HM Government

The Charity Commission has today published the findings from its programme of post-registration monitoring of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) Gospel Hall Trusts.

The Commission has not identified any significant regulatory issues relating to the charities’ compliance with their governing documents, and has seen sufficient evidence of each charity’s engagement with the wider community to demonstrate public benefit.

However, the report sets out a number of areas in which the Commission provided regulatory advice to trustees of the Gospel Hall Trusts, including on the charities’ control of charitable collections made at meetings of Gospel Hall congregations.

The regulator committed to monitoring a sample of recently registered PBCC charities to ensure they were complying with their governing documents, including a Deed of Variation (DoV) adopted during the charities’ registration with the Commission. Over 100 Gospel Hall Trusts have been registered since 2013; of that number 24 were selected for monitoring, including those about which the regulator was contacted with individual concerns.

As part of its work, the Commission spoke to a number of individuals who were concerned about the treatment of former members at Gospel Hall Trusts. The Commission accepts that trustees of Gospel Hall Trusts are not responsible for the behaviour of individual members, who have personal choice in their dealings with their own family members and others. However, the Commission’s report makes clear that it expects the trustees to ensure the DoV is readily available to members and to have regular discussions with them about its provisions. It concludes that the trustees of these particular charities on the evidence it has seen have acted in accordance with the requirement for compassion set out in the DoV.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Charity Commission, says:

This is an important example of our proactive case work focused on recently registered charities. Our aim in monitoring new charities is to ensure they are operating in line with their governing document, and are following any regulatory advice and guidance, to help ensure that the public can support charities with confidence.

In this case, our review is able to provide public reassurance that the trustees of Gospel Hall Trusts are taking steps to embed the principles of the Deed of Variation in the running of their charities; we have provided regulatory guidance to some individual trusts and expect them to follow that advice consistently.

This review follows a report into the first PBCC charity to register, the Preston Down Trust, and concludes the Commission’s programme of post registration monitoring of PBCC charities. The regulator says that, as with any charity, it will carefully assess any concerns that may be raised in future.

The full report is available.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.

2. Search for charities on our online register.

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From sticking plasters to hip replacements, contact lenses to implanted pacemakers, medical devices are a part of everyday life. To make sure these medical devices are acceptably safe and perform as intended, they must comply with the relevant EU legislation.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has created an introductory guide to make sure manufacturers are aware of their obligations under the new EU regulations for medical devices (MDR) and in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDR).

Entering into force on 25 May 2017, the three and five year transition periods (also known as implementation) are now underway; the new regulations will apply across EU Member States from 26 May 2020 and 2022 respectively.

The Introductory Guide, designed as an interactive pdf, will help new manufacturers who may be looking at the regulations for the first time, and will also help experienced manufacturers navigate the changes in the new regulations.

The new regulations will include clearer obligations for those involved in manufacturing and supplying devices, a greater emphasis on traceability throughout the whole supply chain with the introduction of a unique device identification (UDI) system and new standards for clinical evidence. They also set out more rigorous vigilance reporting requirements, including new reporting timescales, as well as clearer requirements on what a manufacturer’s post-market surveillance system should comprise of. The new regulations are a balancing act of proportionate responsibility and an increasingly technological approach to healthcare.

Some products will become regulated under medical device legislation for the first time. Annex XVI of the MDR lists six categories of products similar to medical devices that do not have any medical benefit and are used for other purposes, such as dermal fillers, non-corrective contact lenses and brain stimulation devices. These products carry much of the same risks as medical devices and – under these new Regulations and detailed ‘Common specifications’ to be published by the European Commission – their manufacturers, importers and distributors will be regulated in the same way.

John Wilkinson, MHRA’s director of Medical Devices said:

We live in an increasingly digital world, and the way we provide our guidance is changing. We want to help manufacturers to comply with the new regulations as easily and as early as possible.

Our guidance is designed for all users – to help experienced manufacturers navigate the increased requirements for devices and diagnostics, as well as those manufacturers who will be new to the medical device regulations as a result of the broader scope of the new legislation.

Patient safety is our priority. It is expected that the implementation of these new regulations will clarify the role of competent authorities increase post-market surveillance to help protect both patients and industry alike.

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Work to transform Euston station into a gateway to the capital fit for the 21st Century and deliver a brand new transport hub at Old Oak Common ready for the arrival of High Speed Two (HS2), took a step forward today with the start of the search for the firms that will build the 2 London stations.

The announcement comes after the closure of Euston station over the weekend for essential HS2 preparatory works. The works were completed on time allowing services to run as scheduled on Bank Holiday Monday.

Overall, the investment at Euston and Old Oak Common is expected to help unlock 79,000 jobs and 29,000 homes around the stations, attracting businesses and housing developers to what will be some of the best connected locations anywhere in the UK. Contracts for HS2’s Birmingham stations, that are expected to unlock close to 52,000 jobs and almost 6,000 new homes, will follow in 2018, with all the new stations ready to welcome their first passengers in 2026.

HS2 services will eventually connect over 25 destinations and 30 million people across the UK. Trains will serve existing city centre stations in places like Glasgow and Liverpool, as well as brand new purpose built stations in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and the East Midlands.

Transport Minister, Paul Maynard, said:

The launch of the search for construction teams to build the southern HS2 stations is another major step towards making Britain’s new railway, a catalyst for growth across the country. And next year HS2 Ltd will begin the hunt for companies to build the 2 Birmingham stations.

The winning bidders will need to ensure that the stations provide the best possible customer experience. But there will also be huge and exciting opportunities for development around all HS2 station sites, not just in London and the West Midlands, but also in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and the East Midlands, unlocking huge opportunities for new jobs, homes and economic growth.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, Mark Thurston, said:

Launching this competition is another major milestone for HS2. Over the next decade, the successful bidders will go on to build 2 of the most challenging and high profile elements of the project; a brand new transport hub at Old Oak Common that will kick-start the regeneration of the site plus a major expansion of Euston.

We’re looking for the best the construction industry has to offer. Companies that share our commitment to safety, efficiency, environmental protection and value for money. Together we will create 2 iconic stations, gateways to the capital and to the nation that local communities and the travelling public can be proud to call their own.

Working with HS2 Ltd and the Euston and Old Oak Common designers, the successful bidders will act as construction partners, responsible for programme management as well as procuring, integrating and managing the complex supply chains.

It is expected that around 4,000 jobs will be supported during construction of the 2 stations, with around 700 during operation.

At Old Oak Common, HS2 will deliver a brand new integrated transport hub boasting some of the best connections anywhere on the network, with direct HS2 services to destinations including Liverpool, the North West, Glasgow and Edinburgh. New platforms will also allow passengers to connect to Crossrail, for Heathrow and the City of London, as well as services to Wales and the West of England.

The wider transformation of the former railway sidings and light industrial zone is being led by the Mayor of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, which aims to create a thriving new community with up to 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes.

At Euston, 11 new platforms, built in 2 phases, will nearly triple capacity, improving people’s journeys and providing the opportunity for sustainable mixed use development on the site which could support up to 14,000 new jobs and almost 4,000 new homes.

The staged approach to building the high speed terminus means existing services can continue to operate, reducing both disruption for passengers and the effects on the community as a whole at any one time.

As well as improving journeys for long-distance travellers, HS2 will also open up extra capacity for commuters travelling in from places like Milton Keynes and Northampton and deliver a revamp and expansion of the London Underground station, linking Euston and Euston Square into 1 station for the first time, and providing a new ticket hall and provision for a potential future connection to Crossrail 2.

Bidders for both contracts are expected to be invited to tender by the end of the year, with contract award in autumn 2018. Market engagement has already begun for the Birmingham stations and the procurement process is expected to begin early next year with contract award in 2020.The procurement process for the construction of the Birmingham stations, which have shorter lead-in times, is expected to begin in 2018 with contracts awarded in 2020.

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HM Land Registry Price Paid Data tracks land and property sales in England and Wales submitted to us for registration.

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The Minister’s visit is the latest in a series of high-level UK visits to Astana during EXPO-2017, the international exhibition to promote safe and sustainable access to energy and reduce carbon emissions, of which the UK is a major participant. Kazakhstan is the fastest growing economy in Central Asia and a valued trade partner for the UK, with the UK’s foreign direct investment to the country reaching more than US$25 billion since Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991.

During his visit, Sir Alan Duncan will deepen the UK–Kazakhstan relationship, focusing on our shared commitment to international security; promoting of our strong trading relationship; and welcoming Kazakhstan’s commitment to ongoing economic and judicial reforms. In support of those reforms, the Minister will announce UK funding of £74,000 to help Kazakhstan implement its Anti-Corruption strategy.

The Minister will meet the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Bakytzhan Sagintayev and Foreign Minister Abdrakhmanov and host a reception for local civil society and UK Chevening scholarship alumni. The Minister will also give a speech on the United Kingdom’s global role at the Library of the First President and tour the capital, Astana, to highlight UK architecture expertise.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Sir Alan Duncan said:

I am delighted to visit Kazakhstan as it celebrates Constitution Day. I extend my warmest wishes to the people of Kazakhstan on this special occasion.

Kazakhstan is an important partner for Britain. I look forward to productive discussions with Prime Minister Sagintayev and Foreign Minister Abdrakhmanov. Kazakhstan has an important role to play on the global stage, including during its tenure on the UN Security Council.

As one of Kazakhstan’s top six investors, the UK supports economic and judicial reform in Kazakhstan. I am confident they will help boost Kazakhstan’s future prosperity and democracy. In that vein, I am pleased to be able to visit EXPO 2017 and look forward to seeing a number of pavilions.

2017 marks the 25th anniversary of UK – Kazakhstan diplomatic relations. I am pleased our cooperation is as strong as it has ever been and, I am sure, will continue to flourish. More than ever before the UK is open to the world and seeks to strengthen further its relationship with countries across the globe.

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