Tag Archives: HM Government

Skills Minister John Hayes brought together a team of experts today (6 September 2017) to plot a course to build more transport skills than ever before.

The minister invited specialists in further and higher education to join transport chiefs to explore how best to equip young people to build a successful career in transport.

The Department for Transport works closely with industry to champion vocational skills and training — encouraging young people to gain the skills and experience they need for the challenge of a career in the sector.

Skills Minister John Hayes, who is leading the government’s work to develop infrastructure skills, believes that more needs to be done to work effectively with the higher and further education sectors, and so has invited experts to the Education Advisory Group to work collaboratively.

Minister Hayes said:

As people know, I have been a champion of vocational skills for many years and so I know the importance of engaging young people as early as possible so they can seize every opportunity to craft a career in transport.

We need to look at the role of schools, further education and higher education institutions in inspiring the next generation, and my new Education Advisory Group will, over the coming months, chart how we can work more effectively together.

The group will advise on best practice in promoting transport through education, working closely with the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT), which aims to get more talented young people into transport apprenticeships.

Mike Brown, Commissioner of Transport for London and Chair of STAT said:

John Hayes has been the leading champion in government of vocational skills, and I warmly welcome his latest initiative to put his vision into practice.

Valerie Todd CBE, Crossrail Talent and Resources Director said:

With the ever increasing number of passengers using our railways and roads, and the unprecedented number of infrastructure projects on the horizon, there are more career opportunities for young people in the transport sector than ever before. By bringing together the transport industry and the education sector we can help the next generation build exciting, meaningful and rewarding careers in transport.

Young people will also be at the centre of the Year of Engineering 2018, which is a year-long, cross-government campaign. The campaign aims to raise the profile of engineering amongst 7 to 16 year-olds and widen the pool of young people that consider engineering as a career, through working in collaboration with a range of partners to give young people direct and inspiring experiences of engineering.

The Education Advisory Group is made up of Deirdre Hughes OBE, Principal Research Fellow at Warwick University, Prof Mohammed Abdel-Has, Director of Finance at Bolton University, Yvonne Baker, Chief Executive of STEM Learning, Nick Chambers, Chief Executive Education and Employment/Inspiring the Future, Proof John Perkins CBE who is the author of The Perkins Review of Engineering, and Valerie Todd CBE, Talent and Resources Director at Crossrail and member of the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT).

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Thousands of children will start the term in 52 new schools as the next wave of free schools open their doors for the new academic year.

Free schools are popular with parents, deliver choice, innovation and higher standards with 29% of those inspected rated outstanding by Ofsted.

The new schools open just a few weeks after several existing free schools across the country reported exceptional results in GCSE and A levels.

The 52 new openers take the total number of free schools opened since 2011 to over 500, meaning more than four in five of local authorities now have at least one free school in their area.

The newly-opened schools include primary, secondary and all-through schools, and sixth form colleges – with some tailored specifically to technical education, including new UTCs, and a number of schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System Lord Nash, said:

We need schools that offer every child the best possible education, and free schools have shown that they can provide that across the country. They were among the top-performing schools in recent GCSE and A level results and almost a third are rated outstanding by Ofsted – the most successful category of non-selective state schools.

These 52 new schools will provide much-needed places and encourage innovation, driving up standards and ensuring even more parents have the choice of a good school place for their child.

Mark Emmerson, Chief Executive of the City of London Academies Trust said:

Opening a brand new school is very exciting as it allows us to establish our ambition from day one. We aim to provide the very best educational experiences in the country ensuring a high expectation culture driven by a broad but rigorous curriculum, exceptional teaching and a nurturing environment.

Mark Wardle, principal of Callywith College said:

Callywith College has been built for North and East Cornwall and the reactions of students, their families and the local community have been overwhelmingly positive. Our open day in August was a massive success and we look forward to delivering outstanding teaching and learning for our students when they join us.

New Schools Network Director, Toby Young, said:

It was fantastic to see so many free schools doing well in this year’s GCSE and A level results and I am confident that many of the new schools opening this year will also be among the country’s top performers in due course.

Notable new schools include:

• The City of London Primary Academy, Islington, a 420-place – at capacity – primary school with an age range of 2-11 plus a 38-place nursery. The City of London Academies trust will run the school.

• The Bobby Moore Academy, an all-through school offering primary places in Newham and secondary places in Tower Hamlets – offering places in areas of basic need. The 4-19 school is on the site of the former Olympic Park – offering pupils access to facilities plus links to West Ham United Football Club. It will have 1,500 places at full capacity and is part of the David Ross Education Trust.

• XP East, an 11-19 secondary school and sixth form in Doncaster – the second school in the multi-academy trust following the success of XP School, which is also in Doncaster. XP East welcomes its first 50 pupils in September and will reach 450 pupils by 2023. The school will follow the national curriculum, but plans to adopt a project based curriculum based on those used in Expeditionary Learning and High Tech High schools in the U.S.

• Callywith College, a 16-19 mixed faith sixth-form college in Cornwall. It will open with 350 students and grow to its full capacity of 1,280 by 2021. The college offers an extensive curriculum with a wide choice of A levels; a range of level 2 and level 3 technical education courses; as well as GCSE maths and English for students who do not have a C grade.

• Scott Medical and Healthcare College, Plymouth, a 375-place studio school specialising in healthcare occupations – working with employers including Plymouth NHS Trust, Age Concern UK, Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry and Plymouth University.

Further Information

Of those inspected by Ofsted, 29 per cent of free schools are rated Outstanding.

124 out of 152 local authorities now have at least one open free school.

Regional breakdown of places created at schools opening:

• 9 schools in the East of England, creating 6,090 places
• 4 schools in the East Midlands, creating 1,554 places
• 5 schools in Yorkshire and the Humber, creating 3,530 places
• 5 schools in the North West, creating 3,280 places
• 9 schools in the South West, creating 3,865 places
• 2 schools in the West Midlands, creating 290 places
• 7 schools in the South East, creating 5,330 places
• 11 schools in London, creating over 9,400 places

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Travel insurance

Do make sure you are fully covered for unexpected losses or expenses. Do check the travel advice for Romania before you leave the UK.

You can get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK, which isn’t a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but it entitles you to state provided medical treatment. If you don’t have your EHIC with you or you’ve lost it, you can call the Department of Health Overseas Healthcare Team (+44 191 218 1999) to get a Provisional Replacement Certificate. If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 112.

Passports and valuables

Do keep a separate record of your passport details, preferably a photocopy of the details pages with next of kin contact details also. Do report a lost/stolen passport immediately to the local police. The British Embassy in Bucharest only issue Emergency Travel Documents.

Ron (Romanian Leu) is the normal currency for everyday transactions in Romania. You should only change money through official exchange offices or banks. Do declare all foreign currency above 10.000 Euros on entry into the country. Do use international money transfer services in case of loss of funds.

Do leave passports/valuables in a safe place. Beware of bag and mobile phone snatchers especially on public transport, in restaurants, cafés and at the festival. Don’t leave your passport/ valuables in your car if you are driving. Do ensure you know whom to contact to obtain emergency credit cards and replacement cheques if they are stolen. Do report the loss of valuables to the local police and do obtain a report.

You don’t need a visa to enter Romania. British citizens who enter Romania have the right to stay for a period of 3 months from the date of entry.

For more information, check out the Oktoberfest flyer.

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Mr Speaker,

With your permission, I should like to make a statement about the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

At noon on Sunday, local time, North Korea tested the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated in the history of the regime’s quest for an illegal arsenal.

The underground explosion in a testing site only 60 miles from the Chinese border triggered an earthquake measuring up to 6.3 on the Richter scale – ten times more powerful than the tremor created by the last detonation.

The regime claimed to have exploded a hydrogen bomb capable of being delivered on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

We should treat that claim with scepticism, but the House must be under no illusion that this latest test marks another perilous advance in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

In a country blighted by decades of communist economic failure – where, in the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation or were reduced to eating grass and leaves to survive – the regime has squandered its resources on building an illegal armoury of nuclear bombs.

The House will wish to join me in condemning a nuclear test that poses a grave threat to the security of every country in East Asia and the wider world.

Earlier today, the North Korean ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office to receive a formal protest. Honourable Members will recall the steady drumbeat of provocative and dangerous actions by Kim Jong-un’s regime.

Last year North Korea tested two nuclear weapons and launched 24 missiles; so far this year, the regime has fired 18 missiles – including two of intercontinental range; indeed three tests have taken place since the House rose in July, and on Monday last week, a missile flew over Japan, causing sirens to sound on Hokkaido and forcing thousands of people to take cover.

The regime has threatened to launch more missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, which is home to 180,000 people and two military bases.

I will commend the dignity and restraint shown by South Korea and Japan, the countries that find themselves in the firing line of Pyongyang’s reckless ambitions.

North Korea’s brazen defiance has brought universal condemnation.

When the UN Security Council met in emergency session yesterday, every member – including China and Russia – denounced the latest nuclear test.

Britain has been at the heart of mobilising world opinion with the aim of achieving a diplomatic solution.

Last week, I spoke to my Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and the Japanese foreign minister, Taro Kono.

A few hours after the nuclear test on Sunday, I spoke to the South Korean foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, and I have of course been in regular contact with Secretary Tillerson of the United States.

During her highly successful visit to Tokyo last week, my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister made clear our solidarity with Japan as it faces this grave threat.

Just as North Korea has pursued nuclear weapons with single-minded determination, so the international community must show the same resolve in our pursuit of a diplomatic solution.

And we should not be diverted by arguments that equate the illegal and aggressive actions of Pyongyang with the legitimate and defensive military exercises of South Korea and the United States.

North Korea has caused this crisis and the onus rests squarely on Kim Jong-un’s regime to obey international law and meet their obligations to disarm.

All hopes for progress rest on international cooperation – and there are some encouraging signs.

On 5 August, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2371, including the toughest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea, banning exports of coal, seafood, iron ore and lead.

If fully enforced, these new measures will cost Pyongyang about $1 billion – one third of the country’s total export earnings – reducing the resources available for nuclear weapons.

We are now pressing the Security Council to pass a new Resolution as swiftly as possible, imposing further sanctions and showing the unity and determination of the international community.

China, which accounts for 90 per cent of North Korea’s overseas trade, has a unique ability to influence the regime – and the House can take heart from the fact that Beijing voted in favour of the latest sanctions resolution and condemned Pyongyang’s actions in the most unsparing terms.

North Korea’s nuclear device was not only tested near China’s border, it was also detonated on the day that President Xi Jinping opened a summit in Xiamen with the leaders of Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa.

I call on China to use all of its leverage to ensure a peaceful settlement of this grave crisis.

Kim Jong-un claims to want security and prosperity for North Korea’s people.

The only way to achieve this goal would be for North Korea to obey the UN and halt its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, disarming in a complete and verifiable manner.

Britain stands alongside our allies in striving to achieve this goal.

I commend this statement to the House.

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Theresa May today spoke with President Trump to discuss North Korea’s most recent missile tests, which have been conducted against all standards of international behaviour.

The Prime Minister stressed that the regime poses a threat not simply to its region but to global peace and security, and it was important for the international community to send out a clear message that such irresponsible and provocative actions must end.

Mrs May said Britain would work with the US and international partners to continue to exert economic pressure on North Korea through further measures including sanctions.

The Prime Minister noted the importance of the UN Security Council continuing to present a strong and unified international voice by reaching swift agreement on new measures.

The Prime Minister said she would also work with EU leaders on further measures the EU could take to pressure the North Korean regime.

The Prime Minister and the President agreed on the key role which China has to play, and that it was important they used all the leverage they had to ensure North Korea stopped conducting these illegal acts so that we could ensure the security and safety of nations in the region.

During the call, the Prime Minister also extended her condolences to the President and the US public for the loss of life and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey and expressed the UK’s solidarity with the US people at this time.

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