DAOs supplement guidance published in Managing Public Money.
This letter informs accounting officers of United Kingdom government departments and arm’s length bodies of their responsibilities in relation to implementing recommendations of the Committee of Public Accounts.
Personnel from RAF Odiham have been deployed in non-combat roles in Mali since 2018 with the aircraft contributing a unique logistical capability to the French-led operation. The Chinooks and aircrew allow French troops to cover a much larger field of operations by moving personnel to the front-line of activity, eliminating the need for dangerous road moves, and help move vital support equipment to strategic locations.
Since arriving in Mali the RAF has clocked over 2,000 hours of flying and moved over 13,000 passengers and 1,100 tonnes of equipment. Currently, the Chinooks are being flown by aircrew from 18(B) Squadron and are supported by personnel drawn from across the RAF and British Army. The conditions are often challenging, with over 40 degree heat in the summer months and regular sandstorms.
Alongside international partners, French forces operate across the Sahel to counter the threat from militants linked to groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh. Forces deployed on this mission have had a number of successes and recently killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and several other high-profile members of the group.
Today, June 12, Defence Minister James Heappey joined a remote conference with over 15 Defence Ministers of the Coalition for the Sahel to highlight our growing role in the region and help co-ordinate the international response. The aim of the Coalition, launched by France, is to coordinate international activity in the Sahel and promote long-term stability in the region.
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said:
West Africa is as important to the United Kingdom as it has ever been and we have many friends and allies in the region who share our desire to promote peace and prosperity.
Combating extremism in the Sahel is vital for the security of the wider region and the UK will play it’s part tackling the declining security situation.
The aircraft operate across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso
Marked by chronic poverty, instability, high levels of gender inequality, and acute vulnerability to the effects of climate change, the Sahel is one of Africa’s poorest and most fragile regions. The scale and spread of terrorist violence and conflict continues to increase.
UK support to the region goes beyond military commitments, with the Government supporting development in the region and providing life-saving support and protection to those most in need. The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors to the region, and has contributed over £500m in bilateral development and humanitarian assistance since 2015. With COVID-19 now an additional challenge in the Sahel, a significant part of the UK’s £764m contribution to the global COVID-19 effort will be channelled to the region.
Later this year the UK will deploy 250 personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali, also based in Gao. Responding to a UN capability gap, personnel from The Light Dragoons and The Royal Anglian Regiment will form a long range reconnaissance capability, providing greater awareness of possible threats and contributing to the protection of civilians. Initially deploying for three years as part of a 12,500 strong international force, the UK contribution will assist the UN mission as it seeks to deliver long-term and sustainable peace in Mali. By working to stabilise fragile states and tackle the root causes of conflict, the UK is helping to prevent conflict from spilling over to neighbouring states. This deployment will, alongside the UK’s broader development and diplomatic efforts, help address the increasing instability in the region, protect the civilian population, and strengthen the authority of the Malian Government.
The aircraft and aircrew often have to operate in difficult conditions
Since the flooding in February, Environment Agency staff have inspected and maintained 130km of river banks and identified more than 40 locations on the lower River Aire that require repair work due to the damage caused during last autumn and winter. The repair works are needed to return the flood defences back to their pre-flood condition.
Temporary repairs have already been made to those defences requiring the most urgent attention, including the washland reservoir embankments known as Poor Bank and Pickhill Bank between Heck, Gowdall and the Snaith washlands. Washlands are areas of land adjacent to rivers which are designed to store water at times when the river levels are high.
Teams have also been working within Government guidelines to clear away flood debris along the Lower River Aire over the last month and have started their regular programme of grass cutting of flood defence banks to enable inspection and maintain their condition.
Kimberley MacPherson, West Yorkshire Operations Manager at the Environment Agency said:
Recovering from flooding is always incredibly hard and the coronavirus pandemic has added to this greatly. We are doing all we can within Government restrictions to keep up the maintenance programme of our flood banks and we’re pleased to be starting this crucial repair programme of works to get the defences back to their pre-flood condition.
We’ll continue to work closely with flood wardens, community groups and residents to provide support as best as we can during the coronavirus pandemic.
The flooding on the lower River Aire at the end of February followed an autumn and winter of exceptional rainfall that had fully saturated the ground and kept river levels high for prolonged periods. It was the wettest February on record for Yorkshire, with the River Aire catchment receiving 367% of the average monthly rainfall.
River levels responded very quickly and the volume of water in the river was such that the washlands filled to capacity and overtopped, to an extent not experienced in recent times.
There are 14 formal washlands on the Lower River Aire which have a capacity of 45 million cubic metres, equivalent to a sixth of the volume of Lake Windermere or 18,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.
The Environment Agency worked with its partners Selby District Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the emergency services and the Internal Drainage Board to minimise the impact of the flooding through the operation of its existing and temporary flood defences and the use of 32 mobile pumps.
Despite these efforts, unfortunately over 100 properties were flooded and many more affected in the communities of Hirst Courtney, Snaith and East Cowick. Many landowners and farmers along the Lower River Aire, and road and travel routes between communities were also impacted.
The Environment Agency is still working on a full internal review to understand the causes and extent of the flooding, including how the washlands worked, the flood warnings and the effectiveness of the pumping operation once the washlands overtopped. The Environment Agency is also working with the local authorities as part of their investigations, and working on our own internal reviews to better understand the causes of flooding and any learning.
Although options to further reduce flood risk are limited by the tidal influence from the River Ouse, the Environment Agency will be working with partners and local communities to explore what may be possible.
While the package of 40 repair jobs won’t increase the standard of flood protection for communities, there are planned investments for the next six years along the lower River Aire to improve and replace some of the existing flood defences, at a total projected cost of £36 million. These plans are all subject to approvals and will require partnership funding to deliver.
Following Confiscation Orders made by the court in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act, Mark Bottjer has been ordered to pay £64,712.83, while Susan Hearn was ordered to pay £18,594.87. Both defendants have to pay prosecution costs and the orders were made on 12 May 2020 at Chelmsford Crown Court before HHJ Gratwicke. The penalty for default of payment is 12 months imprisonment.The 59-year-old appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday 28 February 2020 where he received a 10-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 250 hours of community service.
Mark Bottjer, from Colchester, Essex, appeared at court after he pleaded guilty to three counts of acting as a director while subject to a disqualification undertaking.
He was joined at court by Susan Linda Hearn after she pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting Mark Bottjer to breach his disqualification.
The 58-year-old from Great Oakley, Essex, received a 2-year community order of 150 hours of unpaid work and 30 days rehabilitation.
The pair were also handed directorship disqualifications by His Honour Judge Christopher Morgan. Mark Bottjer is banned for 12 years, while Susan Hearn is disqualified from running companies for 7 years.
The court heard that Mark Bottjer voluntarily signed a 3-and-a-half-year disqualification undertaking in May 2014 after the company he was director of, Boxperfect Presentation Packaging Ltd, went into administration and he was deemed to be unfit to act as a company director.
This meant he was restricted from managing and forming companies unless he had permission from the courts and following the undertaking, Mark Bottjer terminated his directorship of another packaging company he was a registered director of, Redbox Packaging Design. He then appointed himself as Company Secretary for both Redbox Packaging Design and a separate company, Boxperfect International Ltd.
Despite the appearance that he had stepped back from managing the two packaging companies, he continued to act as director of both Redbox Packaging Design and Boxperfect International.
Evidence seen by the court demonstrated that Mark Bottjer had led meetings and negotiations for more than a year with a high-profile London retailer shortly after his ban. He continued to play prominent roles in the companies’, including determining company purchases and making decisions about company finances, strategy and legal proceedings.
Mark Bottjer also gave the impression to staff that his role had not changed when he stepped down as director after his disqualification.
Susan Hearn had also been involved in the management of Boxperfect International and despite being aware of Martin Bottjer’s disqualification, she facilitated a number of Bottjer’s decisions to maintain the appearance that he was no longer running the company, including negotiating with the tax authorities.
Before passing sentence, His Honour Judge Christopher Morgan also heard that Mark Bottjer formed another company known as International Packaging Brands Limited and had made payment for its formation while he was restricted under the terms of his disqualification undertaking. The court noted that all 3 companies failed.
Ian West, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:
Disqualifications impose significant restrictions on your ability from manging companies. But Mark Bottjer completely disregarded the law when he continued to play prominent roles in three different businesses despite being banned from doing so. Whether that was making financial decisions or even talking to liquidators when one of the companies was being wound-up.
He was aided in his actions by Susan Hearn and the courts have rightfully recognised that the pair had broken the law, resulting in their sentences.
Redbox Packaging Design (Company number 07575825) went into creditors voluntary liquidation in March 2015.
Boxperfect International (Company number 08905554) went into administration in November 2015.
International Packaging Brands Limited (Company number 09686787) went into creditors voluntary liquidation in August 2018.
Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.
Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.
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Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman is seeking views on changing regulations to make infrastructure sharing easier for broadband companies.
This would open up access for broadband network operators to house their equipment on ‘passive’ infrastructure owned and used by other telecoms companies. Passive infrastructure includes utility ducts, poles, masts, pipes, inspection chambers, manholes, cabinets, and antenna installations.
The government will also explore making it easier for these firms to run high-speed broadband cables through the electricity, gas, water and sewer networks that span the UK.
It could also mean strengthening broadband companies’ access to run cables along new and existing infrastructure lining the road and rail networks across the length and breadth of the country.
Currently civil works, in particular installing new ducts and poles, can make up as much as 80% of the costs to industry of building new gigabit-capable broadband networks.
These measures could significantly reduce the time and cost it takes to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business in the UK, giving people future-proof internet connections capable of reaching download speeds of up to 1 gigabit (1000 megabits) per second.
Research from the National Infrastructure Commission suggests infrastructure re-use could lead to an £8 billion cost saving for companies deploying gigabit-capable broadband.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman said:
It makes both economic and common sense for firms rolling out gigabit broadband to make use of the infrastructure that already exists across the country. This will help them avoid the high costs and disruption of having to dig or build their own and ultimately benefit consumers.
We’ve seen progress with improved access to Openreach’s ducts and poles, but other telecoms companies have large networks that are not easily accessible. We want them, and utility companies, to do more to open these up and help speed up getting next-generation broadband to people across the UK.
As a result the government is today launching a call for evidence as part of a review of the Access to Infrastructure (ATI) Regulations 2016, which enables sharing of information about access to physical infrastructure across the utility, transport and communications sectors.
They include provisions on the exchange of information about existing infrastructure, and the right to access that infrastructure on fair and reasonable commercial terms and conditions.
While telecoms companies are free to make their own commercial agreements on infrastructure sharing, the government understands that the ATI Regulations have not been widely used in the UK to date despite the rapid increase in the rollout of gigabit broadband to meet the government’s ambitions for nationwide coverage.
The review will assess if there are changes that could be made to the regulations to further boost investment in infrastructure, and encourage the use of infrastructure sharing to increase the availability of gigabit-capable broadband.
Clare MacNamara, CEO of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, the UK Government’s advisory forum for telecoms policy, said:
It is important for the Broadband Stakeholder Group that the right measures are in place to support UK fibre and gigabit rollout in order for industry to meet the target of nationwide availability by 2025. We therefore welcome Government’s review of the regulations”.