David Norman, 36, had a rod licence to fish using up to 2 rods. But he received a penalty of £389 for fishing without the correct licence to cover the number of rods he was fishing with at Marchamley Pool on 21 May.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 26 September. The penalty of £389 includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £34.

Nichola Tomlinson, Fisheries Enforcement Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said:

David Norman has been rightly punished for fishing illegally in Hodnet, Shropshire in May this year. This case shows how seriously the courts take these offences and we hope the high penalty will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing without a licence.

Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, to check on cases of illegal fishing.

Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, benefitting anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.

Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or stillwater needs a valid licence to fish. A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence costs from just £30 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds. Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Background

David Norman was charged with the following offence:

On 21 May 2022 at Marchamley Pool, Hodnet, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

He was fishing with 3 rods with only a 2 rod licence; a 3 rod licence is available to purchase.

The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister and in agreement with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has appointed James Bowler as the new Permanent Secretary to the Treasury.

James is currently Permanent Secretary for the Department for International Trade and was previously Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office. James brings to the role a wealth of knowledge and experience of HM Treasury from over 20 years in the department, combined with experience working with business and representing Britain internationally from his time at DIT.

James will have overall responsibility for managing the department, will supervise Treasury policy development, and will be the principal adviser to the Chancellor and his Ministerial team.

The Cabinet Secretary and the Permanent Secretary have announced Cat Little and Beth Russell as Second Permanent Secretaries. Cat has worked as the Director General of Public Spending since March 2020 and previously worked at the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence and spent over a decade in the private sector. Beth has worked for the Treasury for more than 20 years, most recently as the Director General of Tax and Welfare; she also currently heads up the Darlington Economic Campus.

These appointments have been made by the Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister and in agreement with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng MP.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said:

I’m delighted to welcome James back to the Treasury and Beth and Cat into their new roles as Second Permanent Secretaries. James joined the Civil Service over 20 years ago and has enormous experience delivering across a range of Government departments. Beth and Cat bring experience and continuity and it’s fantastic to have them as part of the Treasury’s top team.

James has a proven track record of delivery and strong leadership, both of which will be vital as we drive towards our mission of igniting growth and raising living standards for everyone across the UK.

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, said:

James is one of our most expert and experienced economic policy makers, who has served many chancellors over the last two decades. I am delighted for James and congratulate him on his appointment.

I would like to thank Cat and Beth for their excellent leadership of the Treasury over recent weeks and congratulate them both on their substantive promotion to Second Permanent Secretaries. HMT is at the heart of the government’s plan for growth and I know James, supported by Cat and Beth, will bring dedicated leadership to deliver on this agenda for the government and the country.

James Bowler said:

I am delighted to be returning to HM Treasury. Having spent over 20 years at the Department, I know first-hand the excellence of its people. I plan to bring my wider experience back to the Department to help navigate the opportunities and challenges of the global economy that lie ahead. I look forward to working with the Chancellor as part of a strong team alongside the proven experience and talent of Beth Russell and Cat Little.

Beth Russell and Cat Little said:

Working for the Treasury and delivering for the public are privileges – we’re both honoured to be chosen and we look forward to working with the Chancellor, James and the whole ministerial and official team as we continue to deliver for the country.

Notes to Editors

James Bowler

James has over 20 years experience in the Treasury, including as head of tax and then spending policy. He has led multiple Spending Reviews and Budgets at Treasury and was also Principal Private Secretary in Number 10. He has worked in senior roles in Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Justice. James has also helped lead international trade deal negotiations including with India, Trans-Pacific and Australia. James has been a Permanent Secretary since September 2020, first in the Cabinet Office and then in his current role at DIT.

Cat Little

Cat spent over a decade in the private sector dedicated to government and public sector finance at professional services firm PwC. Since joining government in 2013, Cat has led finance, digital and commercial teams in MoJ and most recently as Director General Finance at the MoD. Cat has been Director General of Public Spending since March 2020 and led the comprehensive spending review in 2021. Cat also is head of the Government Finance Function, leading over 10,000 finance professionals across Government, and will continue in this role alongside her new position as second permanent secretary.

Beth Russell

Beth has worked for over 20 years in the Treasury, most recently as Director General Tax and Welfare, Director Personal Tax Welfare and Pensions, and Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor. Over the last year, Beth has been heading up the new Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) and will continue to be based in Darlington in this new role. DEC will eventually have 1100 new roles across 8 government departments.

The process to recruit the First Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury ran over three weeks. Given the seniority of the job, the process was only open to existing Permanent Secretaries. Candidates were interviewed by a panel including the First Civil Service Commissioner, the Lead NED for HM Treasury and the Cabinet Secretary. Candidates also met with the Chancellor as part of the process. As with all Permanent Secretary appointments, the Prime Minister’s approval was required.

The process to recruit the Second Permanent Secretaries at HM Treasury ran over four months, following Charles Roxburgh’s departure. The competition was open to external candidates. Candidates were interviewed by a panel including the First Civil Service Commissioner, the Lead NED for HM Treasury and the Cabinet Secretary. As with all Permanent Secretary appointments, the Prime Minister’s approval was required.

The UK has imposed sanctions on senior security and political figures in Iran and the so-called Morality Police.

Mahsa Amini’s death, following her arrest by the Morality Police, has sparked protests across Iran and shocked the world. For decades the Morality Police have used the threat of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public.

In response, the UK has today sanctioned the Morality Police in its entirety, as well as both its chief Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi and the Head of the Tehran Division Haj Ahmed Mirzaei.

The UK is also imposing sanctions today on five leading political and security officials in Iran for committing serious human rights violations, including:

• Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij force, responsible for internal security in Iran.
• Hassan Karami. the Commander of the NAJA Special Forces Unit of the Iranian police.
• Hossein Ashtari, the Commander-in-chief of the Iranian police.

The Basij force, NAJA Special Forces Unit and the wider Iranian police have played a central role in the crackdown on protests across Iran in recent weeks, as well as the fuel-related protests in 2019.

There have been reports of live ammunition being used against protestors, including when students were blockaded by security forces at the Sharif University earlier this week, and the bodies of protestors killed by security services buried without the families’ knowledge.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK stands with the people of Iran who are bravely calling for accountability from their government and for their fundamental human rights to be respected.

These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence you have inflicted on your own people.

These sanctions will ensure that the individuals on the list cannot travel to the UK and any of their assets held in the UK, or by UK persons anywhere, will be frozen.

Earlier this week the Foreign Secretary instructed the FCDO to summon the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires to express the UK’s condemnation of the Iranian authorities’ violent crackdown on protests.

Background:

The Sanctions List has been updated here.

The list of those who have been designated as part of the Morality Police designations is below:

• Morality Police
• Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi (Head of the Morality Police)
• Haj Ahmad Mirzaei (Head of the Tehran division of the Morality Police)

Sanctions are imposed on the group below over their role in the violent crackdown on fuel-related protests in Iran in 2019:

• Gholamreza Soleimani (Head of the Basij Organisation)
• Hassan Karami (Commander of the NAJA (Police) Special Unit)
• Hossein Ashtari (Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Police Forces)
• Leila Vaseghi (former Governor of Shahr-e Qods province)
• Hassan Shahvarpour (commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Khuzestan province and Deputy of the South West Karbala Headquarters)