HM Government

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 will be introduced on 6 April 2017. read more

The 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is now open for applications, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced today (1 March 2017).

By applying online through the Rural Payments service, farmers and agents can now quickly check and update existing personal and business details, as well as view and transfer land and entitlements.

RPA Interim Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said:

Last year a record 80% of applications were received online and we hope to increase this figure for 2017.

Help and support in applying for BPS is available every step of the way through our online guidance or at the end of the phone.

Apply now

From today, farmers and agents can complete their declarations and confirm all information before submitting their completed application online.

Anyone who applied online for the Basic Payment Scheme in 2016 will be emailed all they need to apply online for BPS in 2017. Those who did not apply online in 2016 and did not use an agent will soon be sent a paper form and guidance on how to apply online.

Support available from the RPA

Further support is available from RPA this year through useful ‘How to’ videos. Farmers and agents can find step-by-step guides on transferring land, transferring entitlements and a general overview of how to apply online.

BPS 2017 video

The application deadline for BPS 2017 is midnight on 15 May 2017.

Further guidance and scheme rules can be found on GOV.UK.

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The Environment Agency has unveiled three paintings by top wildlife artist David Miller to promote angling. The images front the 2017/18 fishing licences which go on sale today (1 March). The three fishing licence designs depict salmon (Salmo salar), mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in their natural habitats.

You can see the images, and download posters here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rod-fishing-licence-campaign

The Environment Agency has also launched “Get a Fishing Licence” on GOV.UK to simplify the process of buying a fishing licence: www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence. This is part of a series of improvements to the service, which include:

• Free licences for junior anglers, up to the age of 17, announced in November 2016
• The fishing licence now lasts for 12 months from the day it is bought, rather than expiring at the end of March each year
• The use of three rods now needs just one licence, rather than two.

People are required to buy a fishing licence in order to fish legally in England, Wales and along the Border Esk in Scotland. Sales of licences for the 2015/16 season raised £21 million. The money was used to restock rivers with 452,220 coarse fish, encourage over 35,000 people to try angling for the first time and bring 2,043 successful prosecutions against crimes like poaching.

Artist David Miller said:

I’m delighted to have provided the images for the fishing licences again this year, not only because it gave me the opportunity to paint three species for the first time but also because all the money raised goes back into supporting fisheries. Of the three I was particularly pleased with the brown trout, my favourite UK game fish, and one I love to fish for on small rivers and streams.

Judy Proctor, Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency, said:

We hope David’s stunning images encourage people to give fishing a go. Angling creates over 37,000 full time jobs and generates over £1 billion for the UK economy, but at its heart it’s a much loved outdoor sport connecting people with nature. We’ve listened to anglers’ concerns and improved the fishing licence to make the process of getting out and fishing legally simpler.

People who don’t buy a fishing licence are not only cheating other anglers and the future of the sport but running the risk of criminal conviction and a fine. The Environment Agency urges anyone to report fisheries crime as quickly as possible by calling our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

For those who can’t access the internet, fishing licences can still be bought by phoning 0344 800 5386 or over the counter in the Post Office.

ENDS

Notes:

The Environment Agency publishes a detailed breakdown of how fishing licence money is spent in the annual fisheries report on GOV.UK. Read it here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-report-shows-how-21-million-of-rod-licence-money-helps-angling

More on the changes to licences here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-fishing-for-children

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Joanne Segars OBE has been appointed to the board of the Environment Agency by Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom.

The appointment will take effect from 1 March 2017 for three years.

Joanne is the Chief Executive of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, having originally joined the organisation as Director of Policy. She is a board member of the Pensions Infrastructure Platform and Pensions Europe, with experience spent as Chair of both. Joanne is also on the board of Pension Quality Mark Ltd. Joanne is a founding governor of the Pensions Policy Institute and sits on its council. She is also a Director of TUC Stakeholder Trustees Ltd.

Formally, Joanne was Chair of the Scheme Advisory Board for the Local Government Pension Scheme; a member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Group on Stakeholder Pensions; and a board member of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority.

Board members provide non-executive leadership challenge and support to the Environment Agency’s executive through regular board meetings, committees and groups. They also undertake individual lead roles on relevant issues and with local operational teams.

All appointments to the Environment Agency board are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The appointment complies with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (which was superseded by the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments in January 2017).

The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body, set up under the Environment Act 1995 to take an integrated approach to environmental protection and enhancement in England. The Environment Agency has major responsibilities in flood management, water resources and quality, climate change, land quality, chemicals, pollution prevention and control, waste, conservation and biodiversity, fisheries conservation, air quality and navigation.

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The number of households where no one works has fallen by 828,000 since 2010 and is now at its lowest level in more than a decade, according to new independent figures released today.

Over 17.6 million households now have at least one working adult, meaning that around 9 in every 10 children live with a working adult.

Less than 15% of households are classed as workless, with the number having fallen by 72,000 since last year.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Damian Green said:

More parents now have the opportunity to find work and enjoy the dignity and security of having a regular wage.

We will continue to build on this success as we roll-out Universal Credit to all parts of the country – ensuring that it always pays to be in work.

The latest employment figures show that there are 31.84 million people in work, and the unemployment rate (4.8%) is at the lowest in over a decade.

The proportion of lone parents working rose to 67.9% in 2016, an increase of over 10% since 2010.

The government’s welfare reforms are returning fairness to the benefit system and encouraging people who are able to work to do just that. They include:

• the benefit cap, which ensures that families don’t receive more in benefits than the average family earns
• Universal Credit, the biggest change to the welfare system in a generation
• the Claimant Commitment, which spells out what we expect from jobseekers when they search for work
• the New Enterprise Allowance scheme, which helps people on benefits to become their own boss

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5124

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