial premises in Suffolk, Lancashire and Lincolnshire, and in backyard flocks in Northumberland, Lancashire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire and Carmarthenshire. The same strain of the virus was also found in wild birds in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The government continues to carry out surveillance in poultry and wild birds and publish regular disease updates.

Further information

• Under World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) rules, three months must elapse from the application of measures to prevent the spread of disease or cleansing and disinfection of the last infected premises before a country can be declared disease-free. The last case of AI in the UK was confirmed on 2 June, and cleansing and disinfection completed on 14 June 2017. Countries are required to fulfil a number of requirements on biosecure disposal of carcases, the application of effective disinfection and surveillance.

• The UK CVO will declare on the UK’s behalf by submitting an evidence paper to OIE for publication on the OIE WAHIS website alongside other countries that have already self-declared.

• Following an exotic disease outbreak, it is routine practice in the UK to evaluate the response and identify lessons for future outbreaks. A report summarising lessons from the 2016/17 AI outbreak is published today.

• Read and download our advice poster for keepers of poultry (PDF, 1 page).