A partir del lunes 11 de octubre a las 4 AM GMT, Paraguay saldrá de la [lista roja] (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-list-of-countries-and-territories) de países para ingresar a Inglaterra. Esto significa que ahora se permite el viaje de personas que no cuenten con la ciudadanía irlandesa o británica al Reino Unido desde Paraguay.

Si viaja a Inglaterra, lo que debe hacer depende de si califica o no como una persona completamente vacunada según las reglas para viajar a Inglaterra. Hasta el día de hoy, los certificados emitidos por el gobierno paraguayo no forman parte del esquema de reconocimiento de certificados de vacunas del Reino Unido. Esto significa que, si viaja a Inglaterra con un certificado de vacunación paraguayo, tendrá que seguir las mismas reglas de una persona no vacunada.

Si viaja sin un certificado de vacuna aceptado por el Reino Unido o como persona no vacunada

Si no está completamente vacunado, o si su certificado de vacuna no forma parte del esquema de reconocimiento de certificados de vacuna del Reino Unido, debe seguir las reglas para las personas que no califican como completamente vacunadas: hasta el día de hoy, los certificados emitidos por el gobierno paraguayo no forman parte del esquema de reconocimiento de certificados de vacunas del Reino Unido.

Si posee dicho certificado, antes de viajar a Inglaterra debe: * Realizarse una prueba de COVID-19: en los 3 días previos a su viaje a Inglaterra * Reservar y pagar las pruebas COVID-19 del [del día 2 y del día 8,] (https://www.gov.uk/find-travel-test-provider) que se realizarán después de su llegada a Inglaterra. * Rellenar un [formulario de localización,] (https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk) que se completará en las 48 horas anteriores a su llegada a Inglaterra.

Al llegar a Inglaterra, debe: * [Hacer una cuarentena en casa o en el lugar donde se hospedará durante 10 días] (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england) * Realizarse una prueba de COVID-19, [reservada previamente] (https://www.gov.uk/find-travel-test-provider) al día 2 o antes y el día 8 o después; debe reservar estas pruebas antes de viajar.

Si estará en Inglaterra por menos de 10 días, debe ponerse en cuarentena durante el tiempo que esté dentro del país. Debe reservar los exámenes de viaje del día 2 y del día 8. Solo necesita realizar las pruebas si todavía se encuentra en Inglaterra durante esos días.

Si necesita ponerse en cuarentena, es posible que pueda finalizar la cuarentena antes de tiempo si paga por una prueba COVID-19 privada a través del esquema [Test to Release] (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-test-to-release-for-international-travel)

Si viaja con un certificado de vacunación aceptado por el Reino Unido

Si viaja a Inglaterra con un certificado de vacunación que forma parte del esquema de reconocimiento de certificado de vacunas del Reino Unido, debe poder demostrar que ha sido vacunado con un ciclo completo de alguna de las siguientes vacunas, al menos 14 días antes de su llegada a Inglaterra: * Oxford / AstraZeneca * Pfizer BioNTech * Moderna * Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)

Las formulaciones de estas vacunas, como AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria y Moderna Takeda también califican como vacunas aprobadas. [Si cumple con estos requisitos] (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19#check-if-you-qualify-as-fully-vaccinated) antes de viajar a Inglaterra, usted debe: * [Reservar y pagar las pruebas COVID-19] (https://www.gov.uk/find-travel-test-provider) del día 2, que se realizarán después de su llegada a Inglaterra: * [Completar un formulario de localización,] (https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk) que debe rellenar 48 horas antes a su llegada a Inglaterra.

[Las personas con ciudadanía paraguaya que recibieron la vacuna en Estados Unidos] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/countries-with-approved-covid-19-vaccination-programmes-and-proof-of-vaccination#countries-with-an-approved-proof-of-vaccination-and-examples-of-proof-required) deberán presentar la tarjeta CDC que avale que han recibido un ciclo completo de una vacuna aprobada por la FDA en Estados Unidos, además de una prueba de residencia en dicho país.

We want the UK’s fantastic performers and other creative professionals to be able to tour abroad easily. That is why we tabled ambitious proposals during negotiations with the EU. Our recent trade deal with the three EFTA countries was based on the same offer, and shows it is workable.

We, as government, have spoken to every EU Member State about the issues facing our creative and cultural industries when looking to tour in Europe. From these discussions 20 Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK musicians and performers. These countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Durations and requirements vary from Member State to Member State, and we strongly recommend that UK nationals check what requirements they need to fulfil with the EU Member State before travelling. We have also published general business traveller summaries for each Member State, and we continue to work closely with Member States to ensure their guidance is clear and accessible.

Supporting our creatives

We are now actively engaging with the remaining EU Member States that do not allow visa and permit free touring, and calling on them to align their arrangements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow touring performers and support staff to come to the UK for up to 3 months without a visa. Formal approaches have been made to Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Malta and Cyprus. Discussions with these countries are ongoing, and we are also working with the sector to amplify each other’s lobbying efforts.

We recognise challenges remain around touring, and our sector-specific landing pages are designed to help creative professionals navigate guidance on issues including customs and haulage requirements. We want to ensure that as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, touring can resume and our world-leading creative and cultural artists can continue to travel widely, learning their craft, growing their audiences and showing the best of British creativity to the world.

They had been previously convicted of the same criminal offence 2 years ago.

Nadia Ali was sentenced to 8 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 120 hours of unpaid work, a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a prohibited activity requirement of not running or managing a school and ordered to pay costs of £500. Her father, Arshad Ali, was fined £300 and ordered to pay costs of £200. Ambassadors Home School Limited was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £500.

To date, there have been 5 successful prosecutions for running an unregistered school, but today marks the second time a prison sentence has been imposed.

The case dates back to June 2018 when inspectors from Ofsted’s unregistered schools taskforce first visited Ambassadors High School in Streatham, south London. They warned the headteacher, Ms Ali, that they believed the setting was operating illegally.

The following September, Ambassador’s High School applied to register as an independent school, with Nadia Ali’s father, Arshad Ali, named as proprietor. Ofsted carried out a pre-registration inspection in February 2019, which identified serious safeguarding issues and judged that the school, which charged fees of up to £4,500 per pupil, per year, would not meet the independent school standards. However, the school remained open after failing its pre-registration inspection and continued to operate illegally.

In September 2019, Nadia and Arshad Ali were found guilty of running an illegal unregistered school, contrary to section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008. Together they were fined £200 and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and a total of £155 in victim surcharges. Nadia Ali was also sentenced to 120 hours of community service.

However, despite these convictions, when Ofsted inspectors returned to the school 3 more times, between November 2019 and March 2020, they found that it continued to operate.

Inspectors identified several safeguarding failings at the school. It was unclear whether teaching staff had been subject to appropriate employment vetting checks, and those in charge were unable to confirm the identities of all the adults working with children. Inspectors also found fire extinguishers were missing from brackets on walls, and fire evacuation plans displayed in classrooms were incomplete.

Inspectors were informed that children attending the setting were home-educated. However, there was clear evidence that the school was continuing to provide full-time education to at least 5 or more pupils of compulsory school age, meaning it was legally required to register.

HM Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said:

It is with breathtaking arrogance that Nadia and Arshad Ali continued to run this illegal school after their convictions 2 years ago. I’m pleased that the judge ruled that a suspended prison sentence was appropriate, given the seriousness of the repeat offending.

Unregistered schools deny children a proper education and put their safety and well-being at risk. I hope today’s sentence sends a clear message to all those running unregistered schools that Ofsted will not tire in our efforts to bring them to justice. But as I have said many times over the last few years, and as this case demonstrates, we urgently need the legislation to be strengthened so that we can take action against these places quickly and conclusively.

1. Under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 (the 2008 Act), in England, a person must not conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered. A person who conducts an unregistered independent school is guilty of a criminal offence.

2. Under section 463 of The Education Act 1996, an ‘independent school’ is defined as a school that is not maintained by a local authority, or is not a non-maintained special school, and at which full-time education is provided (a) for five or more pupils of compulsory school age or (b) for at least one pupil who is looked after by a local authority, or has a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.

3. Since January 2016, Ofsted’s unregistered schools taskforce has inspected around 390 settings where inspectors had reasonable cause to believe an unregistered school was operating.

4. Safeguarding concerns were found in around a third of inspected settings, while health and safety concerns were found in around a quarter.

5. Approximately 25% of inspected settings have a faith ethos. The remaining 75% have no faith ethos, or it is unknown. Of the settings with a faith ethos, 12% are Muslim, 5% are Jewish and 5% are Christian.

6. 106 settings have been issued with a warning notice. Over 50% of these settings have since changed their service to comply with the legislation. Around 20% have closed, and some have registered as independent schools.

7. Ofsted has welcomed the Department for Education’s intention to strengthen the registration requirements for unregistered schools, as well as the legislative powers for inspectors to collect evidence and interview those suspected of running them. These are important changes and Ofsted hopes that progress will be made soon.

The Environment Agency’s proposal to increase the maximum level of water that can be stored in the Leigh flood storage area has been approved by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Environment Agency can now start work to enable the Leigh flood storage area to store more water, increasing its capacity by nearly a quarter. Enlarging the reservoir also means that a new flood embankment can be constructed in Hildenborough. Once complete, over 1,400 homes and businesses in Tonbridge and Hildenborough will be better protected from flooding.

Sally Harvey, Environment Agency Area Director, Kent, South London and East Sussex, said:

We are pleased to confirm that the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has approved our application to increase the maximum stored water level in the Leigh flood storage area.

This decision means that we will now be able to proceed with the Leigh expansion and Hildenborough embankment scheme which will reduce flood risk to over 1,400 homes in Tonbridge and Hildenborough.

Cllr Robin Betts, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Cabinet member for environment and climate change, said:

This project is an important step in response to climate change and the increased risk of flooding in the coming years. We know only too well that many homes and businesses have been seriously flooded in the past and the fear of this happening again still exists for many. Once complete the new flood defence measures will offer reassurance to communities and considerable improvement to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.

Tony Hills, Kent County Council Deputy Cabinet member for the Environment, said:

Kent County Council is proud to support the Leigh flood storage area, which will reduce the flood risk on the River Medway and help the county to be resilient to climate change. We are pleased that the Secretary of State has agreed to these plans and that the project can now progress. Once it is complete, this scheme will significantly reduce the risk of flooding in Tonbridge and surrounding communities and the disruption this causes to lives and livelihoods.

Christian Brodie, South East Local Enterprise Partnership Chair, said:

It is always immensely gratifying to see the capital funding that we invest in our area start coming to fruition. This project is incredibly important to Tonbridge residents and businesses – it will mitigate a very real worry of homes and business premises being flooded in the future.

This is a complex scheme, which has taken time to design, and a strong partnership has been developed with a range of funding sources and key partner agencies. We are pleased to invest in protecting existing homes and businesses, especially Tonbridge high street which is the life blood of the community. But crucially, this scheme will unlock new sites for homes and businesses in strategically important locations for the area and create new jobs and employment space, which is vital for the future economy.

The scheme is being delivered by the Environment Agency in partnership with:

• Kent County Council
• Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
• South East Local Enterprise Partnership

Funding is through the government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA), with contributions from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Kent County Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Next steps

The Environment Agency expects to appoint contractors in spring 2022. Work is expected to start on site in summer 2022 and the scheme completed in autumn 2024.

Further information

The investment is part of plans outlining £5.2 billion of investment over the next 6 years. More than £860 million will be spent in 2021/22 boosting design and construction of more than 1,000 schemes across England as part of the Environment Agency’s annual capital programme.

The delivery of the new schemes follows the successful delivery of the previous programme. The government invested £2.6 billion in new flood defences through this programme – surpassing its target of better protecting 300,000 homes between 2015 and 2021.

The new schemes will be an important part of the implementation of the government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy Statement and the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy.

Homes and businesses better protected from flooding

The Leigh flood storage area currently better protects 1,200 properties from flooding. Once the expansion is complete, over 1,400 homes and businesses in Tonbridge and Hildenborough will be better protected from flooding.

Background

In 1982, the Southern Water Authority completed the Leigh flood storage area (FSA). The FSA reduces the risk of flooding to around 1,200 homes and businesses in Tonbridge and Hildenborough. It works by storing the peak of a flood upstream and releasing it in a controlled manner once the peak has passed.

The flood storage area sits between the villages of Leigh and Penshurst in Kent. When full, it covers approximately 278 hectares. It is formed of a 1.3 kilometre long, 5 metre high earth embankment across the Medway valley. The River Medway itself passes through 3 steel gates built into the embankment. These gates control the amount of water flowing downstream by either letting the river flow normally, or restricting the flow to hold water in the storage area.

The FSA is an ‘online’ storage reservoir, which means that the river is always flowing through it.

Currently the Environment Agency can legally store water to a maximum level of 28.05 metres above ordnance datum (AOD), as measured at the control structure. Investigations showed that storing water to 28.6 metres AOD will reduce flood risk to more properties.

Proposal to increase the level of stored water

Increasing the maximum stored water level required permission from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which has now been received.

Since 2019, the Environment Agency has been working with organisations and landowners who are affected by the proposal. The Environment Agency submitted its application to increase the maximum stored water level to the Secretary of State in early June 2020. A number of objections to the application were submitted to Defra which were unable to be resolved, therefore an inquiry took place between April and May 2021 to allow concerns to be heard.

The Environment Agency responded to the concerns raised by all respondents at the inquiry and the inspector submitted a report with recommendations to the Secretary of State in July 2021.

How it works – watch the animation

You can find out more about how the Leigh FSA works by watching our YouTube animation.