Tag Archives: HM Government

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Press release: British beef is coming to the Philippines

Filipinos can now enjoy British beef following a new export deal estimated to be worth £34 million.

New export deal will soon see British beef on dinner plates and menus across the Philippines. The Department of International trade team at the British Embassy Manila provided significant support to Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to secure an export deal estimated to be worth £34 million to the UK economy.

British Ambassador-designate to the Philippines Daniel Pruce said:

I am delighted to see that British beef is coming back to the Philippines and look forward to serving this fantastic British product at the Residence and at other British Embassy events.

Beef reared in the UK will now join pork, poultry, lamb and dairy on the list of UK food and drink shipped to the Philippines.

Food Minister George Eustice said:

Securing market access for our world-class beef to the Philippines is a huge vote of confidence for a sector that already exports more than £350 million around the world, including Hong Kong and Canada. The UK beef industry is the envy of the world and this strong demand globally for our traditional breeds reared to the highest welfare standards is what drives our exports and creates opportunities for our farmers.

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HM Government

Press release: Second wall cladding system passes latest government fire safety test

The latest wall cladding combination tested as part of the government’s series of large-scale fire safety tests has passed and meets current Building Regulations guidance.

This fifth test was of a wall cladding system consisting of Aluminium Composite material (ACM) cladding with a limited combustibility filler (category 1 in screening tests) with PIR foam insulation.

The government’s Expert Panel advises that the results show that this combination of materials can be compliant when installed and maintained properly. While government has not been informed of any tall buildings over 18 metres in England using this particular combination of materials in their wall system, it could offer a possible solution for some buildings with other cladding systems which have been identified as a fire hazard through previous large-scale tests.

The purpose of the testing programme is to develop a better understanding of how different types of cladding panels behave with different types of insulation in a fire. This is so building owners and their professional advisors can make informed decisions.

The clear advice from the Expert Panel remains that building owners need to continue to take professional advice regarding remedial work that takes into account the specific circumstances of their building.

The government announced the independent review of building regulations and fire safety on 28 July 2017. This forward-looking review will examine the regulatory system around the design, construction and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety as well as related compliance and enforcement issues.

Results of the first 4 tests have already been published. Results of the remaining 2 large-scale tests will be published when they are available.

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HM Government

Press release: Highways England supports training exercise in Birmingham

The event took place on Friday night on a closed section of the A38(M) in Birmingham for a ‘real-time’ incident involving a HGV, double-decker bus, a van and four cars. The training scenario was a road-traffic collision. To add an extra dimension to the incident, the van and one of the cars was on its side and on its roof.

The exercise – organised by West Midlands Fire Service – took place in a closed section of the carriageway which was utilised for the exercise as part of on-going repair work by Highways England at Spaghetti Junction.

Highways England has been working closely with the emergency services for the past couple of months to stage the exercise.

Highways England emergency planning officer, Frank Bird, said:

This was a really useful training exercise for us and our partners to test responses to a challenging incident. We continue to work closely with the emergency services across the West Midlands and we’re pleased to be able to help by utilising an existing closure on the road to help support their training programme.

Watch commander Andy Wagner of West Midlands Fire Service, who planned and organised the exercise, said:

We’re extremely grateful to everyone who helped make Friday night’s exercise as realistic as possible, including Highways England for ensuring we had use of the A38(M).

We aim to get to life-risk emergencies in five minutes or less, and then put in place an assertive, safe and effective plan to resolve the incident. This scenario drew on the wide range of skills and resources that would be needed in such challenging circumstances. It was a great opportunity to test and perfect how several agencies work together.

The incident also posed a challenge to paramedics called to the scene to treat nine ‘casualties’ in the form of actors that replicated wounds similar to those that would be experienced in real-life.

West Midlands Ambulance Service hazardous area response team manager, James Price, said:

The exercise on Friday night was a great opportunity to test our skills and joint-agency team work at a multi-vehicle collision.

Routine exercises like this take place across the West Midlands region regularly and are important as they enable us to test our ability to deal with large scale incidents. Thanks to Highways England and West Midlands Fire Service for organising the exercise.

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.

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HM Government