Tag Archives: HM Government

As the 13:00 hrs train from Totnes Riverside to Buckfastleigh was running between Staverton and Buckfastleigh, at around 20 mph (32 km/h), a passenger and her small child attempted to enter a lavatory compartment in the fourth carriage. On opening the door, they found that the floor of the compartment was missing, exposing the carriage wheels below. The mother was able to catch hold of the child and prevent him from falling. The child reportedly suffered minor bruising and both were shocked.

The passenger reported the incident to the guard of the train, and the railway took action to secure the lavatory door. The incident was reported to the RAIB on 25 June.

The carriage, an ex-British Railways Mark 1 Open Second, had been put back into service after repairs to its braking system, which had required the dismantling of the lavatory floor. The floor had not been replaced and staff had placed a notice on the compartment door and attempted to secure it to prevent it being opened. This had not been effective.

Our investigation will examine:

• the events leading up to the incident, including the repairs to the carriage and the actions taken to return it to service
• the adequacy and suitability of the measures to secure the door
• the railway’s safety management system, including the arrangements for managing the competence and fitness of the staff of the carriage and wagon department, and the systems in place for assuring the safety of rolling stock in service

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports.

Ordnance Survey has released a comprehensive map of greenspaces throughout Great Britain.

CCS has been working with partners including the CBI, Federation of Small Businesses, techUK and the Association of Bid Managers to design the new pack, which cuts the amount of tender documentation that suppliers need to complete.

The pack consists of fewer, shorter tender documents and sets out all the information in one place and in Plain English. The new pack also removes irrelevant terms and conditions, only including those which directly apply to the goods or service being purchased.

Full terms and conditions that apply to all frameworks will be available online instead.

The simplified bidder pack will now be rolled out to all relevant new agreements awarded in the coming months and years.

Sam Rowbury, CCS Director, Policy Delivery said:

The new bid pack will make it easier than ever for more suppliers, and particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to work with government. It clearly and simply sets out the customer’s and CCS’s requirements, so that bidders can spend more time developing their best offer and less on red tape.

We have already seen success in the first project, which resulted in 86 of the 121 successful suppliers on the new Cyber Security Services framework being SMEs. Many of those suppliers told us that the new pack was much easier to understand and use.

Rob Driver, techUK’s Head of Public Sector Programme said:

Ongoing engagement between Government and industry enables public services to take advantage of innovative tech through having access to a wide range of suppliers.

As a result of the detailed supplier and buyer engagement between techUK and CCS a more user friendly bidder pack has been developed. This will open up choice for public sector buyers, promote innovation and help the government achieve its target of 33% of procurement spend being awarded to SMEs.

On 1 April 2017 vehicle tax rates changed.

New rates were introduced for all cars and some motorhomes first registered on or after 1 April.

If you’re thinking of changing your car, you’ll need to find out if these rates affect you. You can check the vehicle tax rate to make sure you know what you need to pay.

The rates explained

The first vehicle tax rate is based on CO2 emissions.

When the first vehicle tax period has ended (this is either after 12 months or if the vehicle is sold or transferred within the first 12 months), the amount of tax that needs to be paid depends on the type of vehicle. The rates are:

• £140 a year for petrol or diesel vehicles
• £130 a year for alternative fuel vehicles (hybrids, bioethanol and LPG)
• £0 a year for vehicles with zero CO2 emissions

Vehicles with an original list price of more than £40,000

If a vehicle has an original list price (the published price before any discounts) of more than £40,000, the rate of tax is based on CO2 for the first time it is taxed.

When the first vehicle tax period has ended (this is after 12 months or if the vehicle is sold or transferred), the rate that needs to be paid depends on the type of vehicle (petrol, diesel, alternative fuel or zero emissions) plus an additional rate of £310 a year for the next 5 years.

After those 5 years, the vehicle will then be taxed at one of the standard rates (£140, £130, or £0, depending on vehicle type). These rates apply even if the vehicle changes hands within the 5 year period.

Check your vehicle tax rate now.

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Drivers can follow DVLA on Twitter or Facebook, or sign up to our email alerts to keep up-to-date with the changes to vehicle tax.

Launching the report ‘Setting the Standard’ at a horizon scanning event, Lord Bew said:

In 2016-17, we considered issues across public life from regulatory bodies to referendums, and party funding to induction for new MPs, to reinforce the importance of the Nolan Principles and emphasise their relevance in fast-changing times.

In September we launched our report on regulators, Striking the Balance – Upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life in Regulation. In 2017-18 we will publish the findings of our current review on ‘reasonable limits’ for MPs’ outside interests, and work with a wide range of audiences to address other standards issues.

The new Parliament provides an opportunity for everyone in public life to reflect on their standards of conduct, both what they do well and what can be improved. As the process of negotiating and scrutinising the UK’s departure from the EU begins, honesty and integrity in political discourse has never been more important. We call on all public office holders to consider how they can incorporate the Seven Principles into their daily work to promote public trust and confidence as we face the challenges ahead.