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The AAIB has sent a team to Warwickshire to investigate an accident which occurred on 24 June involving a Bell 407 helicopter.
The AAIB is investigating an accident involving a Bell 407 helicopter which was lost in Warwickshire on 24 June. AAIB inspectors have travelled to the scene to make an initial assessment and will begin investigating.
Published 25 June 2020
Nearly £6 million of new funding is being confirmed to military charities across the UK including the Bluebirds Veterans Project and the Ceredigion Armed Forces Veterans Hub.
The UK Government is also confirming today that a consultation will be launched in July on tax relief for businesses which employ veterans.
Today the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) and the Ministry of Defence can confirm that 40 armed forces charities supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families across Wales will benefit from extra funding. This is part of a package of support announced by the Chancellor in April to ensure charities can continue their vital work during the pandemic.
A total of 100 charities in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are benefitting from almost £6 million of UK Government funding, ranging from smaller local charities such as The VC Gallery based in Pembrokeshire to larger organisations such as Help for Heroes.
The charities provide support to veterans and serving personnel in a range of different areas, including employment, mental health and wellbeing, physical health and recovery, and support for service families.
The UK Government is also confirming that next month a consultation will be launched on employers paying no National Insurance contributions on the salary of any veteran they take on during their first year of civilian employment. This delivers on the UK Government’s manifesto commitment to encourage businesses to further utilise the skills and experience that veterans can bring to businesses.
Today we mark and give thanks to our veterans for the outstanding service which they have given to this country. To show our appreciation we’re advancing veterans issues across government, through the Office for Veterans Affairs. I’m delighted as well to confirm extra funding for service charities to help them through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thousands of veterans across Wales have provided incredible service in our Armed Forces. Along with our current serving personnel and their families they deserve the best possible support.
Now more than ever, it is crucial that service charities have the right funding and resources to carry out their vital work with members of our Armed Forces past and present.
If it wasn’t for the brave servicemen and women who serve and protect our country, we would not have a Great Britain to call our home.
That’s why we must continue to do everything we can to support our veterans through these challenging times.
This emergency funding is a very welcome step towards sustaining life-saving support for those in need across the Armed Forces Community. The Service Charity Sector has once again demonstrated great imagination and determination in adapting its delivery methods during this crisis, and we look forward to continuing to work with the MOD and the OVA to sustain these vital services in the coming months as the true impact of the pandemic is fully felt by charities throughout the Sector.
Under the plans announced in this year’s Budget, an employer taking on a veteran earning £25k will save around £2,000 in National Insurance Contributions as a result.
Employers currently pay Employers’ National Insurance contributions of 13.8% of the employee’s salary. Under this measure, they will be able to save this cost on an employee’s salary up to the Upper Earnings Limit (£50,000).
Recently the OVA announced the launch of a study to look at whether COVID-19 has had any specific impact on the veteran community in the UK. This in turn will allow policy makers in government to understand potential issues affecting veterans and respond accordingly based on expert advice and evidence.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), which was created last year, is ensuring that the whole of government is delivering better outcomes for veterans, particularly in areas such as mental health, employment and housing. It is working in partnership with UK Government departments, the Devolved Administrations and charities to coordinate activity across the United Kingdom.
The role of the OVA includes:
On 5 June the world marked World Environment Day. This year the anniversary fell in unprecedented circumstances: the global COVID-19 crisis has of course brought with it immense challenges around the world, including in Egypt, Italy and the UK. But in the middle of so much pain and suffering, we have also had the opportunity to reflect on the effects of the crisis on our climate. Falling global emissions had an impact on all walks of life: wildlife not seen in decades have appeared in parts of the UK, fish have returned to the canals of Venice, and air pollution is at a record low in many of our cities.
The Coronavirus provides a stark reminder of what happens when humanity’s relationship with nature breaks down. As we recover, we have an opportunity to protect and to restore that relationship, by reducing our exposure to deadly viruses and climate impacts alike.
That is why next year’s climate summit, COP26 – which will be held in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021 – will be a critical moment for us all. Hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, it will be the biggest summit ever to take place in the UK: over 30,000 delegates are expected to gather for the event in Glasgow. Postponing the summit until 2021 has given us another year to get ready: Italy and the UK will be working tirelessly over this period to raise global ambition, and to ensure that COP26 is a resounding success. The twin Presidencies of the G7 (UK) and the G20 (Italy) in 2021 will be putting the climate change agenda front and centre.
We are delighted that Egypt will be our partner in this vital endeavour.
At the last summit – COP 25, in Madrid – the UK and Egypt jointly launched an ambitious action plan aimed at mitigating the most severe impacts of climate change, and adapting to those impacts where they cannot be avoided. This was an important contribution to the global effort to complete and implement the Paris Agreement of 2015. Only by delivering on that Agreement can we demonstrate that the world is able to work together to solve this pressing challenge.
As the Egyptian Minister of Environment, Her Excellency Dr Yasmin Fouad, said at the recent Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the whole world has come together to face the Coronavirus. The solidarity we have achieved in that context provides an excellent platform on which to build united and coordinated international action to tackle the climate crisis as well.
To achieve that, we need countries, cities, states and businesses to come together now to take ambitious action towards achieving net zero global emissions. As incoming Presidents of COP26, the UK and Italy are committed to bringing all our partners together to deliver on the spirit and the letter of the Paris Agreement. A special effort will be dedicated to the impact of climate change on Africa: Italy will host an event on this theme in 2021, in preparation for the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Italy will also organize the first edition of the event “Youth4Climate: driving ambition” to highlight the fundamental role that young generations play in tackling issues related to climate change.
As we recover from COVID-19, we have a rare opportunity to rebuild in a way that lays the foundation for sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth. And just as we have come together to face COVID-19, the international community can and must unite to tackle the climate crisis. Our people, and our planet, deserve no less.
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An update from Eileen Milner, ESFA chief executive, on senior staff moves in the agency
Eileen Milner, chief executive of ESFA, said:
The Department for Education has appointed ESFA’s Director of Academies and Maintained Schools (AMSD), Mike Pettifer, as the Director responsible for overseeing the Department’s COVID-19 continuing response plan.
Mike will continue the work he undertook to establish the team in March as single accountable Director for the next 18 months. The role of the team has evolved rapidly over the past few months, and Mike will lead the transition into a recovery phase. Mike will move across to his new role in the coming weeks.
Mike has over 25 years’ experience working in the FE and skills sector in teaching, policy and planning. Currently, Mike is the Director responsible for funding academies directly as well as the funding of local authorities to fund maintained schools.
Warwick Sharp, Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State, will be moving across to head up ESFA’s Academies and Maintained Schools Directorate later this summer.
Warwick will be taking up a significant part of Mike’s AMSD portfolio at the start of Summer recess on an acting basis, with a recruitment process into a permanent position taking place later in the year.
Warwick has over 12 years experience in education strategy and policy. He is currently responsible for leading Private Office Directorate, including the Secretary of State’s immediate Private Office as well as supporting Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, Special Advisers and the Board.
I wish Mike and Warwick all the very best as they step into their new roles.
Dame Fiona Caldicott, the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care (NDG), today launches a public consultation about the Caldicott Principles and Caldicott Guardians.
The Caldicott Principles were developed in 1997 as a result of a review chaired by Dame Fiona of how patient information was handled across the NHS. They have since become widely used across health and social care to help ensure that confidential information is protected and used when appropriate.
The NDG now proposes to add an eighth Caldicott Principle to the seven in use to emphasise the importance of there being no surprises for patients and service users with regard to how their confidential health and care data is used.
During work to develop this, the NDG has taken the opportunity to review the wording of the existing principles. As a result, the NDG is proposing some amendments to the existing principles in order to ensure that they are as clear as possible, consistent with other data sharing requirements and guidance, and that the language is up-to-date.
There are currently more than 18,000 Caldicott Guardians working in health, social care and other sectors; they help their organisations to ensure that information is used legally, ethically and wisely in accordance with the principles.
The National Data Guardian is seeking views on whether, under her statutory power to issue guidance, she should issue guidance proposing that all health and adult social care organisations in England should appoint a Caldicott Guardian. We would particularly like to hear people’s thoughts on how we can ensure that such guidance is appropriately and proportionately implemented in a range of organisations, in particular small organisations.
Dame Fiona said: “I have long emphasised the importance of dialogue with the public about how confidential information is used by the health and care system. This is essential to ensure that people can trust that what they tell their doctor, social worker, nurse or other care professional is treated with appropriate respect and used beneficially. All those working in health and care have a part to play in that dialogue.
“I hope that our proposals will support this and look forward to hearing how they are received.”
The work that has led to this consultation has been taking place over more than two years. There is greater detail on our consultation page about this.
These proposals are not a response to the current pandemic or the data sharing arrangements that it has prompted. However, we are mindful that when we look beyond the current pandemic, there must be careful consideration of which temporary data sharing arrangements should end – as what is appropriate during a public health crisis to protect everyone from a dangerous disease may not be appropriate when the danger recedes. Equally, discussions must also be had about which of the changes (such as those expedited to improve and speed up data sharing) are beneficial and should be maintained.
We hope that by conducting this consultation now, we can develop an improved set of Caldicott Principles and guidance in time to inform and support these important discussions, which will be important to maintaining public trust for health and care data to be used.
The consultation will be open for an extended period of two months until Thursday 3 September to allow organisations and individuals supporting the fight against COVID-19 more time to respond.
To ensure that a variety of voices are heard, the NDG has commissioned YouGov to run workshops with members of the public about the consultation. We will also be engaging with a range of groups and stakeholders over the next two months to ensure that we obtain a diversity of perspectives. If you would like to discuss the consultation, please contact the Office of the National Data Guardian: ndgoffice@nhs.net