Mental health and community care work are covered by contract extension which takes effect on 31 July 2017.

On 23 June 2017 Robert Nye, master of the Scottish registered fishing vessel Rebecca KY982 pleaded guilty to an offence under the Fisheries Act 1981 at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that on 25 October 2017 the vessel was offloading its catch at North Shields when it was inspected by MMO Officers. During the inspection 47% of the contents of the 7 boxes of nephrops inspected were found to contain catch below the minimum conservation reference size. A Fixed Administrative Penalty was issued to the master and owner at the time but this was not paid within the required 28 days.

The vessel master, Robert Nye, was fined £375 with an additional £479.40 representing the value of the illegal catch, £910.50 costs and a victim surcharge of £37.50.

The court also heard how the vessel’s owner Russel Ritchie, who was not on board the vessel at the time of the offence, was on 9 June 2017 fined £125, with £410 costs and a victim surcharge of £30.

A spokesman for the MMO said:

“Regulations governing the minimum sizes for landings of fish are in place to protect juvenile fish in order that there is a sustainable fishery for this and future generations of fishermen. The MMO will take appropriate and proportionate enforcement action including pursuing and bringing prosecutions to court to protect the long term viability of the marine environment for future generations.”

In this case the owner and master were initially given the opportunity by the MMO to pay a £500 Fixed Administrative Penalty (FAP) in lieu of prosecution. The failure to make the payment within the required 28 days has resulted in them being prosecuted. The court considered the offences to be serious and collectively imposed financial penalties of over four times the amount of the FAP at a total cost of £2,367.40. This demonstrates both the consequences of not adhering to fisheries regulations and the importance of paying penalties within the required timescales.”

Following the meeting, Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field MP said:

An Insolvency Service investigation found Mr McMonagle (48) had caused the company to trade in a manner which breached consumer protection legislation, causing a loss to customers in the region of £95,000.

On 21 January 2016, Marshalls of Kilmarnock, with liabilities of £544,309 was placed into compulsory liquidation following a winding up petition lodged by H M Revenue & Customs. Kevin McMonagle was the sole director of Marshalls of Kilmarnock Limited at that time.

Following the liquidator’s appointment, the investigation found that from 4 June 2014 onwards, Trading Standards received 36 complaints from customers which resulted in quantifiable losses to 17 customers of about £95,000.

The complaints related to:

• not paying or returning money owed to customers
• selling motor vehicles which were not of satisfactory quality
• omitting to transfer vehicles registration documents
• failing to pay off finance agreements of customers trading in their vehicles

On 4 December 2014, officers from Trading Standards met with Mr McMonagle to discuss their concerns regarding the level of complaints against the company. Following further complaints, Trading Standards applied to the Court for an enforcement order after Mr McMonagle stopped co-operating with them during March 2015.

On 15 April 2015, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court issued an interim enforcement order to prevent continued breaches and protect customers following which Mr McMonagle surrendered his licence to sell second hand cars on 28 April 2015. This caused the company to cease trading.

The undertaking that Mr McMonagle has now given to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy means he will not able to act as a director of a company for seven years from 26 June 2017.

Robert Clarke, Head of Company Investigation at the Insolvency Service said:

When directors of a company do not comply with legislation that is designed to protect customers, and avoidable losses result, the Insolvency Service will fully investigate the circumstances and take action where appropriate.

In this case, a significant number of customers have been left out of pocket thanks to Mr McMonagle’s disregard of protective legislation and it is appropriate that their disqualification is for a significant period of time.

This ban should serve as a reminder to any directors tempted to do the same: the Insolvency Service will vigorously investigate you and seek to remove you from the marketplace.

Notes to editors

Marshalls of Kilmarnock Limited (CRO No.SC479229) went into compulsory liquidation on 21 January 2016 with a deficiency to creditors of £544,309. The company was incorporated to sell second hand cars.

Kevin Vincent McMonagle’s date of birth is 24 April 1969.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7596 6187

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British troops are supporting the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Sir Michael Fallon has confirmed that the Bentiu-based medical facility is fully operational, and will support over 1,800 UN peacekeepers and UN staff. This will enable military and civilian staff to carry out the work of the UNMISS mission by providing vital infrastructure for a challenging operating environment.

Construction of the hospital came at the request of the UN, and was assessed as one of the best ways UK expertise could support delivery of the UNMISS mandate. The UNMISS role in South Sudan is to protect civilians, create the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian aid, and support the peace process and Human Rights.

Following a commitment made in 2015 by the then Prime Minister to double the UK’s commitment to global peacekeeping initiatives, nearly 400 UK military personnel are supporting UN efforts in South Sudan, making this one of the UK’s largest operational deployments in the world.

The temporary hospital will be staffed by personnel from all three services, and will be replaced by a permanent field hospital built by Royal Engineers.

The British military contingent is also providing engineering support to the UN mission in both Bentiu and Malakal, including projects like the construction of a jetty on the River Nile, helicopter landing sites, and other infrastructure improvements.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

The British-built temporary field hospital in South Sudan is now fully operational, and will support the UN’s efforts protecting civilians and promoting stability in this conflict affected country.

UK troops have a proud record of delivering peace and security across the globe and are making an important contribution to a country where millions of people have been left starving and displaced.

This is one of our largest operational deployments, which clearly demonstrates Global Britain’s continued commitment to United Nations peacekeeping and development and security in Africa.

The field hospital will be run by over 75 medical staff, including specialists in fields such as infectious diseases, intensive care and surgery.

Its facilities include:

• An emergency department
• A surgical theatre
• A laboratory
• An x-ray and head CT scanner
• An aero-medical evacuation team
• Wards including isolation facility

Commander Medical Lt Col Michael Hepburn said:

We are delighted to be able to declare the Hospital open. Our team feel honoured to be able to contribute to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and hope that we can make a positive difference to enable our UNMISS partners to fulfil their UN roles.

In addition to engineering and medical support, the UK also has a small number of staff officers in the UNMISS’ Juba headquarters.

Alongside the UK-hosted Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial meeting in London in September, these contributions underline the UK’s leading role in support to peacekeeping operations. More widely, the UK government is committing funding and support to tackle the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, with £100 million provided this year to provide food for over 500,000 people, safe drinking water for over 300,000 people, emergency health services for over 100,000 people and support for 650,000 people to build their livelihoods.

British military personnel and UNMISS representatives hosted an event to mark the opening of the hospital. Delegates included Commander Medical Lt Col Michael Hepburn, HM Ambassador Alison Blackburne, Head of the Department for International Development’s South Sudan office Becks Buckingham, Head of Field Office Hiroko Hirahara, UNMISS Chief Medical Officer Dr Iqbal Mohd, Force Chief of Staff Brigadier Robbie Boyd OBE and Commander Operation TRENTON Lt Col Jason Ainley.