Tag Archives: HM Government

The second in the government’s series of fire safety tests of cladding and insulation combinations has been completed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

This test was of a wall cladding system consisting of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding with a polyethylene filler (category 3) with stone wool insulation.

The government’s expert panel advises that the results show this combination does not meet current building regulation guidance.

111 buildings are currently known to have this combination of materials in their wall cladding systems – 90 of which are local authority or housing association owned or managed.

Cladding samples from all these buildings had already been tested and failed earlier combustibility tests conducted by BRE. Building owners were advised to take immediate action by implementing interim safety measures and working with their local fire and rescue service to complete a fire safety audit.

Today’s (2 August 2017) test results reinforce the evidence already provided to these building owners about fire risks.

Adding to earlier advice provided to them following the initial tests, further detailed advice has been issued to building owners. They need to act on this advice to ensure the safety of residents. The government is working closely with all affected building owners to ensure the advice is being followed.

Last week (28 July) the government announced the independent review of building regulations and fire safety. It 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.

The government’s fire testing programme continues and further test results will be published when they are available.

Dr Malcolm Burns represented the UK at the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) Steering Committee meeting held at the end of June

The government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF) and its Turkish counterpart, Export Credit Bank of Turkey (ECBT) have signed the agreement as the government increased its support for UK businesses trading with Turkey.

UKEF and ECBT will partner to identify and promote opportunities for UK-Turkey trade. They will also now be able to co-finance projects in other countries, combining their financial support to help UK and Turkish exporters secure major global contracts.

This comes as UKEF support for exports to Turkey doubles to up to £3.5 billion, making an additional £1.75 billion available for UK companies selling to Turkey and for Turkish investors buying British products and services. UKEF financing is also now available in Turkish Lira, along with 40 other global currencies, making it easier for Turkish companies to buy UK products using their local currency.

International Trade Minister, Greg Hands, said:

This partnership is a boost to our trading relationship and businesses in both countries. Working with Turkey to secure contracts for UK and Turkish exporters, and increasing our support for UK businesses trading with Turkey, will open new opportunities, not only in Turkey, but across the world.

Adnan Yildrim, General Manager, Export Credit Bank of Turkey, said:

I am very excited about this partnership, as the opportunity for stronger ties between UK and Turkish businesses will have huge benefits for both countries’ continued growth and prosperity. This agreement lays the groundwork for significant engagement and will act as a strategic tool to enhance the already robust economic relations between the two countries who are longstanding close allies. I expect that both sides will start to reap the fruits of the agreement in the shortest time.

The UK and Turkey already shared £11.9bn worth of trade in 2016, up 70% on 2009. The UK and Turkey are committed to further strengthening this relationship in coming years.

1. UK Export Finance is the UK’s export credit agency and a government department, working alongside the Department for International Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations.

2. It exists to ensure that no viable UK export should fail for want of finance or insurance from the private market. It provides finance and insurance to help exporters win, fulfil and ensure they get paid for export contracts.

3. UKEF can support companies of any size and in any sector, from goods to services and intellectual property.

4. UKEF has a regional network of export finance managers supporting export businesses.

5. UKEF supports exporters with a range of products that include:
   • Bond insurance policy
   • Bond support scheme
   • Buyer & supplier credit financing facility
   • Direct lending facility
   • Export insurance policy
   • Export refinancing facility
   • Export working capital scheme
   • Letter of credit guarantee scheme
6. Find the latest information on UKEF’s country cover positions.

The CMA is consulting on proposals to amend its penalties guidance in order to reflect experience gained in applying it since it was issued in 2012.

The shortlisted entries, many of which come from companies that have never worked in the nuclear industry before, now have around 3 months to develop their ideas for a chance to move on to the next stage. They’ll start fleshing out their concepts on how to safely dismantle a large number of highly radioactive rooms or ‘cells’ at Europe’s most complex nuclear site, Sellafield in Cumbria.

Melanie Brownridge, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) Head of Technology, said:

This competition is an amazing opportunity for creative, forward-thinking and innovative companies to collaborate and come up with cutting-edge solutions for cleaning up some of the UK’s most complex nuclear sites.

The competition, which is being run by the NDA, and the UK government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, is awarding an initial £750,000 to a shortlist of 15 newly formed consortia to help them develop their ideas. Full details remain under commercial wraps but more will be revealed when the winners are picked at the end of the year and begin to build prototypes, supported by the remaining funds.

Over the next few years several major plants at Sellafield will come to the end of their operational life, such as the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) and Magnox Reprocessing Plants, which are used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from power stations across the UK and the rest of the world.

This will mark the start of an important decommissioning challenge to deal with a number of highly radioactive ‘cells’ containing a complex network of contaminated pipes, vessels and several miles of steelwork. The competition set out to find and fund technology that will clean up the ‘cells’ as safely, quickly and cost-effectively as possible whilst minimising risks to the workforce.

The winning technologies will need to find ways of safely accessing the cells, surveying the contents, cleaning them out and putting the radioactive waste into packages for safe storage. The proposals feature the use of leading-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robots, drones, lasers and specialised remote sensors and detectors.

Although initially focused on Sellafield, the winning ideas could be used to clean up the other nuclear sites owned by the NDA, which date back to the earliest days of the UK nuclear industry.

Melanie added:

The NDA is continually seeking the best ways to encourage new ideas from the supply chain and ensure everyone has an opportunity to get involved. The response we have had to this competition has been fantastic. We’ve been really impressed by the standard of proposals and the healthy numbers of applicants.

I’m also extremely encouraged by the high level of interest from organisations outside the nuclear sector, offering highly innovative solutions from industries such as the oil and gas sector, defence industries and even space exploration.

Derek Allen, Innovation Lead at Innovate UK, said:

We are delighted to be working again with the NDA as they continue to support innovation to deliver their programme.

We are looking forward to seeing the integration and demonstration of some of these technologies that will ultimately lead to safer, faster, cheaper nuclear decommissioning. This has the potential to open up significant business opportunities for UK organisations both nationally and globally.