Following the 2017 terror attacks in Manchester and London, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Home Office’s Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT) initiated the £2 million “Improving Crowd Resilience” competition to seek innovative ideas to reduce the threat from terrorist and malicious use of explosives and weapons in public spaces. The capabilities and systems funded have been designed to be used in crowded places by private sector companies who operate and manage many of our public spaces and transport locations.

DASA is keen to ensure that private sector operators are provided the opportunity to hear more from the successful suppliers and will be hosting a briefing in the Henley Suite on Tuesday 3 December at the International Security Expo.

In particular, DASA is reaching out to influencers in the Front Line Services, Home Office and Government stakeholders as well as managers and decision makers for security of crowded places, in areas such as, rail operators, shopping centres, stadiums, airports, large event organisers, security services to public spaces/venues and leisure attractions.

Do you want to get involved? If you are interested in attending the DASA ICR Briefing you will need to register directly for free to attend the International Security Expo (ISE). Registration for the ISE will close on Monday 2 December. If attendees haven’t pre-registered for the International Security Expo there is a charge of £99 plus VAT on the day to attend.

You will also need to register for the DASA ICR briefing directly via the Eventbrite page and registration will close on Friday 29 November. Note that numbers are limited and if the event is oversubscribed, DASA reserves the right to limit the number of spaces per organisation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us: accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

The government has today (19 November) announced that flood-hit homes and businesses will be able to receive up to £5,000 to help protect them from future flooding.

The grants, which will be made available through local authorities from the end of November onwards, will help homes and businesses to become more resilient to flooding by helping to pay for a range of property improvements. The funding will go towards the additional costs of installing fittings and materials that increase resistance to damage from water in the future, such as putting in flood doors and raising electrics off ground level.

The grants will be open to homes and businesses that have been seriously affected by flooding this autumn, including communities in South Yorkshire some which experienced a month’s worth of rain in a single day during the week of 4 November.

This additional funding comes as Environment Agency teams continue to work across the country to reduce flood risk and to ensure that it is safe for people to move back into their homes.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said:

My thoughts go out to all those affected by the devastating flooding which has taken place over the last two weeks.

As we look ahead to the coming months, it is crucial that people are able to prepare for future flooding. That is why we are providing increased funding to enable people to make their homes more resilient and better protected if floods happen again.

With thousands of properties already safeguarded by flood defences, and work progressing on pumping away flood water, I would once again like to thank the commitment and dedication of our Environment Agency teams around the country, alongside our Emergency Services and Armed Forces.

This additional support for homes and businesses comes on top of grants worth up to £25,000 which will be made available to flood-hit farmers in northern England.

On Friday, 8 November, the government also activated the emergency Bellwin scheme. Under the scheme, local authorities dealing with the flooding can apply to have 100% of their eligible costs, above a threshold, reimbursed by the Government. Further support for homes and businesses was also announced today (15 November) through immediate council tax and business rate relief for affected homes and businesses.

On 12 November 2019, the government also opened a Community Recovery Grant to support local councils with their efforts to get households on their feet, and a Business Recovery Grant for eligible small and medium-sized businesses.

People are advised to continue to check their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation on the Environment Agency’s flood warning’s page, or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

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The MHRA has issued an alert to healthcare professionals, as Creo Pharma Limited and Tillomed Laboratories Limited are recalling all unexpired stock of certain batches of prescription-only Ranitidine medicines used to treat conditions such as heartburn and stomach ulcers.

The recall affects Ranitidine Oral Solution 30mg/ml produced, by Creo Pharma Limited, and Ranitidine 150mg Tablets, produced by Tillomed Laboratories Limited.

Healthcare professionals have been told to stop supplying the products immediately. All remaining stock should be quarantined and returned without delay to the supplier.

Patients should not stop taking their medication, and a treatment review is not necessary until the next routine appointment.

The recall is a precautionary measure due to possible contamination with an impurity called NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine), which has been identified as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers.

The MHRA is actively involved with the European Medicines Agency and other medicines’ regulators to determine the impact of what is an ongoing, global issue. On 8 October, 17 October and 25 October, MHRA drug alerts were also issued regarding the withdrawal of other ranitidine medicines.

Dr Andrew Gray, MHRA Deputy Director of Inspections, Enforcement & Standards, comments:

“Whilst this action is precautionary, the MHRA takes patient safety very seriously.

“Patients should keep taking their current medicines but should speak to their doctor or pharmacist if they are concerned and should seek their doctor’s advice before stopping any prescribed medicines.

“We have asked companies to quarantine batches of potentially affected medicines whilst we investigate and we will take action as necessary, including product recalls where appropriate.

“We have also requested risk assessments from the relevant companies which will include the testing of potentially affected batches.

“Currently, there is no evidence that medicines containing nitrosamines have caused any harm to patients, but the Agency is closely monitoring the situation, and working with other Regulatory Agencies around the world.”

ENDS Note to editors:

1. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.

2. MHRA is a centre of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which also includes the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Honourable Julian Smith, has announced that the appointment term of existing Non-Executive members of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) has been extended.

The extensions are effective from 2 January 2020 to 30 September 2020. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.

Notes to editor:

The Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) (No.2) Regulations 2019 came into force on 16 October, adding the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) to the table of specified offices under Article 5 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act 2018 which permits the Secretary of State to make and extend appointments to the NITHC Board.

The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) is a Public Corporation which was established by the Transport Act (NI) 1967. Its responsibilities include holding and managing property assets and the oversight, in terms of support, control and supervision, of its private limited subsidiary companies, the principal ones being Ulsterbus, Metro (previously Citybus) and Northern Ireland Railways, trading jointly as Translink. It is expected to operate commercially and has a duty to operate in line with Ministerial policy.

The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company currently have a membership of three Executive Members and five Non Executive Members The Non-Executive Members of the NITHC Board currently receive remuneration of £12,450 per annum.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. The five Non-Executive members have declared that they have not undertaken any political activity.

Biographical Details

Mr Depledge has served on the Board of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company since 2011. He has a background in transport management. He is the former Director of Transport Policy for Arriva plc. He has held a number of board positions, including Transport for Edinburgh Ltd, Lothian Buses Ltd, Blackpool Grand Theatre Ltd and chairs the Board of UniversityBus Limited. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics. He is currently an honorary President of the European Union Committee of the international transport trade association UITP, having chaired that Committee from 2009 to 2013.

Mr Mitchell has served on the Board of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company since 2012. He has a background in the Health and Social Care sector and is a former Trust Chief Executive. He is the current Chair of the NI Guardian Ad Litem Agency for which he receives £7,444 per annum. He is also an independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Police Ombudsman NI for which he received £60 per hour. On a voluntary basis, he is also a member of the Advisory Board of Marie Curie, NI.

Mrs McCartan is a chartered accountant by profession. She holds an MBA. Mrs McCartan has held a number of senior management posts in the private sector including the role of Finance Director, and a number of non-executive roles in the public sector. Mrs McCartan is currently a Non-Executive Director (Finance) of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (DoH) for which she receives remuneration of £8,283 per annum. She is the Chair of the Remuneration and Pensions Committee of the NITHC Board.

Dr. Sweeney has a background in the industrial, commercial and manufacturing sectors within Northern Ireland, Europe and the USA. He is a former Vice President of Caterpillar and Managing Director of FG Wilson. He graduated from Queens University, Belfast with a 1st class honours degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2006-2008. In 2007 he was awarded an OBE for services to business and in 2011, an Honorary D.Sc. Degree from Queen’s University. He is a current Non-Executive Director of Invest NI for which he receives remuneration of £12,517 per annum.

Mrs Reavey has a background in Finance. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has her own consultancy practice. She is an Associate Advisor for the Strategic Investment Board. She is a former Non-Executive Director of the NI Science Park Foundation Ltd (2000-2010), a former Trustee for the NI Science Park Trust (2010 to 2015) and also a Board Member for Firmus Energy. She does not currently hold any other public appointments.

All media queries in relation to the NI Transport Holding Company should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007 or e-mail: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of hours please contact the duty press officer on 028 90372110.