• Minister for Women attends virtual celebratory event as UK extends UN Women’s Convention membership to Jersey.
• All 50,000 women in the dependency now promised human rights equal to men.
• Baroness Berridge to speak at event, congratulating Jersey on this commitment.

Today (28 May) the Minister for Women, Baroness Berridge, will attend an event hosted by the Government of Jersey to celebrate the 50,000 women in Jersey getting extended human rights protections.

The event will commemorate the UK’s extension of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to the Bailiwick of Jersey.

All member states agree to take measures that ensure their women enjoy human rights equal to those of their men. The Convention spells out the areas where states should be taking action, such as in the provision of healthcare, employment and family law. Every five years, the CEDAW Committee reviews how well each state is doing and updates on progress made.

Minister for Women, Baroness Berridge said:

“Today’s announcement is a great step forward for women living in Jersey.

“This government believes in securing and advancing the rights of women and girls in the UK and all around the world. We will use the G7 and the Gender Equality Advisory Council to help us achieve our ambitions.

Jersey Minister for Social Security, Deputy Judy Martin, said:

“As the Minister with responsibility for promoting diversity, equality and social inclusion, I’m really proud to be speaking at the event alongside some amazing women.

“Gender equality is something we are committed to across Government, and it’s something that we keep working on. We’ve taken some great steps recently – including introducing family friendly policies – and CEDAW gives us the map to keep on making progress.”

The core UN human rights treaty aims to eliminate discrimination against women and girls around the world. It is one of seven core UN human rights treaties that the UK is signatory to.

Baroness Berridge, the UK Minister for Women, Her Excellency Yamina Karitanyi, the Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK, and Dragan Nastic, a senior representative from UK Unicef, will be taking part in the event. The Minister will take part in a panel discussion on the key challenges affecting women and girls in Jersey and around the world, as well as what CEDAW can do to support them.

Further info:

• The UK is responsible for international relations on behalf of the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. Therefore, Jersey is not a member of the UN in its own right and the extension of CEDAW can only take place with UK approval. CEDAW was extended to Jersey earlier this year.

• In April the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) was formed and has since met twice. The council is made up of world-leading experts including scientists, vaccinologists and business leaders. It will build on work done by former G7 presidencies and champion the core principles of freedom, opportunity and dignity for women and girls around the world.

This webinar took place on 16 June between 15:00 and 16:15 BST. What the recording below:

Allergen risk assessment

Webinar information

During the webinar the presenters will explain why food allergens are a problem and give an overview of the iFAAM (Integrated approaches to Food Allergen and Allergy Management) tiered risk assessment and the VITAL (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) Program, both of which have been designed to assist food companies and regulatory bodies in the implementation of food allergen risk assessment procedures.

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session during which you can pose your questions to food allergen experts.

This event is intended for individuals currently working within the food allergen testing arena, the food industry and those involved with the UK official control system.

This is the second webinar in the Quarterly Webinar Series of the Joint Knowledge Transfer Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis, which is a cross-government project (funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Government Chemist) aimed at disseminating knowledge from government funded research to stakeholders to support UK laboratory capability and promote best practice in food safety and standards analysis.

Speakers

Ms Liz Walton, Senior Policy Advisor, Food Hypersensitivity, Food Standards Agency

Liz is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Food Hypersensitivity Team at the FSA. The FSA’s ambition is to improve the quality of life for people in the UK living with food hypersensitivity and to support them to make safe, informed food choices to effectively manage risk. Prior to the FSA, she worked in local government and the third sector developing public health policy. In a voluntary capacity, Liz works with midwives in Tanzania developing public health interventions for women and girls.

Dr Benjamin C. Remington, Food Allergy Consultant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Remington is an expert in food allergen risk assessment, in both the clinical and food business operator settings.He has a dual role as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program at the University of Nebraska (United States) and as a research & risk assessment consultant for the Remington Consulting Group B.V. (the Netherlands). He has recently been appointed as the chair of a new ILSI Europe Expert Group focused on improvement and harmonization of Allergen Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA).

Panelists

As well as the speakers, the Q&A panel will also include Dr Hazel Gowland and Dr Michael Walker.

Dr Hazel Gowland, Allergy Action UK

Dr Gowland is a food allergy advocate, expert patient/consumer, researcher, consultant and trainer who shaped the Anaphylaxis Campaign from its foundation in 1994. She lectures on Allergy, Human Nutrition and Public Analyst Masters programmes. Current studies include the quality of life and cost of living with food allergy, and on-going epidemiological work to understand and record severe and fatal reactions and the regulatory and forensic context of food allergy.

Dr Michael Walker, Honorary Professor, IGFS, Queen’s University, Belfast

Dr Walker is a leading expert in food safety and authenticity, and until recently Head of the Office of the Government Chemist. He has published numerous peer reviewed papers, several book chapters and technical articles on food hypersensitivity and ran a knowledge network on the topic (2011-2015). He is the Co-Chair of ILSI Europe Expert Group on allergen quantitative risk assessment.

The webinar will be introduced by Selvarani Elahi MBE, Deputy Government Chemist.

The panel will be chaired by Sterling Crew, Chair of the Food Authenticity Network. Sterling has 35 years’ experience of working in the field of national and international food safety, authenticity governance, sustainability and regulation. He started his career in government as a regulator before a successful track history as a retailer, brand owner and food manufacturer, which has given him a unique perspective on the challenges faced. He sits in the board of multiple organisations related to food analysis and testing and is an Independent Scientific Advisor at Campden BRI.

Agenda

• Introdution: Selvarani Elahi MBE

• Why are food allergens a problem?: Liz Walton

• Allergens Risk Assessment: Dr Benjamin C. Remington

• Q&A panel chaired by Sterling Crew

Registration is now closed. Visit this page again to watch the recording from 29 June 2021.

In another milestone in the government’s plans to move decision making away from London, the Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has today (Friday 28 May) confirmed his department’s second HQ will be based at the i9 building in the City Centre, with work underway to have the building open this summer.

The announcement confirms the next step in establishing the first government headquarters with a ministerial office based outside of London.

The i9 building, funded and developed by the City of Wolverhampton Council, is in the historic heart of Wolverhampton, close to landmarks such as the Chubb Building whose design it reflects and complements. MHCLG will take two floors, including the top floor with views over the regeneration area of Wolverhampton. It will also include a space for ministers to use regularly, making the first of its kind outside of London.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is playing a lead role in levelling up and boosting the regions by moving hundreds of roles out of Westminster and ensuring that more local voices influence the creation and delivery of government policy.

At least 150 roles will be based in the city as soon as possible.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said:

I’m pleased to announce that the i9 building will be our new home in Wolverhampton and look forward to opening the office later this year.

This department is leading the effort to level up every corner of the country, so it is absolutely right that we bring decision-making to the heart of the communities we serve. I hope that this vote of confidence in Wolverhampton helps the city to attract other employees and further investment.

We are already recruiting in Wolverhampton and over time this move will bring hundreds of jobs and exciting careers in the UK Civil Service to the city and the West Midlands. I look forward to welcoming staff to our new headquarters and as a Wulfrunian myself, will be working from the office as often as I can and enjoying the city once again.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said:

This is a huge vote of confidence in the City of Wolverhampton and we are delighted to have been chosen to host this historic move away from Whitehall for the MHCLG dual-headquarters.

We are currently enjoying record levels of private and public investment with £4.4 billion pounds on site or in the pipeline. Now, the kudos of being the first place outside of Whitehall to host a government department will create a real buzz and interest in our city, attracting further investment which is exactly what we want to be able to ‘relight’ Wolverhampton after the pandemic.

Wolverhampton is the ideal location in the heart of the country, with enviable connectivity to the rest of the West Midlands and beyond. When the idea of MHCLG moving out of London was first discussed last year, the council, local MPs and other stakeholders lobbied hard to make it a reality and that has paid off.

This new headquarters will support the government’s ambitious levelling-up plans by providing an economic boost to the area. It will also bring people with different experiences and viewpoints into the Civil Service and provide improved career paths for those in Wolverhampton and across the West Midlands.

A number of staff members have already taken the opportunity to have their roles reassigned to the new second HQ.

Recruitment is happening at pace in Wolverhampton and the wider region across a range of roles and levels from entry grade to Senior Civil Servants. Interested people should visit civil service jobs web pages.

The Government has today launched plans to provide grants to land managers – including farmers – to take action against tree pests and diseases which attack our trees, woods and forests.

Owners and managers of trees and woodlands in England are being encouraged to take part in the pilot of the Tree Health Scheme which starts in August.

Measures will include biosecure felling and treatment of diseased or infested trees. The scheme will also support the restocking and maintenance of newly re-planted trees following a pest or disease outbreak. Plants and trees deliver £10.5 billion per year in social, environmental and economic benefits, so reducing pest and disease risks is crucial to protecting these vital national assets.

The pilot will last for three years and, following scrupulous testing and final revisions, the new scheme will fully roll out in 2024. Details of the pilot will be published in the summer ahead of applications opening at the end of August 2021.

The pilot delivers on the Government’s commitment – set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan – to reduce the impact of tree pests and disease. It will work alongside landmark plans for a renewed agricultural sector which will transform the way farmers and land managers are supported to encourage sustainable farming practices alongside profitable food production. The plans include new schemes to reward farmers and land managers for producing public goods such as better air and water quality, thriving wildlife, soil health, or measures to reduce flooding and tackle the effects of climate change.

As set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, the new Tree Health Scheme will expand upon the current support available via the Countryside Stewardship Tree Health grants.

Prof Nicola Spence, the UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer, said:

Trees provide huge benefits to our economy, society and the environment – from protecting vulnerable wildlife and acting as carbon storage to enabling a sustainable timber industry.

That’s why it is crucial that collectively we look after our woodland and forests. I hope all those who are eligible will apply to the pilot this summer. They will play a critical role in supporting the design of future policies for the benefit of both our environment and valuable industries.

The pilot will be looking to trial new elements of the future scheme through 100 agreements with woodland owners and land managers in London, the South East, the North West and West Midlands. Applicants will need to have an eligible tree pest or disease confirmed on their land by the Forestry Commission, which will run the scheme.

Forestry Commission Chair Sir William Worsley said:

I urge eligible land owners and farmers to look into applying to take part in the Tree Health Scheme’s pilot. A healthy treescape is crucial to ensure that we leave our environment in a better state for future generations and for us to reaching our net zero by 2050 goals. Trees are central to the government’s plans to achieve this and participation in this new scheme is a significant step towards achieving these ambitions.

The pilot will work alongside the existing Countryside Stewardship Woodland Tree Health grants, which will continue to be on offer until 2024 when the new Tree Health Scheme will be adopted. As the pilot will trial new elements of the future scheme only, payments made as part of the Tree Health pilot will differ to payments made as part of the existing Countryside Stewardship Tree Health grants.

The Tree Health Scheme also supports the commitment to the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Environmental Goals of the Tree Health Resilience Strategy and the UK’s carbon net zero goals.