The Government Legal Profession’s training contract has won ‘Best for Level of Responsibility’ at the AllAboutLaw Awards 2019.

Matthew Scales, a lawyer in the Government Legal Department (GLD), attended the event. He said:

“I was fortunate enough to attend the AllAboutLaw Awards 2019 on behalf of the Government Legal Profession.

The awards are a recognition of excellence in the provision of training contracts and vacation schemes, as drawn from feedback gathered directly from legal trainees.

The GLP was nominated for the award for ‘best level of responsibility in a training contract’, something that I think we are particularly strong on. Some of the tasks I was given as a GLD legal trainee included working on a Supreme Court submission, project managing secondary legislation and representing the department at a cross-Whitehall working group.

The evening itself started with a number of thought-provoking talks on topics such as fostering a culture of inclusion, getting the ‘onboarding’ process right when people join and supporting the wellbeing of junior lawyers.

When it came time to announce the winners, there was strong competition from a range of national and international firms. But I’m pleased to say that GLP came top in our category!

“This award is a recognition of the excellent work available in the GLP, and of the hard work of everyone who identifies interesting and challenging opportunities for our legal trainees.”

Low pathogenic avian flu of the H5 strain has been confirmed at a commercial chicken farm in Mid Suffolk, today on Tuesday 10th December.

All the birds will now be humanely culled and we have put in place a 1km restriction zone around the infected farm to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

The advice from Public Health England (PHE) is that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency has made clear that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. Thoroughly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.

Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said:

Low Pathogenic Avian flu has been confirmed on a commercial chicken farm in Suffolk. Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and 27,000 poultry at the farm will be culled.

Public Health England has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.

Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.

We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this strain to control and eliminate it.

Dr Gavin Dabrera, Public Health Consultant, Public Health England, said:

Avian flu (often called bird flu) is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low.

As a precaution, we are offering public health advice and antivirals to those who had contact with the affected birds, as is standard practice.

A detailed investigation is in progress to determine the most likely source of this outbreak.

Notes to editors

• Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) is a less serious strain of H5 avian influenza. It can cause mild breathing problems, but affected birds will not always show clear signs of infection. The last confirmed case of LPAI in the UK was in Dunfermline in January 2016.

• The restrictions in place mean that all premises with poultry and/or captive birds within the zones will span 1km.

• The movement of birds, eggs and other things such as carcasses on or off premises where poultry is present and out of the zones are banned except under licence. No gatherings of poultry or the release of game birds are also allowed in the zones. Information on the restriction measures in place within the zones can be found on our bird flu page

• The Food Standard Agency’s information dictates that on the basis of current scientific evidence, its advice is that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers and the risk of getting bird flu through the food chain is very low. Thoroughly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.

• Since June 2017, there have been no detections of avian influenza in poultry or kept birds in the UK. The UK has retained its OIE country freedom status since September 2017.

• Bird flu is a notifiable animal disease. If type of bird flu in poultry is suspected keepers must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. In Wales, contact 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, they should contact their local Field Services Office. Failure to do so is an offence.

• If the public find dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, they should report them to the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).

• Clinical signs that poultry keepers should look for in their birds include a swollen head, discolouration of neck and throat, loss of appetite, respiratory distress, diarrhoea and fewer eggs laid – although clinical signs vary between species of bird

• Where avian influenza (or Newcastle Disease) is not strongly suspected, but cannot be ruled out, poultry keepers may wish to liaise with their private veterinarian about utilising the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) ‘testing for exclusion’ regime in GB. This involves submitting samples to a testing service at the APHA’s National Reference Laboratory, Weybridge and can help detect a notifiable avian disease at the earliest opportunity for such cases. Further information can be found on our bird flu page

• Further information on biosecurity and how to prevent disease is available on our bird flu page

• For media queries contact Defra press office on 0330 041 6560

Advice for fans travelling to Germany for Tottenham’s match with FC Bayern Munich on 11 December 2019.

• date: Wednesday 11 December 2019
• venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
• kick-off time: 9:00pm (local time)

As well as this advice, check out our travel advice for Germany.

Passports and visas

You don’t need a visa to travel to Germany, but your passport should be valid for your whole journey.

Remember your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) but also take out travel insurance, even if you’re only going for 1 night – it could save you a lot of money if you get into difficulties.

You must carry ID with you at all times.

If you lose your passport, you will need to get an Emergency Travel Document.

Getting to the stadium

Fans should not to congregate in large numbers at any of the busy Christmas markets in central Munich as this may lead to overcrowding.

From Marienplatz, which has an abundance of bars, cafes and restaurants there is a direct connection to the Allianz Arena via the local Metro system.

The nearest station is U-Bahn station Fröttmaning on the U6 line. The Munich Transport system will be putting on extra trains for supporters attending the game. Remember to buy and validate all tickets before you board a train.

Only take yellow coloured taxis with an official taxi sticker and number. Taxi costs will be high on departing the stadium area due to the large amount of traffic.

At the match

Access to the stadium can be slow. There will be ticket checks and body searches at the entrance to the turnstiles; to avoid a last minute bottleneck get to the stadium early.

In addition to items which would usually be prohibited in the UK, please note the following restrictions at the stadium:

• no bottles and cans are allowed to be brought into the ground
• flags and banners with metal poles are not allowed

Tips

As in any other city beware of pickpockets and bag snatchers at airports, railway stations, around the town centre and when using public transport. Only carry what you need and leave spare cash and valuables in hotel safety deposits.

For an evening kick off, the average temperature in December will be approximately 0 to 5°C.

Keep your passport in a secure place on you to ensure it does not fall out and is lost.

The official currency of Germany is the Euro. You should only change money at legitimate currency exchanges, such as banks, hotels, or in exchange kiosks. It is an offence to be in possession of counterfeit money.

Telephone +49 (0)89 21109-0

Office hours

Monday to Thursday: 9:00am to 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am to 3:30pm

For more information visit British Consulate Munich website.

Emergency services numbers

Ambulance and Fire: 112

Police: 110

Further information

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We have received several reports from charities who have been targeted by fraudsters impersonating members of staff, specifically attempting to change employees bank details. In all these cases the request was made through an email.

What to look out for

Requests to your HR department, finance department or staff with authority to update employees bank details, usually from a spoofed or similar email address to that of the subject being impersonated.

With a strong social engineering element, the fraudster often states that they have changed their bank details or opened a new bank account.

Protection and prevention advice

• review internal procedures regarding how employee details are amended and approved, especially those in relation to verifying validity
• if an email is unexpected or unusual do not click on the links or open the attachments

Email addresses can be spoofed to appear as though an email is from someone you know. Check email addresses and telephone numbers when changes are requested. If in doubt request clarification from an alternatively sourced email address or phone number.

Sensitive information you post publicly, or dispose of incorrectly, can be used by fraudsters to perpetrate fraud against you. The more information they have about your charity and employees, the more convincingly they can appear to be one of your legitimate employees. Always shred confidential documents before throwing them away.

We issued an alert in May 2019 that provides information and advice to charity trustees about cyber crime and how to report it.

Read Alert for charities – cyber crime and how to report to the Charity Commission

Reporting fraud

If your charity has fallen victim to this type of fraud, or any other type of fraud, you should report it to Action Fraud.

Charities affected by fraud should also report it to us as a serious incident.

Serious incident reporting helps us to assess the volume and impact of incidents within charities, and to understand the risks facing the sector as a whole. Where appropriate, the Charity Commission can also provide timely advice and guidance.

Notes

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, is issuing this alert to charities as regulatory advice under section 15(2) of the Charities Act 2011.