Politics

Tata Steel UK Ltd (TSUK) paid the money to the Humber Nature Partnership, an organisation that delivers projects resulting in environmental, economic and community benefits. The payment follows a pollution incident on the Bottesford Beck.

On the 22 May 2015 after a call from the TSUK Environment Manager, Environment Agency officers found a heavy red coloured lubricating oil on Seraphim lagoon, the Bottesford Beck and in wetland channels of Ashby Ville Local Nature Reserve.

Following investigations it appears that the oil overflowed from an industrial bulk container as oil was being drained from a lubricating tank on the TSUK site.

Under the terms of this Enforcement Undertaking (EU), Tata Steel UK Ltd accepted an obligation to make a donation of £73,000 to the Humber Nature Partnership. Final plans for how the money will be used are still underway, but tree planting creation of wildlife ponds and ground works for an outdoor classroom that could be used by local schools are some schemes under consideration.

As part of the EU, Tata Steel UK Ltd has also agreed to take action to ensure that a similar incident does not recur and paid the costs of the Environment Agency.

Elizabeth Cooper, environment officer with the Environment Agency, said:

We work hard to protect people and the environment. In this case, we considered that the Enforcement Undertaking was an appropriate way to sanction the company while creating a benefit for the local environment.

Serious pollution can have devastating effects on rivers, fields and wildlife.

Along with prosecutions, the Environment Agency use enforcement notices, stop notices and civil sanctions to either improve performance or stop sites from operating. It is making better use of the wide range of measures that are available to bring sites back into compliance as quickly as possible.

The Environment Agency’s use of civil sanctions is in line with recent legislation extending their availability for more offences.

Civil sanctions such as these can be a proportionate and cost-effective way for businesses to make amends for less serious environmental offences.

The Enforcement Undertaking requires Tata Steel UK Ltd to:

• Make a donation of £73,000 to the Humber Nature Partnership

• Implement pollution prevention and restoration works

• Review refresher training for staff

• Site improvement works

• Pay Environment Agency costs

Failure to comply with an EU may result in the offender being prosecuted for the original offence. Details of Enforcement Undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency between can be found on GOV.UK

ENDS

Launched in August 2016, the Future Accommodation Model (FAM) is being set up to provide the best possible accommodation better suited to the modern Armed Forces and their families – offering a choice based on need, not age, rank or relationship status.

The scheme aims to give personnel greater support in purchasing their own home through initiatives such as ‘Forces Help to Buy’ which helps younger military personnel purchase their first home, and has proven popular with those in lower ranks.

It will also include the option of renting privately, with £450 million being spent to subsidise costs. For those renting, allowances will adjust so that personnel based in more expensive areas will not pay more, so a three-bed property in Cornwall will cost them the same as a three-bed property in London. By giving service personnel greater choice in where they get to live it can also offer more opportunities for military families, like increasing employment prospects for partners and spouses.

Taking place between September and October 2016, this survey is part of an on-going consultation to inform the Ministry of Defence (MOD) accommodation policy development.

Chief of Defence People, Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, said:

The Future Accommodation Model will ensure that our people are offered a greater choice in where they want to live. Over the coming months, we will refine how we do this and look to ensure that service personnel are engaged and listened to every step of the way. This survey will help us immeasurably to better understand what is important to personnel when it comes to where and how they live.

It is vital that the accommodation system works for everybody and reflects the needs of a modern Armed Force. This is why the MOD also refurbished 4,700 military homes last year and is investing over £4 billion to provide better facilities for the Armed Forces and their families.

Future Accommodation Model survey Headline Results

• FAM is considered attractive by over half of Service personnel – with Junior Officers and Other Ranks more likely to find it attractive then Senior Officers.
• Over half of Service Personnel feel that FAM is fairer than the current MOD accommodation offer.
• The most important factor regarding accommodation is the ability to live in good quality accommodation, while the choice of living in either a civilian or military community is considered the least important.
• For married personnel, and those with children, the second most important factor was the opportunity to live with family and children.
• There is a clear preference for home ownership across the Services, with over a third of personnel preferring the ‘owning near work’ option.
• If FAM were widened to include Service Family Accommodation (SFA), offered at the same costs as the ‘Renting near work’ option, then over a third would choose it.
• Some of the top reasons for choosing FAM options were: to own a property; to choose a location near to what’s important to people; and, because they are financially attractive.

The initial findings can be viewed here, and a second tranche of the full data tables will be published in March.

The Ministry of Defence will also be taking into account other evidence gathered, including results from the FAM focus groups and the survey results of the single Service Family Federations, which asked family members and partners of Service personnel for their opinions.