During National Pro Bono Week 2017 (6 to 10 November) London teenagers spent time learning about the legal implications of what they say and do online. The session was hosted by lawyers from the Government Legal Department as part of the Citizenship Foundation’s Lawyers in Schools programme.

The workshop focused on the law on social media, and helped 30 students from the Ark Academy schools and the London Nautical School to understand the balance between freedom of expression and when the law has been broken.

National Pro Bono Week highlights the legal community’s work of providing free legal support and advice.

The Lawyers in Schools programme is made up of a series of legal workshops facilitated by legal professionals. It is aimed at increasing young people’s awareness and understanding of the law, developing listening and communication skills and raising aspirations and confidence.

Speaking after the event, Stephen Braviner Roman, GLD’s Director General who sponsors pro bono activities, said:

The Citizenship Foundation’s Lawyers in Schools programme gives students practical support so they are more aware of their rights and responsibilities. Today’s session helped these young people navigate the complexities of what they can and can’t say online.

I’m really pleased that GLD lawyers can be involved in projects like this. It gives them the opportunity to give back to their local communities and help teach young people about their rights and responsibilities.

Tom Franklin, Chief Executive of the Citizenship Foundation, said:

It’s fantastic that GLD is volunteering to help young people understand a crucial element of the law that affects them.

Like many thousands of legal professionals who volunteer on our programmes, they are helping young people become active, informed young citizens.

GLD also launched its Pro Bono Strategy this week. As a founding signatory to the Law Society’s pro bono charter, GLD committed to developing a pro bono strategy to support and encourage pro bono activity across the organisation. The new strategy demonstrates GLD’s ongoing commitment to the pro bono work carried out by its lawyers and aims to increase awareness of the opportunities and benefits of getting involved in pro bono work and develop a strong pro bono culture across the department.

On October 26, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), a body established by unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), concluded that the Assad regime is responsible for the use of sarin in Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017. We have full trust in the JIM’s findings, its professionalism and independence. The Syrian regime violated international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention. We condemn this heinous act and demand that the Syrian regime immediately cease any and all use of chemical weapons and finally declare to the OPCW all chemical weapons that it possesses.

The JIM also found that ISIS/Daesh was responsible for a sulphur mustard attack on the town of Um Housh in September 2016 on two consecutive days. We also condemn this despicable act, and we are united in our determination to defeat this abhorrent terrorist movement once and for all. We condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere.

We agree that it is vital for the international community to continue to investigate cases where chemical weapons have been used in Syria. We therefore urge the United Nations Security Council to maintain the JIM’s investigative capacity. We also call on the OPCW Executive Council to take action in response to the JIM report to send an unequivocal signal that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons will be held accountable.

Sadly, this is not the first report identifying those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. In 2016, the JIM came to the conclusion that the Syrian regime was responsible for the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in at least three attacks in 2014 and 2015, and ISIS/Daesh used sulphur mustard once in 2015.

And there is more work for the JIM to do. The OPCW has now reported that a sarin attack “more than likely” took place in Al Lataminah in Syria, just a week before and 15 kilometers from the sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The attack it describes bears the hallmarks of the Syrian Regime.

A robust international response is now essential to hold those responsible to account, seek justice for the victims of these abhorrent attacks and to prevent such attacks from happening again. After such a report, the Security Council and all its members have a common responsibility to protect the international non-proliferation regime and live up to their previous commitments.

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Attack at Khan Shaykhun: What Happened

Attack at Khan Shaykhun: What Happened

Further information

The Cabinet Secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Patrick Vallance as the new government Chief Scientific Adviser. Dr Vallance, who is currently President of Research and Development, at GlaxoSmithKline, and the former Head of Medicine at University College London, was chosen following an open competition. He will take up the post in Spring 2018. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health, is carrying out the role on an acting basis.

The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood said:

This is an excellent appointment for the Civil Service, in an important area of government business. Patrick Vallance has already advised the government on several occasions in his capacity as a Member of the UK Ministerial Industry Strategy Group, so he is well placed to offer the best scientific advice available to the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet. I am also looking forward to the contribution Patrick will make in leading the science community across government, building on the great work of Sir Mark Walport, his predecessor.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Mark for the invaluable contribution he has made to policy development and strengthening Whitehall’s already world-class science capability.

Commenting on his new role, Dr Patrick Vallance said:

It is a great honour to join the Civil Service as the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. Science, engineering and technology have a vital role to play at the heart of policy making and are critical to economic growth and prosperity in the UK as well as to addressing many of the greatest challenges of our time, such as environmental change and keeping our citizens healthy and secure.

I look forward to working with colleagues to ensure the government has the best possible advice, from the best experts, based on the strongest evidence, to inform the widest range of policy decisions.

Science Minister, Jo Johnson said:

Science and innovation plays a pivotal role in our Industrial Strategy and we’ve invested an additional £4.7 billion to 2020/21 to ensure we continue to build on our worldwide reputation as a science powerhouse. Dr Patrick Vallance’s extensive knowledge and experience from the private sector and academia will play a central role in supporting this commitment and promoting our global leadership status.

Members of the public are being invited to share their views on the Environment Agency’s strategy to protect areas of the north Kent coast over the next century.

The online public consultation opens today, 6 November 2017, allowing people to view the Environment Agency’s plans on how best to best protect people, properties, wildlife habitats and agricultural land from flooding and coastal erosion in the Swale and Medway Estuary Area.

The Medway Estuary and Swale Strategy outlines the best technical solution for flood defence while considering the impact and benefits to local communities and the environment, as well as the cost to the taxpayer. It covers the Medway towns of Stoke, Sittingbourne, Conyer and Faversham, in addition to the Isle of Sheppey and the Medway Estuary.

Rising sea levels could result in the loss of nationally and internationally designated wildlife habitats in the area, which might be ‘squeezed’ against existing defences. The strategy therefore considers whether existing defences could be moved inland and the coastline returned to a more natural state, or whether habitat could be created elsewhere.

Mark Douch, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, said:

The project team has developed leading options for each section of the strategy area, based on economic, technical, and environmental appraisals.

We are keen to hear comments and feedback from the public on the proposed flood and coastal management options. We want to make sure we have captured all information before finalising the strategy.

The consultation runs until 5 February 2018.

Members of the local communities and key stakeholders are invited to review the proposed options for the management of coastal flood and erosion risk at public exhibitions being held at:

• Eastchurch Village Hall, Isle of Sheppey, 3pm to 7pm, 30 November 2017.
• Riverside Country Park, Gillingham, 3pm to 7pm, 6 December 2017.
• Halling Community Centre, 3:30pm to 7:30pm, 12 December 2017.

A groundbreaking new development in South West London moved a step closer today (8 November), as tunnelling work on the Northern Line extension was completed, paving the way for faster journey times and supporting tens of thousands of new homes.

This project, which was backed by £750 million of loan guarantees from HM Treasury, has created two new tunnels running from Battersea to Kennington via Nine Elms. Two new tube stations – Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station – will also be added to the Northern Line, helping cut commutes to central London to as little as 15 minutes.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss said:

It’s very exciting to see this new phase of the Northern Line delivered.

Great infrastructure, including the tube, is vital to a thriving London. That is why we backed this important project which is supporting thousands of jobs and new homes in our capital.‎

And that is why we are backing projects across the country that will help drive enterprise and growth.

The newly extended service is vital to regenerate a historic part of London, and will create an estimated 25,000 new jobs, resulting in more than 20,000 new homes being built in the area.

As the first London tube line extension for more than 20 years, the project received government support in 2012, in the form of a UK Guarantee. This project was one of the first to benefit from the UK Guarantee Scheme which supports private investment in UK infrastructure projects, and enabled the Mayor of London to borrow up to £1 billion needed to get it off the ground.

Further information

The UK Guarantees Scheme was launched in July 2012 and can issue up to £40 billion of guarantees. To date, it has issued nine guarantees totalling £1.8 billion of Treasury-backed infrastructure bonds and loans, supporting over £4 billion worth of investment.

For the Northern Line extension, the loan from the Public Works Loan Board is being used to pay for the up-front costs of construction, while the borrowing costs are being serviced by a tariff on development paid by developers to the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth under the Section 106 (s106) and Community Infrastructure.