Missing fishing vessel Nicola Faith identified

News story

The wreck discovered by the MAIB off Colwyn Bay, Wales, last week is confirmed as being that of the missing fishing vessel Nicola Faith.

Today, MAIB inspectors attended the site of the wreck,1.9 nautical miles off Rhos Point, to identify the vessel. They were assisted by North Wales Police Underwater Search Team who undertook a comprehensive survey on behalf of the MAIB. As well as identifying the vessel, the survey gathered video evidence and information that will help inform our investigation and assist in understanding the reasons the vessel sank.

After all the evidence has been reviewed, including imagery from the dive team, a decision will be made regarding the next steps to be taken as part of the ongoing investigation.

Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accident said:

I understand how desperate the families of the crew are for answers, and now that the vessel has been found our investigation can focus on establishing why Nicola Faith sank. A large amount of evidence has already been collected and analysed, and a close look at the results of today’s dive survey should increase our understanding of the accident. Until this has been completed it not possible to say whether it will be necessary to recover the wreck for further testing.

I would to thank North Wales Police for offering their assistance in identifying the vessel and also Seecat Charters, Natural Resource Wales and Welsh Fisheries who have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

Published 13 April 2021

UK health ministers’ statement on JCVI advice (13 April 2021)

The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has today published its final advice for phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, setting out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age.

In line with its interim advice, the JCVI has recommended an age-based approach with adults aged 18 to 49 prioritised in descending age order as follows:

all those aged 40 to 49 years
all those aged 30 to 39 years
all those aged 18 to 29 years

In addition, data indicates that in individuals aged 18 to 49 years there is an increased risk of hospitalisation in males, those who are in certain black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) communities, those with a BMI of 30 or more (obese/morbidly obese), and those experiencing socio-economic deprivation. JCVI strongly advises that individuals in these groups promptly take up the offer of vaccination when they are offered, and that deployment teams should utilise the experience and understanding of local health systems and demographics, combined with clear communications and outreach activity to promote vaccination in these groups.

Individuals who are at increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 are likely to be vaccinated most rapidly by an operationally simple vaccine strategy. JCVI will continue close monitoring of the programme in terms of safety, effectiveness and uptake, and will update its advice as required.

All 4 nations of the UK have agreed to follow the JCVI’s recommended approach, with the understanding that age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations, and because speed of delivery is crucial as we provide more people with protection from COVID-19 across the UK.

The UK remains on course to meet the target to offer a vaccine to all those in the phase 1 priority groups by mid-April, and all adults by the end of July.

The UK-wide agreement to follow the prioritisation advice of the JCVI for phase 1 of the vaccine deployment has allowed a consistent rollout of vaccines across the UK, and seamless coordination between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Signed:

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Robin Swann, Minister of Health, Northern Ireland Executive

Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, Welsh Government

Jeane Freeman, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Scottish Government

UK moves into next phase of vaccine roll-out as government target hit early

More than 32 million people have been given a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
Jabs have been offered to everyone aged 50 and over, health and care workers and clinically vulnerable
Phase 2 of the vaccination programme begins this week, with people aged 45 to 49 invited to book their appointments

The UK is moving into the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme as the government hits its target to offer everybody in phase 1 of the vaccination programme a jab.

Everybody in cohorts 1 to 9 – those aged 50 and over, the clinically vulnerable and health and social care workers – has been offered a vaccine, meeting the government’s 15 April target ahead of time.

This group accounts for 99% of all COVID-19 deaths during the pandemic, so by offering them the vaccine, we are helping ensure the most vulnerable are protected from the virus.

The significant milestone marks the beginning of phase 2 of the vaccination programme and people aged 45 to 49 in England can now book appointments through the NHS booking service.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has published its final advice on phase 2 today, which the government has accepted.

In line with the JCVI advice, eligible people will be invited to receive their vaccines in order of age over the coming weeks and months.

Speaking in the House, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

I’m delighted that across the UK, we’ve met our target to offer a vaccine to everyone in the top 9 priority groups, ahead of the deadline of 15 of April.

We’ve now delivered a first dose to over 32 million people, and are on track to offer a vaccine to all adults by the end of July.

This weekend we also saw a record number of second doses, so overall, as of midnight last night, we have now delivered more than 40 million doses of vaccines right across the UK. It’s a remarkable achievement.

Today, the JCVI has published its final advice on an age-based prioritisation, which we accept in full.

I can announce formally, that from today we have opened up invitations to get a vaccine to all aged over 45, and then we will proceed to everyone aged over 40 in line with supplies.

Finally, following a successful start last week in Wales, the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out in England from today.

I’m very grateful to everybody involved in this vaccination programme, which allows us to lift restrictions across the country and already has saved over 10,000 lives, with more to come.

In England, around 95% of people aged 50 and over have received a first dose, while 92% of people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 have also received a vaccine.

The NHS will continue to offer vaccines to people in cohorts 1 to 9 who have not yet come forward and will be offering people their second doses within 12 weeks in line with the guidance from the JCVI.

Speaking in the House, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

I would like to pay tribute to our fantastic NHS, our frontline vaccinators, our volunteers, armed forces, local authorities and all those working on the vaccination programme.

I’m very grateful for their tireless efforts in vaccinating those most at risk across the country.

We are making phenomenal progress, but we continue to remained focused to make sure nobody is left behind.

The government is on track to hit its target of offering a vaccine to all adults by the end of July.

The NHS booking service has opened to people aged 45 to 49 in England today and NHS England will be writing to all primary care networks today asking them to begin inviting the same age group to receive their vaccines.

People aged 49 are set to receive texts inviting them to book appointments in the coming days. This will be followed by others in cohort 10 in order of age over the coming weeks and months.

The speed of the vaccination programme means even more people will soon develop strong protection from serious illness from COVID-19 infection, saving countless lives and significantly reducing pressure on the NHS, which supports the Prime Minister’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions.

All vaccines being used in the UK have undergone robust clinical trials and have met the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA’s) strict standards of safety, effectiveness and quality.

The Moderna vaccine is already being rolled out across the UK and will be deployed in England today at more than 20 sites.

Rolling reviews are underway by the MHRA to assess the Janssen and Novavax vaccines.

Data from Public Health England’s real-world study shows that both the Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are highly effective in reducing COVID-19 among older people aged 70 years and over. There has already been a significant impact of the vaccination programme on reducing hospitalisations and deaths, with more than 10,000 lives saved by vaccinations between December and March.

The vaccines are available free of charge from thousands of NHS vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England, which includes mosques, community centres and football stadiums.

The latest UK-wide vaccination statistics are updated around 4pm every day and are published on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK dashboard.

NHS England publishes vaccine statistics for England around 2pm every day.

NHS COVID-19 vaccine booking service

JCVI’s final advice for phase 2 of the vaccination programme

PHE’s real-world data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines

Through the government’s Vaccines Taskforce, the UK has secured early access to 457 million doses of 8 of the most promising vaccine candidates, including:

BioNTech/Pfizer for 40 million doses
Oxford/AstraZeneca for 100 million doses
Moderna for 17 million doses
Janssen for 30 million doses
Novavax for 60 million doses
Valneva for 100 million doses
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur for 60 million doses
CureVac for 50 million doses

To date, the government has invested over £300 million into manufacturing a successful vaccine to enable a rapid roll-out.

The UK government is committed to supporting equitable access to vaccines worldwide. The UK is the largest donor to the COVAX facility, the global mechanism to help developing countries access a coronavirus vaccine, and has committed £548 million in UK aid to help distribute 1.3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.

Correspondence between The Rt Hon Lord Pickles and Rachel Reeves MP

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

Regulator urges generous donors to give safely to registered charities this Ramadan

Press release

As Muslims enter the month of Ramadan, the Charity Commission is encouraging donors to take simple steps to ensure their donations reach the intended cause.

Ramadan is a time of huge generosity among British Muslims, with the Muslim Charities Forum estimating that, in previous years, UK donors have given over £130 million to charity during the holy month alone*.

Muslim communities across the UK have continued to support charities close to home and around the world over the past year, so they can continue to play a vital role in strengthening communities and improving lives during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Increased online giving is expected this Ramadan, with a reduction in cash collections, as mosques and community centres have social distancing measures in place.

Most fundraising is genuine, however fraudsters and criminals may sometimes take advantage of public generosity at times of increased giving, using various methods such as fake appeal websites, email appeals that falsely use the name of genuine charities, or appeals from fake charities.

The regulator is therefore pointing to simple steps people can take to make sure donations reach registered charities:

check the charity’s name and registration number at gov.uk/checkcharity. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered
make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information – it’s ok to decide not to give on the spot. Be wary of unsolicited emails from charities you have never heard of and be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them
exercise the same caution as with any other internet transaction, for example, to donate online, visit the charity’s own website and always type the website address into the browser yourself
contact or find out more online about the charity that you’re seeking to donate to or work with to find out more about their spending. Ask a trusted friend or relative if you are unable to research this or need a second opinion
ignore requests to donate through a money transfer company
if in doubt about an approach, give instead to a charity that you have an existing relationship with

The Charity Commission’s online register also allows donors to search for charities operating within their own local authority area, or to undertake keyword searches to find charities providing specific services, such as foodbanks or support for older people.

Ends.

Notes to editors

*Figures around donations are always estimates. For more information please contact the Muslim Charities Forum.
The Charity Commission is the independent regulator and registrar of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see the about us page on GOV.UK.

Published 13 April 2021