Last night, the Security Minister Brandon Lewis addressed Italian citizens about the EU Settlement Scheme at an event hosted by the Ambassador of Italy to the UK Raffaele Trombetta.

In a speech, the minister said the UK was providing certainty to millions of EU citizens currently living here. More than 150 representatives from various Italian academic, research and business groups across the UK attended.

Prior to the event, the Security Minister had a meeting with the ambassador to discuss Brexit, citizens’ rights and our future security co-operation. Nearly 300,000 applications have been made by Italian nationals since the scheme’s launch, making them the third largest group amongst overall applicants.

Minister of State Brandon Lewis said:

I am really pleased to see there has been a strong response to the EU Settlement Scheme from Italians living in the UK.

With the help of the Italian Embassy and other community groups, we will continue to do all we can to spread the word about the scheme.

Ambassador of Italy to the UK Raffaele Trombetta said:

Last night we were not talking about numbers registered in the EU Settlement Scheme but about people and their lives.

I can assure that both the EU and the UK are willing to work together in their interests.

The Italian Embassy is pleased with the excellent cooperation with the Home Office so far and we will keep working closely together.

The Home Office has worked alongside embassies, employers and local authorities across the UK to promote the EU Settlement Scheme and encourage people to apply.

These include Q&A sessions, pop-up events and materials translated into 26 languages.

Mr/Madam Chair,

I would like to express my thanks to Ambassador Georges Santer of Luxembourg for his introduction, and for his work as the current Chair of IHRA.

Holocaust Memorial Day is a day when we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust.

We remember the thousands of Roma, Sinti, and all other victims of Nazi persecution.

We also remember the victims of other genocides.

This year we marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre, a town in the heart of Europe where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered.

Over the past week, there has been a programme of commemoration across the UK, including a number of events with Holocaust survivors.

The personal testimony of survivors rebukes those who attempt to diminish the gravity of what happened, or even try to deny that this systematic attempt to destroy an entire people actually took place.

Their words are a reminder of our duty to confront those who would tell lies about our history.

As the number of survivors sadly diminishes with time, the new UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will stand as a continuing reminder, next to our Parliament, of the horrifying reality of the Holocaust.

For many British people, Britain’s relationship with the Holocaust is seen through the stories of survivors, refugees or children who arrived on the ‘Kindertransport’, those who have rebuilt their lives in the UK. Theirs is a story of resilience and rebuilding. It is also a story of British armed forces liberating Bergen-Belsen, of heroes like Frank Foley and Sir Nicholas Winton and of ordinary people giving refuge to thousands of Jewish people, many of whom would go on to contribute substantially to British life. This is a story that Britain can be proud of.

But Britain’s response to the Holocaust was not wholly positive. From 1933 to 1938, Britain, like most democratic governments in Europe, turned a blind eye to the growing persecution in Germany. Antisemitism was also present on the streets of Britain. It is now clear that, from the summer of 1941, governments in London and elsewhere knew that mass murder was taking place. Yet, despite knowledge of the ‘Final Solution’ and pleas for help, there was no real effort by the Allies to rescue the Jews of Europe.

Building the UK’s national Holocaust memorial next to Parliament will serve as a permanent reminder that political decisions have far-reaching consequences. The learning centre will address the complexities of Britain’s ambiguous response to the Holocaust, encouraging visitors to critically reflect on whether more could have been done, both by politicians and by society as a whole. Most importantly, our new national memorial will allow us to continue to confront the immense human calamity caused by the destruction of Europe’s Jewish communities during the Holocaust, prompting a sincere commitment to mourn, remember and act.

Both companies supply semi-submersible offshore accommodation support vessels (semi-submersible ASVs) to oil and gas companies. These are used to provide accommodation space for employees working offshore and are a key facility for some types of work in the North Sea; for example, where the water is deep or where weather conditions are harsh and other types of vessel are not suitable.

As part of an in-depth Phase 2 investigation led by an independent group of panel members, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found that Prosafe and Floatel are the 2 largest suppliers in the market, owning the vast majority of semi-submersible ASVs operating on the UK Continental Shelf and the Norwegian Continental Shelf. They compete closely with each other and have consistently won the most contracts over time. Aside from the merging businesses, there are limited alternatives available to customers at present.  

To understand what the deal could mean for future projects that require a semi-submersible ASV, the CMA engaged with customers, competitors, and other stakeholders including the Health and Safety Executive and the Oil and Gas Authority. The CMA examined strategy documents from the two companies which show how they consider each other to be close competitors. There was also data available on how often the firms compete head to head in bidding for tenders.

Based on the evidence so far, the CMA has provisionally found that the merger may result in a substantial lessening of competition and customers may face higher prices, and/or lower quality when tendering for semi-submersible ASVs.

The CMA is consulting on solutions to these provisional findings and views are invited by 6 February 2020. Its initial view is that blocking the merger may be the only way of addressing these competition concerns.

Kirstin Baker, the Inquiry Chair, said:

“Prosafe and Floatel are the two biggest suppliers of this type of specialist accommodation to oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea. Based on the evidence we have seen so far about a lack of real alternatives to the two firms, we are concerned that companies tendering for staff accommodation in this area would face higher prices, or lower quality offers due to insufficient competition as a result of the merger. Our initial view is that blocking the merger may be the only way of addressing these concerns.”

This is one of several global mergers currently being investigated by the CMA. It has worked with the Norwegian Competition Authority (NCA) on this case as it carried out a separate review into the deal. The NCA’s decision to block the merger is currently being appealed to the Norwegian Competition Tribunal. As the CMA prepares to take on more global mergers alongside other regulators, this kind of global co-operation will become increasingly important.

The CMA’s final report will be issued by 23 March 2020.

For more information, visit the Prosafe SE/ Floatel International Limited merger case page.

The UK’s cyber security industry is now worth an estimated £8.3 billion, with total revenues in the sector up 46 per cent from £5.7 billion in 2017.

The sector has seen significant growth in annual revenue and employment, as well as considerable investment in early-stage companies. The findings from the report show:

• The number of active cyber security firms in the UK has increased 44 per cent – up from 846 in 2017 to over 1,200 at year-end 2019. This growth is the equivalent to a new cyber security business being set up in the UK every week

• There are now approximately 43,000 full time employees working in the cyber security sector, up 37 per cent from 2017

• Total revenues within the sector have increased by 46 per cent to an estimated £8.3 billion. On average, revenue per employee reached £193,500 – an increase of 7 per cent since 2017

• 2019 was a record year for the sector with more than £348 million of investment

• Over the last four years (2016-19), total investment identified within the cyber security sector has exceeded £1.1 billion, demonstrating how confidence has grown in the industry.

The UK Cyber Security Sectoral Analysis 2020 named Darktrace as one of the most successful UK cyber security companies, which is one of the country’s 77 tech ‘unicorns’ – a company valued at over $1 billion. Darktrace has its global head office in Cambridge as well as a US base in San Francisco and 44 offices around the world employing over 1,000 people.

Ahead of his speech at international cyber security conference SINET, Digital Minister Matt Warman said:

It’s great to see our cyber security sector going from strength to strength. It plays a vital role in protecting the country’s thriving digital economy and keeping people safe online.

We are committed to seeing it grow and are investing £1.9 billion over five years through our National Cyber Security Strategy to make sure we lead the way in cyber innovation, develop and attract the best talent.

Alongside GDPR industry adoption, this growth has been driven by a number of factors such as the UK’s world-leading technology sector, pro-innovation regulation, research and business-friendly environment.

Industry support from the private and public sectors has also played a key role in this success. The Government is delivering a range of initiatives to boost growth in the cyber security sector. These include Cyber ASAP which supports academics to commercialise their research, Tech Nation Cyber which is the UK’s first cyber scale-up programme and supports companies poised for substantial growth at home and abroad, and our Cyber101 programme which delivers bootcamps around the country to help cyber SMEs develop essential business skills.

The report also highlights the growing diversification of the UK cyber sector with the growth of emerging security sub-sectors focusing on areas such as the Internet of Things, centralised systems that control and monitor infrastructure or facility-based processes, and post-quantum cryptography.

NCSC Director National Resilience & Strategy Clare Gardiner said:

Our ambition is to make the UK the safest place to live and work online and it’s fantastic to see our cyber security industry flourishing.

The NCSC will continue to support, encourage and facilitate cyber security research and innovation, and help attract the most diverse minds.

Tech Nation Entrepreneur Success Director Mike Jackson said: > These latest figures released by DCMS highlight the growing strength of Cyber Security to the UK tech sector. It’s promising to see the number of cyber security firms increasing by 44% and the positive contribution this makes to the UK economy. At Tech Nation, we have the privilege of working with some of the UK’s most promising Cyber Security scaleups, who are utilising bleeding-edge technologies to offer new ways of improving security, and protecting businesses and individuals online.

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson said:

The immense growth of the cyber security industry in recent years reflects the magnitude of the cyber challenge confronting organisations of every kind in modern society. Organisations have had no choice but to lean on AI that fights back on their behalf in the face of fast and sophisticated threats, and it is this appetite for what we call ‘autonomous response’ technology that has driven Darktrace’s exponential growth. As we start to see the early signs of attackers using AI, defensive AI will be critical, and not just a nice-to-have. The best algorithms will win many battles, but the cyber war will rage on.

The Youth Accelerator Fund has been set up to address urgent needs in the youth sector and expand existing successful projects run by Sport England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and British Film Institute.

Youth clubs and organisations in sport, arts, film and heritage will receive a share of the fund, to deliver a range of positive activities for young people to develop skills and contribute to their local communities.

The announcement comes ahead of the Culture Secretary visiting ‘SoapBox’, a youth centre based in Islington later today, where she will underline the Government’s commitment to supporting young people across the nation.

Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said:

I’m thrilled this funding will allow even more young people across the country to participate in fantastic activities, whether at their local youth centre or through sport, arts, film and heritage organisations.

If we wish to get the best out of all the great talent in our country it is vital that we offer the next generation opportunities to build character and resilience, not just in school but outside the school day.

This investment will pave the way for our ambitious, long-term plans to support young people that we will deliver over the next five years.

UK Youth, the membership organisation for youth clubs in the UK, will distribute £1.15 million to run a small grants programme to deliver extra sessions in youth clubs and youth groups across England.

The following organisations will also receive funding:

Sport England: £1.32 million to expand grassroots programmes and offer extra-curricular sport to young people in deprived areas.

National Lottery Heritage Fund: £1.27 million to invest additional funding into ‘Kick the Dust’, a project for young people to enjoy, learn and lead heritage based activities in their communities.

Arts Council England: £500,000 to expand their Youth Music programme, supporting music making for young people in challenging circumstances.

British Film Institute: £155,000 to expand the weekly BFI Saturday Clubs to more areas of the country.

Additionally, over £2 million of the funding will go towards setting up new Local Partnerships across the country, designed to effectively coordinate and sustain local youth activities. Areas will be encouraged to bid for a Local Partnership, that will bring together existing providers, statutory partners and the private sector to deliver programmes for young people.

The investment follows the Chancellor’s announcement last year of a £500 million Youth Investment Fund for the five years from April 2020, to give young people somewhere to go, something positive to do and someone to speak to.

Maddie Dinwoodie, Deputy CEO of UK Youth said:

We are delighted to be awarded £1.15 million of funding to distribute through grants to the UK Youth Movement in order to ensure youth services can reach more young people and provide additional activities.

Youth services are vital as they have transformational and lasting effects on young people’s wellbeing, social and employability skills. At UK Youth we are dedicated to ensuring that every young person can reach an accessible safe space in their community, where they can experience positive activities, develop skills and build relationships with trusted adults.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:

We’re delighted to be able to give additional funding to three amazing organisations who work hard to bring opportunities to young people. At Sport England, we know that regular physical activity can bring massive benefits to people in terms of their physical health – but it can also do wonders for mental health and help to reduce social isolation too.

With the programmes that UK Youth, London Youth, and the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs will be able to run with the additional funding, we hope to inspire more young people and their communities.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said:

Helping every young person to live their most creative life opens up a world of possibilities to them. Every child should be able to achieve their creative potential, no matter how tough their start in life.

Eilish McGuinness, Executive Director, Business Delivery at the The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:

This fantastic additional investment will build on the already strong partnerships that are flourishing through our Kick The Dust programme. The collaboration we’re seeing through the Youth Accelerator Fund shows a really joined up approach across all the activities that, together, we know young people can benefit from.

The extra funding will mean more things happening in more places with more young people, showing how Government investment alongside National Lottery funding can really deliver positive outcomes for young people. We’ve seen through our Kick The Dust projects how young people who might not feel heritage is for them can develop their skills, build their confidence whilst making a difference in their communities.

Amanda Nevill, CEO of the BFI said:

Our big focus at the BFI is reaching younger people from a diverse range of backgrounds. Both nurturing and supporting the next generation of filmmakers and talent and building audiences and broadening people’s minds and understanding of the world through a wider choice of film. This additional funding creates another important opportunity for us to reach young people, expanding across the UK for the first time with a new network of BFI Saturday Clubs.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• SoapBox are a member of the UK Youth Movement, a network of more than 5,500 partner youth organisations.

• The Youth Investment Fund will cost £500 million over five years. It consists equally of £250 million capital and £250 million resource spending.

• This investment will deliver a huge range of universal, open access activities and youth services including in digital skills, arts and culture, sports, and social action.

• The Youth Investment Fund is expected to attract match funding from private, local authority and civil society sources. The location of the youth centres will be determined through a process run by DCMS.

• The Government is supporting young people through the following:.

• Since its launch in 2016 the Government and the National Lottery Community Fund have invested £50 million in the #Iwill fund, creating opportunities for young people to volunteer and take part in social action.

• We continue to deliver the National Citizen Service, with more than 100,000 young people in the past year alone benefiting.

• We have invested £5 million to create over 10,000 new places in uniformed youth groups such as Fire Cadets and Scouts, for young people in disadvantaged areas.

• We have completed a consultation as part of a review on the statutory guidance placed on local authorities to provide appropriate local services to improve young people’s wellbeing. The consultation has now closed and a response will be published in due course.