Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan has today laid out the Government’s ambitions for the telecommunications regulator, including helping to roll out nationwide gigabit speed broadband as soon as possible and clamping down on unfair business practices in telecoms.

As part of Ofcom’s first Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP), the Government has also asked the organisation to do more to promote investment by broadband network providers and support new entrants to the market.

The statement also requires Ofcom to work to make sure customers are better informed and protected, to make it easier for people to switch broadband providers and for an overall improvement in the quality of service customers, especially the vulnerable, receive.

Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

Today we’ve asked our world-class regulator Ofcom to help deliver on our shared ambitions to give people the digital and mobile connections they need and deserve.

We need a vibrant and competitive market to get gigabit broadband across the UK and we want Ofcom to encourage industry to get the job done.

We’ve announced £5 billion so everyone benefits from the fastest internet speeds no matter where they are, but we also want better protection for consumers and for them to be able to switch services more easily.

While it is independent from Government, Ofcom has a legal duty to pay regard to the Statement when carrying out its work. The future outcomes the Government wants to see are:

• ensuring fair competition between new and existing network operators and stamping out anti-competitive behaviour;
• supporting new broadband providers, including by opening up access to Openreach’s network of telegraph poles and underground ducts to make it easier and cheaper for them to lay their own fibre cables;
• stable and long-term regulation that incentivises investment in broadband networks;
• encouraging innovation and investment in 5G services through additional spectrum release or sharing;
• better protections for consumers and an increase in their satisfaction with broadband and mobile services, including tackling harmful business practices such as ‘loyalty penalties’, where customers are charged significantly higher prices for staying with their providers for longer.

The Government has announced £5 billion of funding to make sure the hardest-to-reach 20% of the country get gigabit speed internet at the same time that the market delivers it in more built-up areas.

The Prime Minister and the Digital Secretary set out the Government’s ambition to achieve this by 2025 to level up the country with the world-class digital infrastructure it needs to compete and grow in the modern global economy.

On mobile coverage, the SSP reiterates the Government’s commitment to extend geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK. Last week the Government announced it supports a £1 billion plan with industry to build and share a network of rural phone masts to achieve this aim.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Now that the SSP has been designated, Ofcom has 40 days to respond to it. Ofcom must have regard to the SSP when undertaking its independent regulatory functions and update on the action it has taken in response to the SSP every 12 months.
• The strategic priorities and desired outcomes in relation to broadband and 5G reiterate those first set out in the Government’s July 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review.
• The power for the Government to designate an SSP was introduced by the Digital Economy Act 2017. This brought telecommunications into line with other sectors such as energy and water, where the Government has similar powers.
• The Statement has been developed following consultation with a diverse range of organisations including industry, consumer groups, local councils, and bodies representing rural interests.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to begin by thanking Special Envoy Kafando for his two and a half years’ service in Burundi. Like others, the UK would like to pay tribute to the Special Envoy and his office. The office of the Special Envoy plays an integral role in helping to develop confidence-building measures and supporting efforts to create conditions conducive to political dialogue.

I would also like to thank Ambassador Lauber for his detailed briefing.

I would like to welcome the latest report of the Secretary-General, which provides a valuable record of the current situation in Burundi. The United Kingdom would like to underline once again, as we, and others in this Council have before, the importance of regular written reports on the situation in Burundi that can inform our discussions. As we look ahead to elections in May next year in Burundi, the UK calls upon all interested parties in Burundi and in the wider region, to help ensure that those elections are safe, credible and fully reflect the aspirations of the people. Citizens must have faith in their political process in order to accept the results of the election. Well organised and credible elections are therefore vital for that stability of Burundi.

We encourage the EAC to redouble their efforts to push for an effective, inclusive dialogue. A harmonised roadmap that all parties can support, and which preserves the gains of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement is crucial. We call on the Government and its constituent parties to continue to engage in dialogue with the region and in doing so to send a clear signal of its continued commitment to resolve the ongoing political crisis. We also urge the Government to finalise the Status-of-Mission Agreement with the Office of the Special Envoy.

We note the overall improvement in the security situation but continuing incidents of violence and violations of human rights, some of which target political opponents, are deeply concerning. The latest report by the UN Commission of Enquiry on Burundi records continuing serious human rights violations committed in a general climate of impunity and an intensifying suppression of civil liberties. This must stop. We are also concerned about the operating climate for the media, particularly regarding the BBC and Voice of America. A free press is essential to Burundi’s stability, during the electoral process and beyond.

Turning to the refugee situation, we believe that Burundian refugees should be able to return home but this must be done on a voluntary basis where their ability to live in safety and dignity on their return is assured. UNHCR and other actors in Burundi must be allowed to monitor the situation of returnees in Burundi, including their access to necessary services and their continued protection.

Madam President, with elections next year taking place amidst this fragile political and humanitarian environment and its implications for the broader security of the Great Lakes region, the UK believes that the situation in Burundi continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security. The United Kingdom firmly believes that this must remain on this Council’s agenda.

Date: Wednesday 6 November 2019

Venue: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães

Kick off time: 3:50pm (local time)

As well as this advice, check out our travel advice for Portugal

Get ready for Brexit

To visit Europe after Brexit there are things you need to do before you travel. These include:

• check your UK passport is valid for travel to Europe using the GOV.UK passport checker
• get travel insurance that provides health cover in Europe
• check you have the right driving documents
• check pet travel rules with your vet at least 4 months before you travel

Passports and visas

• you don’t need a visa to travel to Portugal, but your passport should be valid for the period of your stay

• you must show some form of identification if asked by the police or judicial authorities; in most cases, it should be sufficient to carry a photocopy of the data page of your passport, but you can be asked to produce the original document

• if you lose your passport, you can apply for an emergency travel document online; you will have to collect the document from the Consulate in Lisbon or Portimão; travel from Porto to Lisbon takes at least 4 hours and to Portimão at least 8, so remember to factor this in to your travel arrangements

• remember to bring your European Health Insurance Card(EHIC) but also take out travel insurance even if you’re only going for a short period, it could save you a lot of money if you get into difficulties

Getting to the stadium

• the nearest airport to the stadium is Porto; you can reach Porto city centre from the airport by underground (Metro)
• if you’re arriving at another airport, there are trains and buses to Porto; the main railway station in Porto is Campanhã and the bus station is at Praça de Batalha; domestic flights to Porto from Lisbon and Faro are operated by TAP Air Portugal
• the Estádio D Afonso Henriques is in the centre of Guimarães and within walking distance of the train and bus stations
• there is a rail link between Porto Campanhã and Guimarães; there is also a regular bus service from Campo 24 de Agosto
• for information generally on Porto’s public transport system, see Porto’s tourism website
• taxis are beige-coloured or black and green; they’re available at the airport and at taxi ranks around the city; you can flag down taxis in Portugal
• if you’re driving, you should carry your passport, valid UK driving licence, car logbook or rental contract and insurance; the police can fine you on-the-spot if you don’t have these documents
• there are tolls on Portuguese motorways; you can get a fine if you don’t pay toll fees so remember to carry enough cash with you; don’t use the green lanes (VV – Via Verde) at toll pay points; these are for motorists who subscribe to the automatic pay system; some roads in the north of Portugal and in the Algarve have electronic tolls (SCUTs); check how to pay these before you travel

At the match

• Arsenal fans with General Admission tickets will be seated in the upper tier and enter the stadium via gates 18 and 19
• access to the stadium can be slow – there will be ticket checks and searches carried out by stewards and/or police on entry to the stadium; to avoid last minute queues get to the stadium in good time
• no alcohol, sharp objects (including umbrellas), air horns or loudspeakers, fireworks or flares, bottles or cans, drums or video cameras in the stadium
• the authorities have the right to breathalyse on entry to the stadium and anyone they consider too drunk may be refused entry
• children under the age of 3 will not be admitted to the stadium
• visiting supporters will be held back for about 1 hour after the match to allow the home fans to disperse

Tips

• as in any other city beware of pickpockets and bag snatchers at airports, railway stations, around the town centres and when using public transport; only carry what you need and leave spare cash and valuables in hotel safety deposit box or split it up and carry it in different places
• there’s no time difference between the UK and Portugal

British Embassy Lisbon
Rua de São Bernardo, 33
1249-082
Lisbon

Telephone: +351 21 392 4000 (also for out of hours emergencies)

Office hours: Monday to Friday: 9am to 4.30pm

For more information, please visit British Embassy Lisbon website

Emergency services numbers

Further information

Published 31 October 2019

The FSA launched a consultation to seek stakeholder views and comment in relation to:

• The proposed implementation of the England legislation to provide for the execution of powers and enforcement of the Official Controls Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (OCR) in relation to the FSA areas of responsibility for food and feed law and animal health and welfare.

• Their assessment of the impacts associated with the implementation of the legislation in England in relation to FSA areas of responsibility only.

The directly applicable OCR takes effect on 14 December 2019. The OCR addresses official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products.

The Government Chemist provided a response to the FSA’s consultation, expressing their views on the FSA’s approach to sanctions and enforcement provisions.

PDF, 551KB, 2 pages

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email government.chemist@lgcgroup.com. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

The Government Chemist is responsible under certain Acts of Parliament for providing independent analytical measurement and expert opinion to help avoid or resolve the disputes over scientific data, which arise from time to time between local authorities and the businesses that they regulate.

For more information about the work of the Government Chemist contact:

Published 31 October 2019

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Minister for Implementation, Simon Hart, writes to the Senior Salaries Review Body about the 2020 pay round.