Fast-tracked benefit access extended to more nearing end of life

Press release

Fast-tracked access to benefits will be extended to a year from six months for people nearing the end of life, under changes due to take effect from 4 April.

Changes will extend eligibility to end of life support from six to 12 months from 4 April 2022
Those nearing end of life will be given fast-tracked access to Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance
Delivering on 2021 commitment, the move ensures more people receive vital financial support quicker

Regulations are being laid today and come into force next month. They mean that from 4 April 2022, people who are thought to be in their final year of life will be able to receive vital support through the ‘Special Rules’, six months earlier than they are able to at present.

Those who are eligible will not be subject to a face-to-face assessment or waiting periods, and in the majority of cases they will receive the highest rate of benefits.

Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith said:

We want to ensure people in the final year of their lives get quicker access to vital financial support.

We have listened to those with a terminal illness, as well as their families and friends, and we are delivering a change that will increase much-needed support in the most challenging of times.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of the end of life charity, Marie Curie, said:

After the announcement in the summer and following years of campaigning for this change to be put in place for dying people, we are pleased to see this next step come into place for Universal Credit and ESA claimants. This will ensure more dying people can concentrate on making the most of the limited time they have left, rather than worrying about their finances. Marie Curie believes that everyone has the right to the best end of life care and support.

Sally Light, CEO of the Motor Neurone Disease Association said:

I welcome the announcement that changes to the Special Rules criteria will come into force next month for Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit. This change will enable more people living with complex and unpredictable terminal illnesses like motor neurone disease to access the support they need swiftly and sensitively, without the need for a face-to-face assessment. This is an important first step and we hope that this positive change can be enacted for other applicable benefits as soon as possible.

The 12-month approach will be implemented first in Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance and will come into effect on 4 April. It will then be extended to Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Clinicians will still have discretion under the updated rules and will be supported by a realistic and straightforward definition, which aligns with current NHS practice.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0115 965 8781

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Published 10 March 2022

UK maritime turbocharged with new exports office as part of £4 billion shipbuilding strategy

Trade Secretary launches new Maritime Capability Campaign Office (MCCO) to unleash UK’s maritime exports potential
MCCO will drive UK maritime trade, targeting export opportunities worth up to £600 million over next five years
New National Shipbuilding Strategy will invest £4 billion into UK shipbuilding over next three years

The International Trade Secretary today announced a new exports office to turbocharge the UK’s maritime trade sector as part of a £4 billion investment in shipbuilding.

The Maritime Capability Campaign Office (MCCO) will unite the Department’s defence export and civil maritime capabilities in one unit, targeting export opportunities estimated to be worth up to £600 million.

The MCCO will work with industry and the government’s National Shipbuilding Office to line up high-quality maritime trade opportunities for UK firms in the maritime sector looking to export worldwide.

It will form the exports and investment arm of the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), announced today by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

The NSS will seek to increase competitiveness and productivity throughout the shipbuilding industry, investing £4 billion over the next three years to create jobs and help level up across the country.

It will include a 30-year cross-government shipbuilding pipeline of more than 150 new vessels, investing over £200 million in a new UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions to help fund green research and innovation, and a new Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce to bring the industry together and supply maritime businesses with the qualified workers they need.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan will launch the MCCO in a keynote speech to the 2022 Maritime UK Awards in Glasgow this evening.

The International Trade Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said:

As an island nation with a proud maritime heritage, shipbuilding is a vital part of the UK’s industrial identity, supporting over 40,000 high-quality jobs across the country.

Our new Maritime Capability Campaign Office will champion exports and investments, unlocking opportunities for our world-class shipbuilding industry to export their innovative technologies, services and designs around the globe.

Working in lockstep with business, we will build on our world-leading maritime capabilities, strengthening our global reputation as a thriving maritime industrial base and leveraging our strengths in maritime defence and low-carbon technologies.

Today the International Trade Secretary will also publish the Board of Trade’s first paper of 2022, which outlines the huge opportunities in the maritime sector for boosting exports, reaching Net Zero and creating high-paying jobs across the country.

The new paper also outlines how the UK can cement its position as a world-leading maritime nation by capitalising on its strengths in technology, innovation, maritime services and regulation.

Ben Murray, Chief Executive of Maritime UK, said:

The government’s Maritime Capability Campaign Office can enable us to unleash our full exporting potential across the globe.

And what is good for maritime is good for the UK’s coastal communities, who can become the engine room for Global Britain.

We will be working closely with government to ensure these ambitions are met, on our way to becoming the world’s most competitive maritime nation by 2050.

Before speaking at the Maritime UK Awards in Glasgow, the Trade Secretary will also visit A&P Tyneside – the largest commercial dry dock on the East Coast – marking her first visit to North East England in her current post.

At A&P the Secretary of State will witness first-hand the cutting edge of the UK’s shipbuilding and ship repair industries, and explore options to boost the company’s maritime exports, as part of the NSS aim to generate a shipbuilding renaissance across the whole UK.

Global maritime trade levels are expected to treble by 2050 and the maritime sector already supports more than 220,000 jobs across the country.

Finnmaster safety bulletin published

News story

Safety warning issued after the initial investigation into a cargo ship fire found blocked fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system pilot hoses.

We have published a safety bulletin based on our initial findings following an auxiliary engine room fire on board the Finland registered ro-ro cargo ship Finnmaster as it departed Hull, England, on 19 September 2021.

This accident remains under investigation and the detailed causes and circumstances will be published in an investigation report in due course.

Request for information

To assist this investigation, it is requested that service providers, owners and operators pass details of any blocked pilot system hose assemblies that they find to us.

Email maib@dft.gov.uk with the title ‘CO2 Pilot System Hose Assembly Issues’ and include the name of the vessel, the date and place of installation of the affected hose assemblies, and details of the defects identified.

Published 10 March 2022

9-year ban for director who lied to secure Covid-19 financial support

Inderjit Singh Dadial, 32, from Wolverhampton has been disqualified as a director for nine years.

He was sole director of Cali Juices Ltd, a wholesaler of specialised soft drinks, which was incorporated in 2019 with a registered address in Wolverhampton.

In June 2020 Inderjit Singh Dadial applied for and secured £50,000 through the Bounce Back Loan scheme.

The company’s accounts ending January 2020 however showed turnover of just over £2,000, but the Insolvency Service investigation found that Inderjit Singh Dadial had lied and stated the turnover as £250,000.

The company was not in fact eligible for any money under the scheme based on its actual accounts, and income received into the company’s bank account.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Inderjit Singh Dadial after he admitted grossly inflating the company’s turnover to secure the Bounce Back Loan. His ban runs from 21 March 2022 and lasts for 9 years.

The disqualification undertaking prevents him from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Dave Elliott, Chief Investigator at The Insolvency Service said:

Inderjit Singh Dadial had significantly inflated the turnover on the application to obtain a loan to which Cali Juices Limited was not entitled.

The Insolvency Service will not hesitate to investigate and use its powers against those who have abused the COVID-19 support schemes.

Notes to editors

Inderjit Singh Dadial of Wolverhampton and his date of birth is December 1990.

Cali Juices Ltd (Company Reg no. 11798166)

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.

Information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

Contact Press Office

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

Recruitment vacancy for VMR Project Support

News story

Recruitment details of a fixed term vacancy in our Legislation Team.

This vacancy for Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) Project Support in the Legislation Team is initially for a 2-year fixed term appointment with the possibility of becoming permanent, subject to budget approval.

This exciting and interesting puts you at the heart of the VMD’s Legislation Section, which sits within the VMD’s Legislation & Enforcement Office. The Office leads on the development, implementation and enforcement of policy and legislation on veterinary medicines and medicated feed in the UK.

Summary

Job Title

VMR Project Support in Legislation Team

Grade

HEO

Salary & Pension

£32,557 – £35,888 per annum with Pension Scheme

Annual Leave entitlement

Commencing at 25 days

Role

In this role we are looking for experience in project management, policy, or making secondary legislation, in order to play a central role in our project to update the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013.

How to apply

You must make your application via the Civil Service jobs website where you will find a full job description including salary details.

Closing Date

13 April 2022

Published 10 March 2022