Leading the UK delegation at the IDEX trade show in Abu Dhabi, Minister Harriett Baldwin has announced the award of an innovative £82 million contract to Welsh company Qioptiq, who provide support for vital surveillance and targeting equipment to our UK Armed Forces. read more
British scientists will be able to fly to the edge of space to conduct vital medical experiments under new powers unveiled this week.
Laws paving the way for spaceports in the UK will allow experiments to be conducted in zero gravity which could help develop medicines.
The powers will allow the launch of satellites from the UK for the first time, horizontal flights to the edge of space for scientific experiments and the establishment and operation of spaceports in regions across the UK.
Next steps involve government encouraging business and industry to come forward with specific proposals for space launches and the introduction of a Bill later this year, after which specific rules and regulations will developed for operators – such as safety and insurance measures. In addition, the government is inviting commercial space businesses to bid for funding to help create a space launch market in the UK.
The sector is vital to the future of the UK economy, it creates high-value jobs and generates wealth across the country. Our regions will benefit from direct access to space as the building of local spaceports will lead to more demand in hospitality and tourism services, creating jobs and opportunities. The UK construction, engineering and service sector will benefit too from supply-chains and supporting services.
Together the new powers and funding will potentially allow a commercial spaceflight from a UK spaceport by 2020.
Space satellites are vital for our daily lives – once launched they can help provide broadband to rural communities, monitor weather systems as they move around the earth, and even help rural health workers who use satellite communications to diagnose and assist patients situated far from specialist health services.
The move has the potential to take UK scientists up to space so they can research and develop vaccines and antibiotics, which grow differently where there is no gravity. The flights could also carry out hundreds of vital scientific experiments on medical issues such as aging and the human body.
Aviation Minister Lord Ahmad said:
The UK’s space sector is the future of the British economy. It already employs thousands of people and supports industries worth more than £250 million to the economy, and we want to grow it further. Forty years ago, meteorologists couldn’t have imagined the importance of satellites for predicting the weather. Today over 90% of data used in every forecast comes from a satellite, with hundreds of other applications used in GPS, telecommunications and broadband.
We have never launched a spaceflight before from this country. Our ambition is to allow for safe and competitive access to space from the UK, so we remain at the forefront of a new commercial space age, for the next 40 years.
Although the UK is a world-leader when it comes to satellite technology and services, businesses currently have to rely on launch services located in other countries such as the US, Japan, or India, and often have to share launch vehicles, which can lead to delays and restrictions on where satellites can go.
The Bill builds on £10 million of grant funding announced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy earlier this month which will deliver an early boost to the UK’s commercial spaceflight market, helping us harness our research and innovation while creating high skilled jobs. It will work alongside the government’s modern Industrial strategy, which will support sectors like the space industry by creating an environment where companies big and small can thrive.
Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said:
From the launch of Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, to Tim Peake’s 6 months on the International Space Station, the UK’s space sector has achieved phenomenal things in orbit and beyond.
With this week’s Spaceflight Bill launch, we will cement the UK’s position as a world-leader in this emerging market, giving us an opportunity to build on existing strengths in research and innovation. Through our ‘Industrial strategy’ we will harness this potential, creating an environment where companies across this sector will thrive.
New launch technology for small satellites will provide low cost, reliable access to space.
Forecasts suggest the global market for this will be worth £25 billion over the next 20 years. Our new laws will put British businesses at the forefront of these services.
read moreRichard
Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on the pay deal for
prisons officers in London and the South East, said:
“It is no surprise this announcement comes the same week as figures showing
prison officers are still leaving faster than they can be recruited.
“It is policy making on the hoof and shows the Tories have no plan.
“Prison officers in the rest of the country will wonder why they don’t deserve the same increase. Prison understaffing is a national issue that needs a national response.”
read morePrison officers at 31 prisons to receive immediate pay increase
Thousands of staff to benefit from specialist training opportunities in skills such as self-harm and suicide prevention – further professionalising and building pride in the service
Thousands of frontline staff in London and the South East will benefit from an immediate boost to their pay, thanks to a new £12 million package announced today by Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss.
The new package will mean prison officers at the 31 establishments will see a pay boost of up to £5,000, with new recruits receiving higher starting salaries. New starters will receive up to £29,500 – an increase of £5,000 – while a prison officer in London could see earnings increase to £31,000.
Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said:
Prison officers do a challenging and demanding job day in and day out. I want frontline staff to know that their work, experience and loyal service is valued. We also want to attract the best new talent into the service, ensuring we recruit and retain the leaders of the future.
These hard-working, dedicated staff are key to delivering our ambitious reform agenda, and it is right that we offer them greater support as we move ever closer to transforming prisons into places of safety and reform.
Thousands of new learning and development opportunities which will help staff progress in their career will also be made available nationwide.
As part of a comprehensive strategy to further professionalise and upskill the service, staff who take part in the new training scheme will be required to support and mentor colleagues – handing down knowledge and supporting future leaders.
They will also be given specialist training in mental health and self-harm prevention, boosting their pay and progression in the Prison Service.
This investment supports the government’s nationwide recruitment drive to recruit the best talent from around the country.
Governors at 30 prisons across the country have also been given greater freedom and flexibility to attract and recruit locally, reducing the time it takes to get new recruits through the door. Applicants will also be able to visit the prison before they take up post, and be in touch with a mentor while the recruitment process is underway
This wholescale, organisational reform will be supported by measures within the Prisons and Court Bill, which will set out a new framework and clear system of accountability for prisons, building on the wide-ranging reforms set out in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper.
Today’s news comes just days after ministers announced a new frontline service focused on reforming offenders and cutting crime, to launch from April 2017. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service will have full responsibility for the operational management of offenders in custody and the community, including strengthening security in prisons, tackling extremism and building intelligence about criminal gangs.
The pay increase will be granted to Band 3 Officers on Fair and Sustainable (F&S) terms at eligible prisons.
The prisons include: Aylesbury, Bedford, Bullingdon, Coldingley, Cookham Wood, Downview, Elmley, Feltham, Grendon, High Down, Highpoint, Huntercombe, Medway, Send, Stanford Hill, Swaleside, The Mount, Woodhill, Brixton, Belmarsh, Isis, Pentonville, Rochester, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs, Erlestoke, Lewes, Whitemoor, Chelmsford, Guys Marsh and Littlehey.
The new award replaces existing pay increments for staff at the most difficult-to-recruit prisons.
Since publication of the White Paper
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has confirmed that Britain is firmly committed to European security, with the UK’s NATO deployments this year demonstrating its resolve. read more