The Government is backing legislation for tougher prison times for those who cruelly mistreat animals, as plans to introduce more stringent sentences move a step closer today (Friday 23 October).

The Bill, introduced in Parliament by Chris Loder MP in February, will see the most serious perpetrators of animal cruelty face up to five years in prison, up from the current maximum of six months. Today, the Bill will have its Second Reading in the House of Commons, backed by the Government.

These tougher prison sentences would be among the toughest sanctions for animal abuse in Europe, strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader on animal welfare.

The Bill follows a public consultation in 2017, in which more than 70% of people supported the proposals for tougher prison sentences for those guilty of animal cruelty offences. This could include dog fighting, cruelty towards domestic pets or gross neglect of farm animals.

Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, said:

It is high time as a nation that we take the lead on global standards for animal welfare and hand down tougher custodial sentences for those who inflict the worst kinds of cruelty on innocent animals.

My Bill, which I’m pleased has cross-party support and is fully endorsed by the RSPCA and other animal welfare charities, delivers a strong message to animal abusers that their behaviour will no longer be tolerated. We need to get it on the statute book and send a clear signal to potential offenders there is no place for animal cruelty in this country.

Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

There is no place for animal cruelty in this country and this crucial piece of legislation will bring in more stringent sentences for animal abusers who commit the most heinous crimes, cementing our role as a global leader in animal welfare.

In addition to supporting this Bill, we are taking steps to ban primates as pets, crack down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies, and we will be making good on our commitment to end excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening of farm animals.

I would like to thank Chris Loder MP for introducing this vital Bill. We will do all we can to support its swift passage through Parliament.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said:

We’re thrilled that The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill has passed through this stage and that we’re one step closer to getting real justice for abused and neglected animals in this country.

In the three years since the Government pledged to increase the maximum sentence under the Animal Welfare Act from six months to five years, immediate custodial sentences have been imposed on 132 individuals following RSPCA investigations into cruelty and these included horrendous cases such as a dog who was kicked to death by her owner and a man who bit off a kitten’s ear.

Tougher sentencing would give courts more flexibility to impose longer prison terms on those people guilty of the most serious offences to better reflect the severity of the crimes and to act as a stronger deterrent to others.

The Second Reading of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill is due to conclude on 23 October. The Bill will then go to Committee Stage, with Report Stage and Third Reading following this, before transferring to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

You can track the progress of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill and read debates on all stages of the Bill’s passage on the Parliament website.

It’s one of the highest and most beautiful stretches of motorway in the country – part of a post-war motorway construction jigsaw that, piece-by-concrete-piece, revolutionised road travel in Britain. And retired engineers across the country are remembering their role in its birth 50 years ago today (Friday 23 October 2020).

When the newest addition to the M6 – the 36 miles between Lancaster and Penrith – was opened in October 1970 it incorporated the spectacular Lune Gorge and, just a few miles further north at Shap, the highest section of motorway in the country at 316 metres above sea level.

Civil engineering specialists Laing was appointed to build the 14-mile Killington to Tebay section running alongside the River Lune, hugging the contours of the Cumbrian hills and following in the footsteps of Roman road builders and Victorian railway engineers some 1900 years and 125 years before them.

The work through the beautiful but at times beastly Lune Gorge – the weather and ground conditions were some of the most challenging ever faced by UK engineers – was the biggie-in-the-middle of five separate construction contracts making up the new Lancaster to Penrith M6. The new motorway literally paved the way for faster, safer and more reliable journeys to the far north and Scotland – and boosted the industrial and tourism economies of Cumbria.

Laing engineers Mike Gellatley, Harry Macdonald Steels, Selwyn Charles-Jones and almost a thousand other roadworkers faced a unique battle of engineering wits against ground conditions and the elements to build a stretch of motorway frequently voted the most beautiful in the country and even highlighted today by Visit Cumbria.

Mike, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and former London Underground chief engineer, arrived at Tebay in October 1967 having cut his teeth on the Stoke to Stafford section of the motorway.

It was an amazing project to work on,” he says 50 years on. “An isolated greenfield site with difficult terrain and pretty hostile weather a lot of the time. They had to strengthen the roads from Kendal and build a special supply-line road just to get plant and material to different parts of the construction site – and it was a constant battle against the elements.

Residents in the area were initially sceptical about the motorway but it totally transformed journeys. In the days before the M6 a journey up to the to the far north and Scotland was a torturous adventure with vehicles often having to queue in winter to get past snow along the A6 at Shap.

A memoir penned by Harry recalls being encouraged to leave the comforts of the company office to head ‘somewhere in the wilds north of Tebay’ to get some ‘civils’ experience. He says:

The tops of the Westmorland fells in late October are a harsh contrast to warm offices in London! At one stage I had on every piece of clothing I had taken up from London with me – including my pyjamas – under the protective clothing supplied by Laing.

Project manager Selwyn was Laing’s main man in overall charge of day-to-day construction at the location. Alongside the stresses and strains of delivering such a complex engineering project he recalls an amusing – and almost uniquely Cumbrian – occupational hazard…

It was the sheep!

On one occasion some had worked out how to jump the fence and lead the rest of the flock onto the construction site and it was our job to clear them off before we could start work. We solved the problem by putting them on a lorry and taking them to next section above and let them out…and that was the last of we ever saw of them!

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for Highways and Transport, also remembers the arrival of the road. He says:

It was a vital part of the development of Cumbria’s transport network, connecting communities and providing one of the most scenic sections of highway anywhere in the country to drive through.

It made the county more accessible to the rest of the country and has enabled local businesses and residents to trade, travel and connect with the wider region. I am pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this beautiful stretch of road – not many counties can boast about their motorway, but we certainly can in Cumbria!

The 50th anniversary of the Lancaster to Penrith section prompted Alex Finkenrath, publications and communications manager of the John Laing Charitable Trust, to trawl the company’s archives and unearth everything from old photographs, newspaper clippings and even a fascinating 30-minute 1971 documentary preserved by the British Film Institute and focusing on the social aspects of the Lune Gorge ‘challenge’ as much as the myriad feats of engineering. Many of the photographs from Laing’s involvement in motorway building across the era are preserved in a special Historic England archive.

Nowadays, the M6 is operated by Highways England, a government company launched in 2015 in place of the Highways Agency to deliver a programme of transformational, fit-for-the-future improvements to the country’s motorway and major A road network.

Government investment – unrivalled since the golden age of the motorways in the 1960s and 1970s – is now delivering extra lanes, improved surfaces and innovation for safer, smoother and more reliable journeys up and down the country’s network of motorways and major A roads. The Government invested more than £15.2 billion between 2015 and 2020 with a further £27.4 billion available during the current five-year investment period to 2025.

The money is funding everything from economy-boosting new bypasses and major motorway upgrades to environment-enriching cleaner air and bio-diversity projects – as well as improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.

Alan Shepherd, Highways England’s regional director for the North West said:

Our motorways and major A roads are the arteries of the economy keeping businesses, commuters, tourists and goods and services on the move. While we’re expanding capacity around our major towns and cities where our motorways are most congested we’re also working hard to make journeys, safer, smoother and more reliable everywhere – including in Lancashire and Cumbria.

Our £1 billion plan to complete the dualling of the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner is the most eye-catching example of our commitments in the area. But we’re also busy planning or delivering important improvements and maintenance elsewhere – like the £150 million new bypass near Fleetwood, a new roundabout to help support new homes and jobs along the A590 near Barrow and work to renew road surfaces and safety barriers.

The Lancaster to Penrith M6 was officially opened by Transport Industries minister John Peyton on 23 October 1970, also a Friday, which is just one of the facts and figures from the project that probably deserves its very own pub quiz…

• The project also included Carnforth to Farleton, Farleton to Killington, Tebay to Thrimby and Thrimby to Penrith sections;
• The new road quickly won a Civic Trust award for its sympathetic construction within the landscape of Westmorland;
• The M6 at Shap was the highest section of motorway in the country – for just 58 days! In late 1970 a new section of the M62 across the Pennines between Manchester and Leeds was opened and remains Britain’s loftiest motorway at 372 metres above sea level;
• The Cumbrian M6 features lengthy ‘split-level’ sections with carriageways separated by the terrain – by hundreds of feet in places – which help to manage snowfall. The southbound carriageway also often drops several metres away from the northbound;
• Temperatures in the area can be five degrees Fahrenheit cooler than just a few miles further south and the project required at least two location-specific weather forecasts every day;
• Rainfall in the gorge is three times the national average with gentle becks quickly become raging torrents in bad weather. Some 750,000 cubic metres of rock blasted to make way for the road was recycled in novel ‘layer-cake’ embankment construction that utilised the area’s ubiquitous rain-sodden soil to assist drainage – along with dozens of reinforced culverts;

• The area was so isolated a concrete-making plant and bridge beam casting facility were built in-situ. There are 160 structures on the Lune Gorge section of the motorway of which 77 are underpasses or bridges like the 73 feet high Borrowbeck viaduct, ten feet higher than the adjacent stone arch railway viaduct;
• The survey which mapped out the Victorian railway line was done on horseback; the surveys for the M6 through Cumbria were done from the air – a first for the UK:
• Given the isolated location, most of the roadworkers and their families moved to the area – buying houses, lodging with locals, bunking up in an old school-turned-hostel at Tebay or settling on a specially-constructed caravan site. The children attended local schools and their parents had their own social club and sports teams – integrated into local cricket and football leagues.

And finally…at 236 miles, running from Rugby in Warwickshire to the Scottish border, the M6 is the longest motorway in the country – but it wasn’t actually completed until 2008 when the Highways Agency finished converting the A74 between Carlisle and Gretna Green.

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The next step in the government’s drive to boost the quality of post-16 qualifications has been announced today (23 October) by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Last year the government announced plans to remove funding from qualifications that overlap with T Levels and A levels, and only fund qualifications at level 3 and below that are high quality and lead to good outcomes for students.

Today the Education Secretary has confirmed that he is pressing ahead with these vital reforms, setting out detailed measures that will make sure all students no matter where they live and whatever course they choose can be confident it will set them on the path to success. The new measures, which are subject to a 12 week consultation process, include:

• Putting employers at the heart of designing and developing all level 3 technical qualifications – this is already happening with apprenticeships, T Levels and new higher technical qualifications, but the government is going further so students and employers can be sure they are gaining the skills they need to thrive
• Removing funding for qualifications that overlap with A levels and T Levels – simplifying choices for young people – while offering funding for high quality alternatives to A levels, that support students to progress onto specialist Higher Education courses, such as performing arts and sports
• Ensuring only qualifications that meet a high quality bar and help students progress into work or further study are approved for funding
• Making more qualifications available to adults including new T Levels so more people can upskill or retrain

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Now more than ever we must redouble our efforts to support as many people as possible to access high quality education and training, so they can get ahead and so employers can tap into the talented workforce they need as we build back better from coronavirus.

The measures we have announced today will ensure that whether a student opts to study A levels, a T Level or any other qualification, they can be confident that it will be high quality and will set them on a clear path to a job, further education or training.

Analysis published by the Department for Education has highlighted a confusing landscape of over 12,000 courses on offer to young people at level 3 and below, with multiple qualifications in the same subject areas available – many of which are poor quality and offer little value to students or employers.

A spokesperson for the Gatsby Foundation said:

We are pleased to see the government moving forward with this reform. The current system is complex and confusing, with thousands of overlapping, poorly-understood and often low-value qualifications.

We need a radical streamlining of the landscape. Only qualifications that are high-quality and, in the case of technical qualifications, meet employer-led standards, should continue to receive public funding.

As part of the work to boost access to high quality level 3 qualifications, in July 2019 the government took immediate steps to:

• remove funding for more than 160 duplicate qualifications from August 2020, ensuring that students take the newer, more rigorous versions
• stop any new qualification at level 3 and below from getting approval for funding from 2020, to avoid adding to the already confusing and complicated system of over 12,000 qualifications already available at these levels

This action builds on the work already underway to transform technical and vocational education, including the roll out of new T Levels, working with employers to create more high quality apprenticeship opportunities, establishing a system of higher technical education and a network of Institutes of Technology, backed by up to £290 million.

This autumn the Education Secretary will publish a White Paper setting out plans to build a world-class further education system – one that unlocks potential, levels up skills and boosts opportunities for people across the country.

John Williams, executive chef at the Ritz London, and vice chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, said:

The sheer number of qualifications out there at level 3 and below for catering can be overwhelming. It’s hard for many employers, who obviously want to focus on the job at hand, to be confident about which ones are up to the high standards we all expect. And of course, it’s really hard for learners to choose which qualification is likely to be right for them. Government moves to rationalise that and raise quality will be a huge help.

Dr Graham Honeyman, Head of International Business Development and former Chief Executive at Sheffield Forgemasters, said:

There needs to be a substantial reduction in the number of options available for students to take up further education at level 3 and below. Not only is the situation confusing for students but also for employers and training providers. The government is entirely right to consider rationalisation of a number of courses and retain those of the highest quality. Progression from one qualification to another with a clear pathway from entry levels to higher levels would be desirable.

Paul Edmonds, international and BAFTA hair stylist, said:

The review of level 3 and below qualifications is, I believe, a real positive for both learners and employers. In the hair and beauty industry for example, though there aren’t that many recognised qualifications within hairdressing, there are many in beauty.

This really makes it hard as an employer to know what quality and standard the qualifications are. Elevating and standardising them will make it so much easier for me as an employer to recognise fewer qualifications and give us a clearer and more focused framework to work from. Learners also will have a clear direction of what route they can take to get into their chosen career, with greater transparency towards the detail of the qualification.

We should be putting the needs of both learners and businesses at the forefront of these qualifications, giving a firm foundation to make all our industries dynamic into an ever changing future.

Scottish businesses are set to benefit from the historic UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Tokyo today (Friday 23 October).

The deal could increase UK trade with Japan by £15.7 billion, giving a £1.5 billion boost to the economy and increasing UK workers’ wages by £800 million in the long run. This will benefit over 500 businesses in Scotland that exported £503.4 million in goods to Japan last year and help even more local businesses sell their goods and services to the Japanese market.

Iconic Scottish products, including Scotch beef, native Shetland wool, and Stornaway black pudding are to be protected in Japan for the first time under a new agreement on Geographical Indicators (GIs). While Scotch Whisky distillers will continue to benefit from tariff-free trade.

The food and drink industry, which employed 46,000 people in Scotland in 2018, will also benefit from a reduction in tariffs on beef, pork and salmon.

The Scottish Salmon Company, headquartered in Edinburgh, is one business already experiencing success in Japan with their GI status farmed salmon, which will continue to be recognised under the new deal.

A leading producer of quality Scottish farmed salmon, the business exports its sustainably sourced fish to 20 countries around the world. Its global success has helped employ over 650 staff in rural communities across the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebrides.

The Department for International Trade has supported the business since 2011 and has helped facilitate key introductions with overseas contacts in several markets.

The Scottish Salmon Company Communications and New Business Development Director, Su Cox, said:

We have been exporting to Japan for many years. It is a key growth market for our business and increasing demand for our salmon has helped drive greater export sales to the region.

More and more consumers are discovering the great taste and provenance of quality Scottish products like our ‘Tartan Salmon’ and we are securing new contracts with companies like Gatten Sushi. Gatten is one of the country’s most well-established sushi chains and our salmon is currently on the menu in key locations.

We have ambitious plans to grow export sales to Japan and good trading relations are critical in supporting this. We take great pride in our Scottish heritage and Protected Geographical Indication which acts as a guarantee of the Scottish provenance that is so in demand in worldwide markets.

Johnstons of Elgin, one of Scotland’s most renowned textile firms, has also found big success in Japan as quality Scottish textiles prove popular with consumers there.

The Moray-based company, founded in 1797, manufactures and sells cashmere and fine woollen products. The luxury textile manufacturer employs about 1,000 people across its Elgin mill and large manufacturing base in the Scottish Borders.

Johnstons of Elgin Chief Executive, Simon Cotton, said:

Our products have been made in Scotland by skilled craftsmen using the highest quality, natural fibres for over 200 years. Our ultra-fine cashmere knits use the latest Japanese whole-garment technology and specially developed yarns, a mark of luxury that is so important to our consumers.

Japan is a key growth market for us and our success to date is evidence of the demand for quality products made in Scotland that stand the test of time. This deal is very welcome and will help to support our continued growth in this market.

The deal is the first agreement that the UK has secured that goes beyond the existing EU deal, with enhancements in areas such as digital and data, financial services, food and drink, and creative industries. It secures major wins that would be impossible as part of the EU and brings together two of the world’s most technologically advanced nations, placing the UK at the forefront of shaping new global standards on digital trade.

International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss said:

Today is a landmark moment for the UK. It shows what we can do as an independent trading nation, as we secure modern and bespoke provisions in areas like tech and services that are critical to the future of our country and the reshaping of our economy.

Trade is a powerful way to deliver the things people really care about. At its heart, this deal is about creating opportunity and prosperity for all parts of our United Kingdom and driving the economic growth we need to overcome the challenges of coronavirus.

The agreement also has a much wider strategic significance. It opens a clear pathway to membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership – which will open new opportunities for UK business and boost our economic security – and strengthens ties with a like-minded democracy, key ally and major investor in the UK.

UK Government Minister for Scotland, David Duguid said:

Today’s signing of the UK’s new trade deal with Japan is much-anticipated and very welcome news, offering a real boost to Scottish businesses.

Last year, Scottish businesses exported goods worth more than £500 million to Japan, with 574 businesses exporting there for the first time.

Scotland’s world-famous products, including Scottish salmon, Scotch beef and lamb – and of course, Scotch Whisky – are set to receive a significant export boost.

This deal is further evidence of how we can unlock our full potential outside the EU, which could benefit all parts of the United Kingdom.

UK exports to Japan have been growing by an average of 8.2% year-on-year over the previous five years. With this free trade deal in place, potential benefits include better jobs, higher wages, more choice and lower prices for all parts of the UK.

This agreement also makes it easier for British and Japanese professionals to work in each other’s countries, with Japan making it easier to obtain travel visas and work permits.

The agreement also includes a strong commitment from Japan to support the UK joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the world’s biggest free trade areas, covering 13% of the global economy in 2018 and more than £110 billion in trade in 2019.

Other benefits include:

• cutting-edge digital & data provisions that go far beyond the EU-Japan deal, including enabling free flow of data, a commitment to uphold the principles of net neutrality and a ban on unjustified data localisation that will prevent UK businesses from having the extra cost of setting up servers in Japan
• supporting UK car and rail manufacturing jobs at major investors in the UK like Nissan and Hitachi through reduced tariffs on parts coming from Japan, streamlined regulatory procedures and greater legal certainty for their operations
• UK consumers to benefit from cheaper, high-quality Japanese goods, from udon noodles to Bluefin tuna and Kobe beef

The UK stands firm in trade negotiations to ensure any future trade deals protect our NHS and maintain all existing protections for our high standards of food safety and animal welfare.

The final agreement text will then be laid in Parliament for 21 sitting days for scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance (CRaG) Act.

A full parliamentary report will also be published on the agreement, providing an explanation of the CEPA, including any significant differences or enhancements between the UK-Japan CEPA and the EU-Japan Agreement.