Responding
to the latest NHS monthly performance statistics, Jonathan Ashworth MP,
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said:

“These
NHS performance statistics are a damning indictment of Theresa May’s neglect of
our NHS. She’s overseen an unprecedented winter crisis, in which almost a
thousand people waited over twelve hours on trolleys, compared to just 17 in
January 2011. The Government once again missed its four hour A&E target and
seems content with a 504 per cent increase in the number of patients waiting
over four hours for admission since January 2011.

“Speaking
to the Reform think tank earlier, Jeremy Hunt joked at his dislike of targets.
This is no laughing matter: patients in this country have faced the worst
winter crisis in the history of our NHS and it is shocking that Jeremy Hunt has
indicated he doesn’t expect to hit the A&E target until 2018. The Health
Secretary has been in position for four and a half years and this simple isn’t
good enough.

“Yesterday’s
Budget announcement should have been an opportunity to genuinely place the NHS on
a sustainable footing. And yet the Chancellor’s mere offer of £100 million for
capital funding simply isn’t enough, meaning the NHS will continue facing its
biggest financial squeeze in history and head-for-head investment will fall
again next year.

“The Tories are overseeing a startling collapse in standards and Theresa May is
still in complete denial as to the sheer scale of the crisis. Jeremy Hunt must
be clearer about what action he’s going to take to make sure patients and their
families never have to go through a winter like this again.”

Klaas Kramer and Island Fishing Company Limited (master and owner of the vessel Eben Haezer GY57) pleaded guilty to breaching fisheries regulations at North Tyneside Magistrates Court.

The court heard how between November 2015 and January 2016 the vessel repeatedly fished in the North Sea ‘Cod Recovery Zone’ despite having exceeded the maximum number of days at sea which the vessel was allowed to spend in that area with regulated fishing gear under the regulations. Investigations by the MMO found that the vessel exceeded the 200 day limit by over 37 days over eight separate fishing trips, contrary to section 4(9) of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967. The MMO had sent the vessel owners a letter reminding them that they were within 1 day of the limit in November 2015, but the vessel continued to fish, which resulted in the prosecution.

Mr Kramer was fined £3,200 with a victim surcharge of £120 for his role as master of the vessel on seven of the trips.

Island Fishing Company (of which Mr Kramer is a Director and shareholder) was fined an initial £9,200, with an additional fine of £24,000 which the magistrates indicated represented the net profit of the illegal fishing, costs of £1,561 and a victim surcharge of £120.

A spokesman for the MMO said:

“The fines issued by the magistrates in this case send a clear message to the small minority of fishermen who seek to put profit first by failing to comply with the regulations. By issuing an additional fine of £24,000, which the bench indicated that they felt represented the profit from the illegal fishing in this case, the court has made it clear that sentences for unlawful behaviour should deprive offenders of the economic benefit of offending.

The MMO is clear that the vast majority of fishermen operate lawfully and in compliance with regulations which exist to protect fisheries from overfishing and are in place to ensure healthy, sustainable fisheries for this and future generations of fishermen. In the rare instances that non-compliance is detected, MMO uses a risk-based enforcement strategy and operates a graduated and proportionate system of sanctions, with prosecution reserved for the most serious offences.”

2017 crime contracts have been uploaded into Contracted Work and Administration (CWA).

Paul Newby, the Pubs Code Adjudicator, has today announced the completion of the first cases referred to the PCA for arbitration, indicating that the new framework is working to achieve fairness and choice for tenants.

The first cases have been decided and the Adjudicator has made five awards. The numbers of awards will continue to rise as parties conclude their negotiations. Currently over half the accepted cases are at a stage where parties are agreeing procedure between themselves before the process reaches the final stages.

Mr Newby said:

This represents an early milestone for arbitration under the Pubs Code. The bulk of the first referrals for arbitrations were received in October and November and cases have been moving through the arbitration process.

As part of arbitration, parties are encouraged to continue to negotiate and I am pleased to see this process is bringing pub-owning businesses and tenants to the negotiating table. In many cases this is leading to the narrowing of issues, a stronger negotiation position for tenants and swifter settlement.

It shows that arbitration is fulfilling its purpose: tenants and pub-owning businesses are talking and coming to agreement between themselves.

Arbitration awards remain private unless all parties to the dispute agree to release details. As more cases reach award stage I will see where we can identify general principles and make information and advice available to tenants and pub-owning businesses to guide their future relationships.

Some big issues such as what a Market Rent Only compliant tenancy looks like are in the arbitration process. All cases will be considered on an individual basis.

The PCA has robust systems and resources in place to deal with the number of referrals we have received. My team and I are working very hard to progress all referrals.

However, the parties in any dispute have significant control on timing because at each stage of arbitration both tenants and pub-owning businesses have to respond with information or views, or take action independently of the PCA, to allow the process to move forward.

The Code is also new, and inevitably many of the issues raised are the first of a kind and take some time to resolve.

Mr Newby added:

I am also continuing to gather information from tenants, other individuals including MPs, and representative organisations about the Code.

This information is beginning to build up and I am focusing on analysing the information so I have good intelligence to support action I will take. I urge any individual or organisation with information about potential Code breaches to bring that information to me. It will be treated in the fullest confidence.

For further information contact Sheree Dodd office@pca.gsi.gov.uk

Hannah Rothschild has been reappointed by the Prime Minister as a Trustee of the National Gallery, for 4 years until 9 March 2021. Hannah Rothschild is also the Chairman of the Gallery’s Board of Trustees.