Tag Archives: HM Government

A waste company, 1 of its directors and a tenant farmer involved in the illegal deposit of waste on protected land in an Essex village have been ordered to pay a total of £19,430.

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that 3,920 tonnes of inert waste was deposited on land at Little Hayes Farm, Stow Maries, breaching a waste exemption. The work was also carried out without a flood defence consent or permission from Natural England. The area is within an environmentally sensitive area which benefits from protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation and RAMSAR site.

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that the site did not comply with the U1 exemption which only allows 1,000 tonnes of soil and stones to be used for construction purposes. Almost 4 times this amount was deposited onto the land between 15 April and 8 May 2015, before the activity was stopped by Natural England and the Environment Agency.

On Thursday 3 August, 2017 Simon Hollington pleaded guilty to knowingly causing the illegal deposit. T J Cottis Transport Limited and Jedd Cottis (a director of the company) both pleaded guilty to depositing the waste without an environmental permit and failing to comply with duty of care requirements.

Mrs Miriam Tordoff, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court the waste was deposited there in an attempt to strengthen the existing flood defence at this location. The material used was construction and demolition waste from development sites and T J Cottis Transport Ltd.’s own permitted waste treatment facility. The waste consisted of mainly soil and stones but also included concrete, brick, plastic, glass, wood and plasterboard. It was not suitable for the construction of flood defences.

Mr Hollington employed T J Cottis to deliver waste to land at Little Hayes Farm, Stow Maries. The company paid Mr Hollington £4,800 to deposit the waste. The company accepted that they saved £24,000 in landfill charges by depositing the waste on Mr Hollington’s land.

Mrs Tordoff explained that following the Environment Agency’s request to remove the waste Mr Hollington had now applied for an environmental permit to do this. The waste is expected to be removed later this year.

After the hearing Environment Agency enforcement team leader Lesley Robertson said:

This case highlights to landowners that risk taking is not acceptable, whether it is a risk that concerns human health or the environment. Owning a piece of land means accepting a responsibility to the surrounding area and all that resides there, be it business, homes or wildlife.

If you want to operate under a waste exemption you must register that exemption with the Environment Agency. Each registration lasts 3 years and will then expire unless you re-register. Each exemption has specific limits and conditions you need to operate within. If you don’t, you will not be exempt from needing a permit and may face enforcement action.

Registering an exemption does not remove the need to apply for other permits or permissions. For example, you may need planning permission for your waste operation. You can find out more on the GOV.UK website at environmental permits.

This prosecution follows extensive work with Natural England.

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Public Health England, working with NHS England, the Department of Health and the manufacturers, have put in place a series of measures so that the NHS and other providers can use the available vaccine for those at highest immediate risk. Measures are expected to continue until the beginning of 2018 and will be kept under review.

The risk of catching hepatitis B infection in the UK is very low.

In the UK, vaccination is usually offered to individuals who are at specific risk of being exposed to blood from an infected person. This includes babies born to mothers who are infected with hepatitis B, the sexual partners of infected individuals and a range of other groups such as men who have sex with men, healthcare workers, and people who inject drugs. Vaccination is also recommended for people who will be undertaking certain activities overseas.

A course of hepatitis B vaccine usually involves 3 doses of vaccine, completed over a few months. While supplies are limited, vaccine will be prioritised for those at highest immediate risk based on their doctor’s assessment. For other people, a doctor may advise that hepatitis B vaccine can be deferred until later.

Hepatitis B virus is found in the blood and bodily fluids, such as semen and vaginal fluids, of an infected person. It cannot be spread by kissing, holding hands, hugging, coughing, sneezing, or sharing crockery and utensils.

Individuals can reduce their risk of contracting hepatitis B by taking care to:

• avoid having unprotected sex
• not inject drugs, or by not sharing needles when injecting
• avoid having tattoos, piercing or acupuncture when overseas
• avoid accessing medical or dental care in high prevalence countries

Vaccination will still be available, as now, for those who have already been exposed to hepatitis B. Such people should seek urgent medical attention as the infection can still be prevented if treated promptly after the incident.

The recently announced addition of hepatitis B protection to the routine childhood immunisation programme at 2, 3 and 4 months will go ahead. The combined vaccine, which protects against hepatitis B and 5 other diseases, is not affected by this shortage.

Long term hepatitis B infection can be symptomless and people who think they may have acquired the infection in the past should seek a test from their healthcare professional.

Further information on hepatitis B is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/Hepatitis-B/Pages/Introduction.

Further information on how to reduce your risk of catching hepatitis B is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-b-vaccine-recommendations-during-supply-constraints.

Further advice to travellers is available at travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/50/hepatitis-b.

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In the run up to today’s festival, the Armed Forces Hindu Network organised Raksha Bandhan celebrations across the country, including at the Ministry of Defence in London, marking the strong bonds of protection between the community and the Armed Forces. The network has also hosted in recent weeks a Raksha Bandhan tour across a number of temples in Newcastle, Swindon, Liverpool, and London.

Raksha Bandhan, colloquially known as Rakhi, is an age-old Hindu festival that celebrates brotherhood and love. For the Hindus serving in the Armed Forces, the festival holds special significance as it symbolises the duty of the Armed Forces in protecting their society.

At an event at MOD Main Building in London recently, serving personnel from the Armed Forces and MOD civil servants had a Rakhi (a knot of protection) tied to their wrist. Defence Minister Earl Howe participated in the event and later gave a speech to everyone gathered at the event.

Highlighting the ties and values shared between the Hindu community and the Armed Forces, Defence Minister Earl Howe said:

As we exchange our multi-coloured bands, it’s a unique opportunity to remind ourselves of the multifaceted ties that bind our great Hindu community and our Armed Forces together.

To defend ourselves we must unite: speaking up for those beliefs of tolerance, fairness and dignity, that make us who we are.

Embracing the importance of diverse communities, the Minister also added:

Knowing what our diverse communities bring, only makes us ambitious for more. Indeed, this Government is committed to recruiting 10 per cent of personnel from minority communities, by 2020.

Members of community forums, including the Hindu Council UK and the Hindu Forum of Britain, came together to celebrate the occasion, along with the Chief of Defence People, Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, and the Director of Submarine Capability, Rear Admiral Tim Hodgson.

Hindus have time and again contributed to the defence of the UK. During the First World War, 1,750,000 Hindus deployed overseas. In the second World War, over 1.25 million Hindus played a pivotal role in the allied victory.

Last week the Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon and senior Defence leaders paid their respects to those who fell during the First World War, at the commemorations of the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.

A ceremony was held at the Menin Gate in Ypres which bears the names of hundreds of Indian troops whose graves are unknown. Located nearby to Menin Gate is The Indian Forces Memorial which is dedicated to the 130,000 troops of the Indian Forces who served in Flanders.

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The UK Government has today announced that Euryn Ogwen Williams will lead an independent review of the Welsh broadcaster S4C.

The review will look at key parts of the organisation including S4C’s remit, governance, accountability and its partnership with the BBC and current funding methods.

UK Government in Wales Minister Guto Bebb made the announcement during a visit to the National Eisteddfod on Anglesey where it was also confirmed that BBC will provide a one off payment of support of £350,000 in 2017/18 to provide further stability during the review period.

Euryn Ogwen Williams said:

It’s a great honour to be asked to lead the review of S4C at a critical time for the organisation as it meets the challenges of the rapidly changing media landscape. The next decade will be even more challenging as S4C, like all public service broadcasters, nurtures the relationship with its audiences in the digital world. It must also play a vital role in the development of the Welsh language at a critical time in its history.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said:

Euryn has great experience in Welsh broadcasting and was the first Director of programmes when S4C was set up in 1982. His excellent understanding of Welsh broadcasting and the Welsh language, culture and society will only benefit the progress of this important review.

UK Government in Wales Minister Guto Bebb said:

S4C and the wealth of content it produces makes an important contribution to cultural and economic life in Wales, to the prosperity of the Welsh language and to the strength of our creative sector.

The UK Government has repeatedly emphasised its commitment to a strong and independent Welsh language TV service. We are delighted that Mr Williams has agreed to lead this important, independent review. He is tasked with the job of assessing S4C’s remit, the way in which it is funded and its governance with a view to ensuring that the broadcaster can continue to invest in high-quality programming and meet the needs of Welsh speaking audiences long into the future.

Huw Jones, Chair of S4C Authority said:

We welcome the Government’s announcement regarding the review of S4C, and that Euryn Ogwen Williams, an experienced broadcaster and perceptive analyst of the future of the media, has been appointed to lead the review.

The review will be a key opportunity to note the importance the S4C service’s unique contribution to the culture and economy of Wales and the United Kingdom, and to the future of the Welsh language.

Recommendations from the review will be presented to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) later this year.

The Government announced in March that it will provide an additional £350,000 of capital funding to S4C for 2017/18 to help it upgrade technical and IT equipment. The Secretary of State decided that this level of funding should continue for the second half of the year.

Notes to editors:

1. Euryn Ogwen Williams was the First Director of Programmes when S4C was set up in 1982 and then became the deputy CEO in 1988 until 1991. He has over 50 years of broadcasting experience in Wales, as well as a deep knowledge of the Welsh language, Welsh culture and society.

2. The terms of reference of the review are available here [ADD LINK TO GOV.UK]

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Joyce Bridges CBE was an English Heritage (EH) Commissioner and Chair of EH’s London Advisory Committee from 2003 until 2011. She was also a Commissioner for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) from 2006 until 2011. She is currently a member of Historic England’s Urban Panel and CABE’s Built Environment Expert panel. She has provided professional advice to a variety of bodies including the Heritage Lottery Fund, former Regional Development Agencies and government departments. A former civil servant, she held director level posts in the then ODPM and the Government Office for London, where she advised successive Secretaries of State on planning in London. She played a leading role in the transformation of Trafalgar Square and Somerset House and in the creation of new Thames piers and river services. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

Joyce has been reappointed for a second term of four years starting on 12 September 2017 and ending on 11 September 2021

Carol Marlow joined P&O Steam Navigation Company in 1997 as Managing Director of the Swan Hellenic brand. She then led the UK team for Princess Cruises before becoming Director for Cunard Line in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2005 she became global President and Managing Director of Cunard Line. She held this post until 2009 when she became Managing Director of P&O Cruises, Britain’s largest cruise line – a post she held until autumn 2013. Carol was involved with the Passenger Shipping Association (now Cruise Lines International Association UK & Ireland) from 2002 – 2013, culminating as Chairman of the Board. She was also awarded Honorary Doctorates from the University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University, for her contribution to the industry. She was also made a Younger Brother of Trinity House, where now she chairs their Ambassadors’ Group. Carol is now also a Trustee of the National Museum of the Royal Navy Operations Board, and a Director of Gloriana Services Ltd, part of The Gloriana Trust. She also advises the Royal Academy of Dance, as a member of their Membership and Marketing Committee, and is a Non Executive Director of Trimline,Ltd, which creates world class ship interiors.

Carol has been reappointed for a second term of three years from 12 September 2017 to 11 September 2020

Eric Reynolds has been involved in numerous urban regeneration schemes since the early 1970s. His projects include setting up Camden Lock Market, revitalising the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, creating Merton Abbey Mills, bringing new life to Spitalfields Old Fruit and Vegetable Market, turning Greenwich Market around, building a new indoor tented market in Swindon, creating a small business centre out of Sneinton Wholesale Market in Nottingham, devising Gabriels’ Wharf and refurbishing Bishopsgate Goodsyard. Eric created Container City, USM’s design and build side based around re-using shipping containers. He leads work at Trinity Buoy Wharf, home to London’s only lighthouse as a centre for arts and creative activity. He has also taken over the responsibility to conserve two historic tugs and the only complete steam powered coastal trading ship as Chairman of the SS Robin Trust. In addition he acts as a regeneration advisor across the country and is a trustee of several voluntary bodies.

Eric has been reappointed for a second term of four years from 12 September 2017 to 11 September 2021.

Gerald Russell is a Past President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. Gerald’s career was with Ernst & Young and its predecessor firms. He was the firm’s national marketing partner 1986–88, managing partner Thames Valley 1988–96, regional managing partner – South 1996–98 and regional managing partner in London from 1998 to 2004. More recently, he was audit partner for two FTSE 100 companies and a member of the firms Governing Council. He chaired Ernst & Young’s non-executive director programme, was vice chair of the EY/CBI Audit Committee Chair Forum and was visiting speaker to the Cranfield Business School’s non-executive director and corporate governance programme. Gerald currently chairs the board of governors of Notre Dame School for Girls, Cobham.

Gerald has been reappointed for a second term of two years from 12 September 2017 to 11 September 2019

The roles are not remunerated. These reappointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Joyce, Carol, Eric and Gerald have declared they have undertaken no such political activity.

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