Tag Archives: HM Government

On 11 July the UK is co-hosting an international summit on family planning in London with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The summit aims to boost global commitment to one of the smartest investments governments can make: ensuring women and girls have access to family planning services.

Why do we need a summit?

Expanding access to contraception and family planning programmes is one of the most cost-effective ways to break the cycle of poverty. It empowers people to plan their futures and reach their fullest potential.

Huge progress has already been made, but there are still 214 million women around the world who do not want to get pregnant and are not currently using modern methods of family planning.

Voluntary family planning enables women and girls to complete their education and take up better economic opportunities: it transforms lives, creating more prosperous, stable societies, which is in the UK’s interest. That is why International Development Secretary Priti Patel is stepping up the UK’s global leadership through an international summit on family planning in London this summer.

What will the summit achieve?

Together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UK will bring together governments, the United Nations, foundations, the private sector, civil society and youth advocates from around the world. Outcomes from the summit will include a range of new commitments from developing countries, donors and other partners. These commitments will increase access to family planning services for women and girls in the world’s poorest countries, fix problems with supply chains and prioritise the needs of women and girls in humanitarian crises.

What has been achieved globally on family planning already?

The 2012 London Summit on Family Planning kick-started an international movement (FP2020) to increase investments in voluntary family planning. Since then, the FP2020 movement has driven considerable progress: by 2016, an unprecedented 300 million women in the world’s poorest countries were using voluntary modern contraception.

UK investments alone have resulted in nearly 7 million more women using safe, modern contraception. Clear progress has been made, but more needs to be done if we are to reach our global ambition of reaching an additional 120 million women and girls by 2020.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:

I am proud of the UK’s global leadership on family planning, sexual and reproductive health. We can see the progress that is being made around the world – but much more needs to be done.

That’s why the Family Planning Summit will be so important. It is a vital and exciting opportunity for the key players to get together and speed up progress to help 120 million more women and girls take control of their own lives through voluntary, modern family planning by 2020.

Visit the Family Planning Summit website.

Outcome of procurement process for award of 2017 Standard Crime Contract.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) 2017 Annual Conference took place on 26 June 2017, at Church House, Westminster. Over 250 people registered to attend to hear from the Adjudicator and a range of other speakers about progress over the past 12 months, current Code related issues in the groceries sector and plans for the future.

The theme of the conference was ‘Driving Change, Making an Impact’.

Driving Change, Making an Impact

A presentation of the progress of the work of the GCA over the past 12 months.

Christine Tacon, Groceries Code Adjudicator – GCA Annual Report 2016-17 (PDF, 1.96MB, 22 pages)

The GCA annual sector survey results

YouGov presents findings from the GCA commissioned research into experiences and attitudes in relation to retailer compliance with the Code.

Gavin Ellison, YouGov Director – The GCA Annual Sector Survey results (PDF, 1.7MB, 23 pages)

Forward Look

The Adjudicator presents her plans for the coming year

Christine Tacon, Groceries Code Adjudicator – Forward Look (PDF, 1.72MB, 25 pages)

Mr Michael Wainwright, aged 33, of Bromley Crescent, Ruislip pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday 2 May 2017, to 8 offences of providing unregulated immigration advice between May 2013 and June 2016.

The offences committed over a 3 year period commenced when Mr Wainwright was a practising barrister. His entitlement to practice did not include accepting instructions from clients. He was suspended on the 5 August 2014 and then disbarred from practicing as a barrister on 3 December 2014.

Following his disbarment Mr Wainwright formed a legal services company Crested Associates Ltd, which he used to commit further offences, targeting vulnerable persons seeking immigration advice until finally remanded into custody on the 2 May 2017.

His conduct in committing these offences included:

• conducting cases when not entitled to do so
• contacting detainees facing deportation at Immigration Removal Centres and promising to lodge Judicial Reviews or make bail applications on their behalf
• failing to make applications to the Home Office or the Immigration Tribunals for which he had been instructed and paid by the applicants
• lodging Judicial Reviews and applications before the Upper Tribunal and at the High Court
• making applications before Tribunals as the “applicant in person” and seeking fee remissions
• appearing in person as a representative before Immigration Tribunals when no longer qualified to do so
• making false claims as to his status before the Immigration Tribunals or claiming to act as a McKenzie Friend

On 28 June 2017 at Southwark Crown Court His Honour Judge Hehir sentenced Mr Wainwright to a total of 22 months imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the victims totalling £2,858.

When sentencing HHJ Hehir said:

Your conduct represents a flagrant disregard for not only the standards of profession you used to be a part of, but also the Bar Standards Board and also the criminal courts and their orders too.

The facts of the eight offences have been very fully opened to me. They reveal that you persistently and in a sophisticated fashion, held yourself out to vulnerable and often desperate people.

The prohibition is there for good reason. Whether or not those who seek help for immigration advice or services have a good case, or are entitled to be in the UK is neither here nor there. They and their families are highly vulnerable and often desperate.

Charlatans like you take advantage take of their difficulty and desperation and by doing so you can only harm their interests. You were deliberately taking advantage of these people.

Speaking about the decision, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner Dr Ian Leigh said:

These are serious offences that are aggravated by a knowing disregard of the statutory regime, and I am pleased with the outcome in this case.

A letter from Justine Greening sent to MPs concerning the situation of women from Northern Ireland travelling to England for an abortion