An accident in Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, involving a light aircraft has been notified to the AAIB. An investigation has been launched into the accident and a team of inspectors are at the accident site gathering evidence.

Read more about how we investigate aircraft accidents

On a two-day trip [30 March and 1 April 2022], Mr Jack met Stena Line, logistics companies, transport firms, and businesses who transport goods between Belfast and Scotland.

The poor state of the roads on the Scottish side of the ferry link – in particular the A77 and A75 – is an issue highlighted by Sir Peter Hendy in his recent Union Connectivity Review

Sir Peter was clear that strengthened transport connections between all parts of the UK are vital to maximise economic growth and jobs. He advocated the creation of ‘UKNET’ – a strategic transport network spanning the entire United Kingdom. Upgraded roads in South West Scotland would be a key part of that network. Sir Peter recommended offering the Scottish Government new funding to upgrade the A75, and encouraged the Scottish Government to improve the A77.

Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said:

Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review highlighted the need for urgent investment in the poor roads in South West Scotland. These are not just local roads serving people in the South West of Scotland. They are crucial arteries linking Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK. They are vital for the transportation of goods in both directions, but are currently not fit for purpose.

My meetings in Belfast will help inform the UK Government response to Sir Peter’s review. We have been clear that we want to work with the Scottish Government to make urgent improvements to the A77 and A75.

The Scottish Secretary also met the Ulster Scots Agency on his visit, to hear about their community and culture. The Ulster-Scots’ identity links Scotland and Northern Ireland, with centuries of shared history. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis joined him for this part of the visit.

Mr Jack added:

It was a great pleasure to meet the Ulster Scots Agency and members of their community. They have a fascinating history and culture, and I was grateful to them for sharing it with me. It was also real a pleasure to hear the very talented young musicians from Campbell College.

During her trip, the Minister met Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith and co-chaired the UK-Laos Political Dialogue alongside Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Bounleua Phandanouvong.

The Dialogue covered cooperation on education and health, tackling climate change and COVID-19, as well as addressing regional and global security, including human rights and Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Minister also had the opportunity to travel to Xieng Khouang in northern Laos to see first-hand how UK funds are supporting unexploded bomb clearance. She met with the brave teams who carry out the work in the field and risk their lives each day to save others.

Minister for Asia, Amanda Milling, said:

The UK-Laos Political Dialogue has been a great opportunity to discuss how we can strengthen our cooperation and work together to address shared challenges.

I also saw the positive impact the UK has in the region, seeing how our funding is helping clear unexploded bombs in Xieng Khouang province.

This support has meant that land that was once dangerous and unusable can now be used for schools, homes and farming.

While in Vientiane, Minister Milling’s meeting with the Minister for Environment covered Laos’s target for zero emissions by 2050, and their attendance at COP26.

In her meeting with the Minister for Energy they discussed Laos’s plans to transition to more renewable energy, while her talks with the Minister for Health covered Covid-19 and the UK’s support in providing vaccines.

Minister Milling met Chevening Alumni to hear about their achievements since returning to Laos and also with British business figures helping to expand commercial ties in the country.

• Cancer is the biggest cause of death from disease in the UK and the government wants to make the country’s cancer care system the best in Europe
• Government wants to hear from everyone – especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are disproportionately impacted by cancer

More people can share their experiences and views on how the country can lead the world on cancer care, as the Health and Social Care Secretary announces an extension on the cancer call for evidence to inform an ambitious 10-Year Cancer Plan.

Cancer is the biggest cause of death from disease in the UK but it does not affect everyone equally. Black men for example have the highest mortality from prostate cancer and people from Caribbean or Pakistani backgrounds are more likely than white British people to be diagnosed with lung cancer at a later stage, when it is harder to treat.

The government wants to hear from everyone – whether a patient or a friend or family member affected by this disease. Cancer affects some groups in different ways so the government is particularly keen to hear from people from ethnic minority backgrounds to help us improve how we diagnose and treat this disease.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

My father died from cancer and wished he had taken the early signs much more seriously. But unfortunately for him, like so many people from ethnic minority communities, it was detected too late.

No one should feel ashamed in coming forward to their doctor or going to a cancer screening – this is all about making sure you get the care you need and living a longer and healthier life.

We are extending the cancer call for evidence to inform our 10 year Cancer Plan to better understand why people aren’t coming forward, how we can improve early diagnosis to save more lives and we need to hear from you. We know disparities exist and I would encourage everyone to share their views on gov.uk by Friday 8 April.

The Health and Social Care Secretary set out his vision to make England a world-leader in cancer care as we learn to live with Covid – with renewed attention paid to innovative treatment and early diagnosis to radically improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Cancer care has improved – in the last 15 years, one-year survival has increased by around 10%. But the pandemic has impacted cancer care with 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK during the pandemic.

The government’s cancer priorities include:

• increasing the number of people diagnosed at an early stage, where treatment can prove much more effective;
• boosting the cancer workforce;
• tackling disparities and inequalities, including in cancer diagnosis times and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way. For instance, the ‘Help Us Help You’ cancer awareness campaign will be directed towards people from more deprived groups and ethnic minorities;
• intensifying research on mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for cancer – this will be achieved through the UK’s global leadership and supporting industry to develop new cancer treatments by combining expertise in cancer immunotherapy treatment and the vaccine capabilities developed throughout the pandemic;
• intensifying research on new early diagnostic tools to catch cancer at an earlier stage; and
• improving prevention of cancer through tackling the big known risk factors such as smoking.

The call for evidence can be found here

• Cancer is the biggest cause of death from disease in the UK and the government wants to make the country’s cancer care system the best in Europe
• Government wants to hear from everyone – especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are disproportionately impacted by cancer

More people can share their experiences and views on how the country can lead the world on cancer care, as the Health and Social Care Secretary announces an extension on the cancer call for evidence to inform an ambitious 10-Year Cancer Plan.

Cancer is the biggest cause of death from disease in the UK but it does not affect everyone equally. Black men for example have the highest mortality from prostate cancer and people from Caribbean or Pakistani backgrounds are more likely than white British people to be diagnosed with lung cancer at a later stage, when it is harder to treat.

The government wants to hear from everyone – whether a patient or a friend or family member affected by this disease. Cancer affects some groups in different ways so the government is particularly keen to hear from people from ethnic minority backgrounds to help us improve how we diagnose and treat this disease.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

My father died from cancer and wished he had taken the early signs much more seriously. But unfortunately for him, like so many people from ethnic minority communities, it was detected too late.

No one should feel ashamed in coming forward to their doctor or going to a cancer screening – this is all about making sure you get the care you need and living a longer and healthier life.

We are extending the cancer call for evidence to inform our 10 year Cancer Plan to better understand why people aren’t coming forward, how we can improve early diagnosis to save more lives and we need to hear from you. We know disparities exist and I would encourage everyone to share their views on gov.uk by Friday 8 April.

The Health and Social Care Secretary set out his vision to make England a world-leader in cancer care as we learn to live with Covid – with renewed attention paid to innovative treatment and early diagnosis to radically improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Cancer care has improved – in the last 15 years, one-year survival has increased by around 10%. But the pandemic has impacted cancer care with 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK during the pandemic.

The government’s cancer priorities include:

• increasing the number of people diagnosed at an early stage, where treatment can prove much more effective;
• boosting the cancer workforce;
• tackling disparities and inequalities, including in cancer diagnosis times and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way. For instance, the ‘Help Us Help You’ cancer awareness campaign will be directed towards people from more deprived groups and ethnic minorities;
• intensifying research on mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for cancer – this will be achieved through the UK’s global leadership and supporting industry to develop new cancer treatments by combining expertise in cancer immunotherapy treatment and the vaccine capabilities developed throughout the pandemic;
• intensifying research on new early diagnostic tools to catch cancer at an earlier stage; and
• improving prevention of cancer through tackling the big known risk factors such as smoking.

The call for evidence can be found here