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The Grenfell Tower site is managed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It is the department’s job to keep the site safe and secure until a decision is made about its future.
One of the things the department does is to keep the tower enclosed in two layers of protective wrapping. The outside layer of the wrapping needs to be updated once a year. Here we explain why, and how the rewrapping process is managed.
Press release
UK response to Expulsion of Head of EU Delegation to Venezuela.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said:
“The decision of the regime in Venezuela to expel the Head of the EU Delegation is unwarranted and deeply regrettable. The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our EU partners.”
Press and Digital Department l Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office All the latest news is available on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office page of the gov.uk website at: www.gov.uk/fcdo Follow the FCDO on twitter for the latest news @FCDOGovUK and travel advice @FCDOtravelGovUK
Published 5 March 2021
Press release
Suriname joins the UK and 13 other CARIFORUM States that have already signed.
The deal was signed on 4 March in Suriname by Surinamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, Albert R. Ramdin, witnessed in London by the United Kingdom’s Minister for International Trade, Ranil Jayawardena.
Once applied, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will provide duty-free and quota-free access to the United Kingdom. The Agreement also includes the gradual liberalisation of tariffs on many UK exports to Suriname, including machinery, whisky and cars.
The EPA also provides generous market access for both sides on services trade, and has provisions on intellectual property, procurement, competition and other modern trade policy issues. This is important for the deepening of bilateral trade and investment relations between the United Kingdom and Suriname.
This agreement will be key to strengthening our bonds of prosperity, and will support jobs and livelihoods in both our countries as we look to build back better from Covid-19. I look forward to working in close partnership with Suriname and all CARIFORUM States as we continue to forge deeper trade and investment ties in 2021 and beyond.
That we have found a way for Suriname to sign the agreement, despite travel and other restrictions in the UK and Suriname as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, shows the deep commitment of both sides to this Agreement.
Total trade in goods and services between the United Kingdom and Suriname was £19 million in 2019. Suriname’s exports to the United Kingdom include around £270,000-worth of fish and shellfish.
Suriname becomes the 14th CARIFORUM State to sign the CARIFORUM-UK EPA, securing continuity for trade and preservation of market access between the United Kingdom and 14 CARIFORUM States, providing vital assurance to businesses, consumers and investors.
Published 5 March 2021
News story
The Scottish fishing industry has received a major boost as new immigration rules make it easier to recruit skilled deckhands from abroad.
The Home Office has accepted the Migration Advisory Committee recommendation that deckhands on large fishing vessels, with three or more years of experience using their skills, should be included in the list of occupations eligible for Skilled Worker visas.
The decision was welcomed by UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid who said:
This is good news for the Scottish industry, particularly the demersal – or white fish –fleet, and represents the fruits of close co-operation between Government and industry.
We have listened to concerns that crewing problems have been particularly acute here with some boats unable to fish within 12 miles of the shore because of visa restrictions on their vital deckhands. The new arrangements should quickly ease these difficulties.
Mike Park, Chief Executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, said:
This is something we have been campaigning about for over four years and the industry will find it very useful and supportive. It is of particular significance for vessels operating in the remoter parts of the west of Scotland and helps those vessels who faced problems when forced to operate outside the 12-mile limit, and helps too with landing crew for essential rest periods.
The change means that although deckhands are not being added to the UK’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL) – which specifies which jobs have insufficient resident workers – they will become eligible for Skilled Worker visas which should make recruitment from abroad easier.
To qualify, their sponsoring employer must be offering a salary of at least £25,600, in line with other non-shortage occupations. If the deckhand is a ‘new entrant’ (mainly those under the age of 26), a lower salary threshold of £20,480 will apply. In all cases, their pay must also be at least £10.10 per hour. The changes take effect from 6 April.
Published 5 March 2021