The VMD has agreed to a request from the Marketing Authorisation Holder Zoetis UK Limited to change the legal distribution category of this anthelmintic (i.e. wormer) for sheep. Startect Dual Active Oral Solution is authorised for the treatment and co… read more
Both companies supply pay-to-use and free-to-use cashpoints (ATMs) at sites across the UK.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began investigating the merger in January, referring it for a phase 2 inquiry by an independent group of panel members in May.
This group considered whether the merger would reduce competition and result in higher surcharges at pay-to-use cashpoints.
In their provisional findings, published today, the inquiry group found that the presence of free-to-use ATMs, and the availability of alternative non-cash payment methods, are likely to constrain such surcharges at pay-to-use machines.
The group also provisionally found that contracts and relationships with the owners of sites at which ATMs are installed would limit the merged company’s incentives to increase surcharges.
There was also evidence that ATM surcharges are not set according to local competition and that the merger would be unlikely to change this.
Alasdair Smith, CMA Inquiry Chair, said:
We’ve looked carefully at the scope for the merger to result in cashpoint users paying higher charges at pay-to-use ATMs. As part of our in-depth inquiry, we surveyed consumers and spoke to the owners of a wide range of premises at which these machines are installed.
We’ve provisionally found that the merger does not provide the merged company with an incentive to increase surcharges for people using pay-to-use ATMs, not least because of the increasing use of non-cash payment methods and the decline in the use of pay-to-use ATMs relative to free-to-use ATMs.
We’re now asking for views on these provisional findings and will assess all the evidence before making a final decision.
All information relating to this merger inquiry can be found on the case page.
Anyone wishing to respond to the provisional findings should do so in writing, by no later than 5:00pm on Friday 15 September 2017.
Please email cardtronics.directcash@cma.gsi.gov.uk or write to:
Project Manager
Cardtronics/DCP Merger
Competition and Markets Authority
Victoria House
Southampton Row
London
WC1B 4AD
Arts Minister John Glen has placed a temporary export bar on a Scottish two-part seal matrix to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.
The seal matrices are at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £151,250.
The front is engraved with St Margaret, Dunfermline Abbey’s founding saint, and the reverse bears the royal arms of Scotland. It carries an inscription that translates as “Robert, by the Grace of God, King of the Scots”.
It is thought that the seal matrix pair could date back to the the reign of Robert I, King of Scotland, known as Robert the Bruce, although some experts believe it could be a later replica of a lost original from the late Middle Ages.
Arts Minister John Glen said:
This incredibly rare item is of outstanding significance to the study of seals, and is all the more fascinating for its potential association with Robert the Bruce.
I hope that a buyer comes forward to help keep this unique object in the UK so we may learn more about its history.
The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the [Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by The Arts Council. It was previously subject to an export deferral in 2016, which was suspended to allow new information about its history to be considered.
RCEWA member Leslie Webster said:
This remarkable two-part seal matrix is unique, and if it indeed dates to the reign of Robert the Bruce (1306-1329) it is an item of outstanding importance, as one of the few objects directly associated with his reign, a decisive period in the history of the Kingdom of Scotland.
An alternative possibility, that it might be a later copy of a lost original, does not diminish its considerable significance for the study of medieval seal-dies, and opens up new avenues of research.
The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of the seal’s outstanding significance to Scottish antiquarianism and sigillography (the study of seals).
The decision on the export licence application for the seal will be deferred until 24 November 2017. This may be extended until 24 February 2018 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £151,250.
Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by John Glen. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.
Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the seal should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.
Images of the seal matrix pair can be downloaded via our flickr site.
For media information contact: Yasmin Kaye Communications Officer Department for Culture Media and Sport Tel: 0207 211 6489 Email: yasmin.kaye@culture.gov.uk
Delegates at Cenex-LCV will get the chance to see some of the best low carbon vehicle (LCV) technologies to emerge from the last decade and learn about what’s to come.
Representatives from Innovate UK will be at the event to highlight the latest innovations from the automotive sector. It is taking place on 6 and 7 September 2017 at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire. You can find us in the Government Pavilion, Hall 3.
For the tenth anniversary, we will be showcasing 10 projects from the last 10 years. This includes exhibits from:
You will have the chance to learn about the low carbon technologies developed by these leading manufacturers and how they are changing the automotive landscape.
Gordon Murray Design: the future of car manufacture
See our work in manufacturing and materials.
In addition to looking back, we’ll also be sharing the results of recent projects that have the potential to revolutionise the manufacture of low carbon vehicles.
This includes:
You will also be able to learn about current and upcoming funding opportunities, including the Faraday Challenge. This is part of government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to support the development of the next generation of batteries for electric vehicles.
Other opportunities from Innovate UK funding are with partners, Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and OLEV.
read moreOn his first visit to the region since being re-appointed as an Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister, Mr Burt laid a wreath at a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Gaza and heard from Gazans about current humanitarian challenges, before visiting Susiya village in Area C of the West Bank and Hebron to understand recent developments on the ground. While in Ramallah Mr Burt met with a number of representatives from the Palestinian Authority including Foreign Minister Malki and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the working with the Palestinian leadership to achieve a two-state solution.
UK commitment to Middle East peace
Speaking after his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories Minister Burt said:
I was delighted to return to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) following my re-appointment to the Foreign Office as Minister of State for the Middle East.
I came to see and hear what has changed since my last official visit in 2013 and to reaffirm the UK’s strong support for a two-state solution to secure peace and prosperity for both Palestinians and Israelis.
I am grateful for the hospitality and warmth shown to me across the OPTs, in Gaza, Susiya, Hebron, Jerusalem and Ramallah, and for very constructive meetings with Foreign Minister Malki, Finance Minister Bishara, Education Minister Saidam and PLO Chief Negotiator Erekat.
The UK will continue to support efforts to improve conditions on the ground for ordinary people and to enable negotiations to resume. I look forward to working with the parties and the wider international community, including the UN and the US, to make progress in the months ahead.
Minister Burt then travelled to Jerusalem and met a number of government officials and political figures to discuss wide-ranging issues affecting the UK’s relations with Israel. He emphasised the UK’s strong relationship with Israel and its commitment to the Middle East Peace Process.
He also attended the launch ceremony of El Al Airlines’ first Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane at Ben Gurion Airport. El Al’s new fleet of Dreamliners is equipped with British-made Rolls Royce engines, a result of the biggest-ever trade deal between the 2 countries, signed in 2016. Mr Burt went on to meet young tech developers and see first-hand how a London-based initiative, the free coding school Founders & Coders, is expanding to Israel through a successful branch in the city of Nazareth.
UK Israel trade and tech partnership
Speaking in Tel Aviv Minister Burt said:
read moreThe UK is a great friend of Israel and during this visit I have reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. We will continue to work with and support those in Israel and beyond who want to achieve a viable solution.
We have a longstanding relationship with Israel and I have witnessed first-hand the strength of this partnership in many areas from trade and investment to technology and innovation. This relationship will continue to grow and benefit both of our nations.