Summary

At about 22:04 hrs on Saturday 1 December 2018 a passenger was leaning out of the window of a moving train when her head came into contact with a lineside tree branch near Twerton, a suburb of Bath. The passenger suffered fatal injuries. The train, a Great Western Railway service from London Paddington to Exeter St David’s, was travelling at approximately 75 mph (120 km/h) at the time.

On the type of coach making up the train, opening windows are provided to allow passengers to reach through and operate the external door handles when the train is in a station. This is the only means by which passengers can open the train doors. However, other than warning signs, there is nothing to prevent passengers from opening and leaning out of such windows when trains are away from stations and moving. The accident occurred because the passenger did this when branches from a lineside tree were in close proximity to the train.

A possible underlying factor was that Great Western Railway’s risk assessment process had not historically identified the risk of passengers or staff being injured as a result of putting their heads out of windows on moving trains. Consequently, Great Western Railway had not provided adequate mitigation measures to protect against the risk.

Recommendations

The RAIB has made four recommendations and identified two learning points.

One recommendation is addressed to operators of mainline passenger trains, including charter operators, and seeks to minimise the likelihood of passengers leaning out of droplight windows when a train is away from stations. A second recommendation, is addressed to operators of heritage railways and seeks to improve their management of the risks associated with passengers leaning out vehicles.

The third recommendation is addressed to Great Western Railway and seeks to reduce the potential for hazards associated with its operations being overlooked.

The fourth recommendation is addressed to RSSB and seeks to ensure that its advice on emergency and safety signs reflects the level of risk associated with the hazard being mitigated.

The learning points reinforce the importance of undertaking regular tree inspections and the value of train operators having well briefed procedures for dealing with medical emergencies on board trains.

Notes to editors

1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

Newsdate: 16 October 2019

England

In England, the August data shows on average, house prices have risen by 0.8% since July 2019. The annual price rise of 1.1% takes the average property value to £251,233.

The regional data for England indicates that:

• the North East experienced the greatest monthly price rise, up by 3.1%
• London saw the most significant monthly price fall, down by 1.3%
• the North East experienced the greatest annual price rise, up by 3.3%
• London saw the largest annual price fall, down by 1.4%

Price change by region for England

Repossession sales by volume for England

The lowest number of repossession sales in June 2019 was in the East of England.

The highest number of repossession sales in June 2019 was in the North West.

Average price by property type for England

Funding and buyer status for England

Building status for England

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

London

London shows, on average, house prices have fallen by 1.3% since July 2019. An annual price fall of 1.4% takes the average property value to £472,753.

Average price by property type for London

Funding and buyer status for London

Building status for London

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Wales

Wales shows, on average, house prices have risen by 2.3% since July 2019. An annual price rise of 4.5% takes the average property value to £168,318.

There were 38 repossession sales for Wales in June 2019.

Average price by property type for Wales

Funding and buyer status for Wales

Building status for Wales

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Access the full UK HPI

UK House Prices

UK house prices grew by 1.3% in the year to August 2019, up from 0.8% in July 2019.

The UK Property Transaction Statistics for August 2019 showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of transactions on residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 99,890. This is 0.9% higher than a year ago. Between July 2019 and August 2019, transactions increased by 15.8%.

House price growth was strongest in Wales where prices increased by 4.5% in the year to August 2019, up from 3.8% in the year to July 2019. The lowest annual growth was in London, where prices fell by 1.4% over the year to August 2019.

See the economic statement.

Background

1. The UK House Price Index (HPI) is published on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. The September 2019 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 13 November 2019. See calendar of release dates.
2. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
4. Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
5. Revision tables have been introduced for England and Wales within the downloadable data. Tables will be available in csv format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
6. Data for the UK HPI is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
7. The UK HPI is calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, in particular HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
8. The UK Property Transaction statistics are taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series so HMRC also presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Adjustments are made for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
11. Work has been taking place since 2014 to develop a single, official HPI that reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property in the UK. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
12. Information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process, is provided by HM Land Registry for properties that are sold for full market value.
13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
14. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
15. For England, this is shown as volumes of repossession sales recorded by Government Office Region. For Wales, there is a headline figure for the number of repossession sales recorded in Wales.
16. The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. Repossession sales data prior to April 2016 is not available. Find out more information about repossession sales.
17. Background tables of the raw and cleansed aggregated data, in Excel and CSV formats, are also published monthly although Northern Ireland is on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
18. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
19. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
20. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £7 trillion, including over £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 86% of the land mass of England and Wales.
21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
22. Follow us on Twitter, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To begin the day TRH visited the local, government-run Islamabad Model College for Girls school to champion the importance of quality education, particularly for girls. The school educates students between the ages of 4 and 18.

TRH met pupils from kindergarten to sixth form and heard about how the students are benefiting from Teach for Pakistan, a fast-track teacher training programme modelled on the UK’s successful ‘Teach First’ scheme. Like Teach First, Teach for Pakistan is focused on improving the quality of teaching in schools which serve families from disadvantaged backgrounds through a rigorous teacher selection and training programme.

Continuing the education theme, TRH then visited the Margalla Hills to take part in a number of activities which highlighted Pakistan’s work to meet several of the Sustainable Development Goals. Their Royal Highnesses joined children from four local schools to set up a leopard camera trap. Environmental change and its impact is an increasingly serious issue in Pakistan, a country especially vulnerable to climate change. The Margalla Hills in particular face threats of encroachment, poaching, wildfires, invasive species and littering.

The Duke and Duchess then held official meetings with the President of Pakistan Mr Arif Alvi, followed by an official meeting and lunch with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Imran Khan.

Notes to Editors

Education

The UK is investing in education in Pakistan to unlock its potential. The DFID education programme in Pakistan is the UK’s largest bilateral development programme. UK aid has helped more than 5.5 million girls like those in the Islamabad College since 2011 get a quality education. UK aid has also focused on girls who are out of school to make sure they get education to improve literacy and numeracy, as well as training in skills for work. For example, thousands of teenage girls in the lowest performing districts of South Punjab will learn the skills they need to reach their full potential. With a growing population in Pakistan, where two-thirds of adult women cannot read or write, it is essential we make sure girls get the education they deserve.

All evidence confirms that wherever women are empowered and educated there are immediate improvements in the prosperity of that society. Helping women and girls to gain access to the same opportunities as their male peers is in everyone’s interests. An equal role for women in the economy is essential to sustained growth and will help lift millions out of poverty, with experts predicting that advancing economic equality globally could add $12 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Pakistan is making progress on education, but challenges remain. The number of out-of-school children has declined, but 22.8 million children remain out of school (aged 6-16 years), with 11.4 million in primary and lower secondary school (aged 6-12 years). Spending has increased, but despite its young population, Pakistan spends only just over 3% of its GDP on education.

The Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) is a government-run school with students from kindergarten (aged 3-5 years) to ‘intermediate’ (aged 17-18 years). The kindergarten and primary sections are co-educational, while the high school is girls only. For its 1,200 students the school has 28 teachers. The school has benefitted from UK aid from DFID as it runs the “Learn Smart Classroom”. It provides interactive lessons to help children learn in a digital and interactive way. The “Learn Smart Classroom” has been used in more than 300 schools across Pakistan and has helped more than 80,000 children learn since it was created.

Environment

Environmental change and its impact is an increasingly serious issue in Pakistan, a country especially vulnerable to climate change. The Margalla Hills face threats of encroachment, poaching, wildfires, invasive species and littering.

The environment engagement involves children from four local schools participating in the WWF’s Green School Programme. The Green School Programme contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (health and wellbeing), SDG 4 (education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles), as well as the aforementioned SDGs. The campground used during this engagement is newly built and this autumn is the first opportunity the school children have had to use it.

For further information

For updates on the British High Commission, please follow our social media channels:

In our network’s continuous effort to reach as many British nationals in Norway as possible, we are announcing further events. This is your opportunity to ask the questions that concern you.

The meetings are free and open to all interested British nationals. Please make sure you register if you would like to attend.

Upcoming events across Norway

To receive updates on outreach events in your area, follow us on Facebook and keep an eye on this website for more news.

Previous events across Norway

2019

The next phase of DHSC’s campaign ‘When you care, every day makes a difference’ aims to help fill the 122,000 vacancies in adult social care.

The campaign was first launched in February to attract new people with the right values to the sector and increase interest in adult social care as a vocation.

It will continue to target 20 to 39 year olds, raising awareness of the benefits of a career in adult social care.

The department’s recent survey of 2,020 adults showed that people in England aged 18 to 34 are the most likely to consider applying for a job in adult social care.

The survey showed that:

• 64% of 18 to 34 year olds would consider a career in adult social care
• over half of people aged 18 to 34 would consider changing career for a job that helps or supports others
• more than 1 in 10 people aged 18 to 34 are dissatisfied with their current job
• 59% would consider moving roles to a job that offers more personal fulfilment
• 65% of parents with dependent children would consider a role in adult social care

Nearly 1.5 million people work in the adult social care sector, but an ageing population means that 580,000 more workers will be needed by 2035.

The average age of those working in the sector is 45 years old, and around 385,000 jobs are held by people aged 55 years old who are likely to retire in the next 10 years.

Roles in adult social care include working with adults of all ages in different locations and with different needs, for example:

• a care worker in a care or nursing home
• an activities co-ordinator in the local community
• an occupational therapist in a hospital
• a personal assistant in someone’s home

Minister for Care Caroline Dinenage said:

“A career in adult social care offers the rewarding opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society – a sentiment 96% of current care workers on the ground agree with.

“We have over a million brilliant people working in the sector, but we urgently need new talent to ensure we can continue to provide support for those who need it.

“I hope our ‘When you care, every day makes a difference’ campaign will draw more people with the right values to forge fulfilling careers and help them realise how diverse, worthwhile and often flexible jobs in social care can be. I urge anyone considering a career in care to apply today.” 

Julie Ogley, President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), said:

“People of any age can work in social care and make a real difference to the lives of so many who need it.

“There’s a wealth of highly rewarding career opportunities for everyone, from providing vital care and support as a care worker or personal assistant, to roles in the local community and beyond with the opportunity to go further.

“There are careers to be had in social care – our own members, all of whom are directors, and their direct line reports, are a prime example of this.

“We want to see a social care workforce that is diverse and well representative of our society and we hope that this campaign will help us to achieve that.”