Tag Archives: HM Government

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The Department for Communities and Local Government has written to all building control bodies in England highlighting key Building Regulations requirements when cladding work on high rise buildings over 18 metres tall is undertaken.

This followed advice from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel whose members were particularly concerned that further risks are not created in any new works undertaken by building owners.

At their third meeting the Independent Expert Advisory Panel recommended that it would be wise to draw attention to the need to ensure that any recladding work complies with all relevant Building Regulations’ requirements. In particular requirements on structural safety, resistance to moisture penetration and build up, and energy efficiency need to be considered – as well as ensuring that the fire safety requirements are met.

Building control bodies are responsible for checking that work complies with Building Regulations’ requirements. It is the responsibility of those carrying out the work to ensure that the provisions of the regulations are fully met.

The advice from the Department has been sent to all building control bodies in England including local authorities building control departments and private sector Approved Inspectors. It sets out the Department’s view that if building owners consider that they need to re-clad their building, for example following the results of recent screening for identification of the type of ACM cladding in use, this should be considered as building work and therefore subject to Building Regulations’ requirements.

The letter particularly draws the attention of building control bodies to the following:

• Approaches to demonstrating compliance with fire safety requirements, for example ensuring that cladding and insulation used are of limited combustibility or that a whole wall cladding system BS 8414 test is undertaken. The British Standard 8414 requires that a wall with a complete cladding system – including panels and insulation – fixed to it, is then subject it to a fire that replicates a severe fire in a flat breaking out of a window and whether it then spread up the outside wall.

• Where panels are removed for inspection or testing purposes, the integrity of the whole cladding system needs to be maintained.

• The structural design of any replacement cladding needs to be checked – it should not be assumed that existing fixings and systems are suitable for replacement systems.

• The need to ensure that replacement cladding systems or components protect the building adequately from rain and condensation.

• Guidance on how to meet energy efficiency requirements when recladding.

Read the letter to building control bodies on recladding of tall buildings

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• Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee thanks staff at Foston Hall prison for their ‘vital work’ in helping to deliver major prison reforms
• Part of the commitment to make prisons places of self-discipline, hard work and reform to reduce reoffending and keep the public safe
• Foston Hall has recently recruited 4 new officers, with 4 more currently in training
• The visit follows £100m investment in 2,500 extra officers across the prison estate

Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee today visited Foston Hall women’s prison in Derbyshire, where he met frontline staff to hear first-hand about the support they provide to vulnerable women in their care.

The minister sat down with governor Andrea Black and spoke to staff from various roles, to hear about the daily challenges they face supporting prisoners and how the wholescale reforms to the prison system will help to reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for women in custody.

Foston Hall has recently recruited 4 new officers with 4 more currently in training and due to begin work in the coming months. The prison continues to look for ambitious applicants from all backgrounds.

The visit comes as part of a tour of prisons, with the minister hearing from dedicated healthcare staff, who provide specialist support for some of the most vulnerable women, many of whom have suffered abuse and have mental health problems.

As a local resettlement prison, Foston Hall offers vocational training for prisoners in areas such as textiles, retail and horticultural studies – helping prepare them to lead a life without crime by providing the relevant skills for a career on release. Many of the staff at the prison are from the local area and have close links to the community and work hard to reintegrate released prisoners into the area by working closely with local support services.

Foston Hall also has a dedicated unit for vulnerable women, and staff at the prison have benefited from specialist trauma-informed training. This helps them develop a greater understanding of the behaviours that lead to offending – enhancing safety and security across the estate. Staff are also committed to maintaining family engagement and improving family ties for prisoners.

The government has been clear in its commitment to building on the essential reforms to the prison system which are already under way, including providing specialist training for prison officers and supporting both offenders and ex-offenders in finding sustained employment and housing on release.

Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee said:

Prison officers at Foston Hall do a challenging job and work with a range of vulnerable women who need intensive help and support.

I came here today to express my gratitude to the governor and her team for the vital work they are doing to support prisoners, which will help reduce reoffending, cut crime and lead to fewer victims.

We will continue to listen to them and all prison staff as we develop our strategy on female offenders and deliver on our important reforms to make prisons safe and cut reoffending.

The positive work from staff at Foston Hall represents the wholescale changes that are taking place across the prison system, following on from the launch of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) earlier this year, which will give governors more control and flexibility in reforming offenders and supporting them on release.

The launch of HMPPS follows last year’s White Paper on safety and reform, which announced 2,500 new prison officers and an additional £100 million investment across the estate, with new measures to get offenders off drugs and provide them with the education and skills they need to turn their backs on crime.

In addition to these wide-ranging reforms, we will be announcing our strategy for the way we manage female offenders later this year.

Notes to editors:

• This last year saw the highest level of new joiners (band 3-5 officers) since March 2010 and prison officer numbers have increased for the first time since March 2016.

The Ministry of Justice has:

• started targeted local recruitment initiatives at 30 sites so that governors can more easily recruit the people they need
• developed a new graduate scheme ‘Unlocked’ that will encourage people from a broader range of backgrounds to join the Service
• launched an armed forces to officers scheme that will support people to join the Prison Service after leaving the military
• introduced a pay increase for Band 3 Officers on Fair and Sustainable (F&S) terms at 31 difficult-to-recruit prisons
• prison officers have the opportunity to earn over £30,000 depending on location of prison and hours contract. Plus public sector pension and other benefits
• substantial investment in marketing and targeted recruitment to generate even more interest in these valuable roles

Visit https://www.prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/ to find out more.

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The government has announced new funding of up to £86 million for UK firms to develop medical breakthroughs.

The package will allow small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop and test new technologies in the NHS. This could include innovations such as digital technologies to help patients manage their conditions from home instead of a hospital, or to develop new medicines.

Access to this funding will also speed up the time it takes to get new technologies from the lab to patients in the NHS.

The announcement is the first step in taking forward the Accelerated Access Review (AAR) – an independently chaired review, which made recommendations to government on speeding up patient access to new technologies.

Technologies that have previously received support are already bringing benefits to patients. For example, MyCOPD is an online system that helps people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) better manage their condition. It has helped over 32,000 patients by helping them improve their breathing, manage flare-ups and track medicine use. This reduces reliance on GP and hospital appointments.

Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy said:

The government’s ambition is that NHS patients get world-leading, life-changing treatments as fast as possible.

That can’t happen unless we support medical innovation and tear down the barriers – like speed to market and access to funding – that can get in the way, especially for SMEs.

Our investment in innovation shows how much we value the UK life sciences sector.

The funding is split into 4 packages. These include:

• £39 million of funding to the Academic Health Science Networks (ASHNs), enabling them to assess the benefits of new technologies and support NHS uptake of those that deliver real benefits to patients according to the local need
• £35 million Digital Health Technology Catalyst for innovators – this will match-fund the development of digital technologies for use by patients and the NHS
• up to £6 million over the next 3 years to help SMEs with innovative medicines and devices get the evidence they need by testing in the real world, building on existing opportunities such as the Early Access to Medicine Scheme (EAMS)
• £6 million Pathway Transformation Fund, which will help NHS organisations integrate new technologies into everyday practices – this will help overcome more practical obstacles such as training staff on how to use new equipment

Business Minister Lord Prior said:

The government has an important role to play in driving innovation that will increase economic growth and support businesses across the country. Through this funding we will quicken the pace of scientific discovery and innovation in the UK. Our Industrial Strategy will boost our status a global hub for life sciences.

Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) CEO Peter Ellingworth said:

ABHI welcomes the announcement as a further commitment to supporting the UK medical technology sector. These additional funding initiatives will complement work already in place on Innovation Tariff, NICE processes and horizon scanning as part of the overall Accelerated Access Review. The measures could significantly enhance the UK as a destination of choice for MedTech companies, in turn, benefiting patients, the health system and the wider economy.

Ben Moody, Head of Health and Social Care at techUK, said:

The UK is a world leader in health tech but we must not be complacent. The Digital Health Technology Catalyst will be a great boost for innovators in the sector.

The announcement also recognises that the resources needed to generate evidence to show that a technology is worth reimbursing can be prohibitively difficult for SMEs – so the fund to support evidence generation for innovative devices is particularly welcome.

British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) Chief Executive, Doris-Ann Williams MBE, said:

BIVDA very much welcomes the government’s announcement about funding towards practical support for the introduction of new medical technologies into the NHS.

It is a constant source of frustration that implementation of new tests takes years to achieve. It means that not only are people not benefiting from improved diagnosis and disease management but also that the NHS is losing the chance to gain cost efficiencies along clinical pathways.

We would like to congratulate the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on pulling together these funding streams ahead of the Industrial Strategy to show practical support of their intent to foster healthy and vibrant Life Sciences industries in the UK.

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Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon Sir Ian Burnett as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2 October 2017.

This appointment follows the retirement of The Rt Hon The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd on 1 October 2017.

Further information

Sir Ian Burnett was born on 28 February 1958. He was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1980, becoming a Bencher in 2001. He was in practice as a barrister, Temple Garden Chambers, from 1982-2008 (Head of Chambers from 2003-2008). He was Junior Counsel to the Crown, Common Law, 1992-1998 and became Queen’s Counsel in 1998. He was appointed Assistant Recorder, 1998-2000; Recorder, 2000-2008; a Deputy High Court Judge, 2008; Deputy Chamber, Security Vetting Appeals Panel, 2009. He was appointed Judge of the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division, in 2008 and was Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit from 2011-2014. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal on 6 October 2014. He was Vice-Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission from 2015-2017.

The appointment

The appointment of the Lord Chief Justice is made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel chaired by Lord Kakkar, Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission. The other panel members were: Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, Sir Adrian Fulford, Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Dame Valerie Strachan (DCBE), lay member of the JAC and Professor Noel Lloyd (CBE), lay member of the JAC. This selection exercise was run under the relevant sections of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013.

In accordance with section 70 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed and consulted the Lord Chancellor and the First Minister of Wales on the process followed.

In accordance with s.10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 c.54, the selection exercise was open to all applicants who satisfied the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a 7-year basis, or were judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, or High Court.

Given the need to deliver significant Court reforms and to steer the judiciary through our exit from the EU, candidates were expected to be able to serve for at least 4 years.

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