The average time between a child entering care and moving in with their adoptive family is one year and nine months but the Government believes this is too long. 

Evidence shows that every week of delay in giving young children a stable, long-term home harms their development and means they are more likely to develop behavioural and attachment problems.

Ahead of the Government’s Adoption Action Plan next week, today the Prime Minister will outline how to speed up the process for vulnerable children.

The three key measures are:

• Local authorities will be required to reduce delays in all cases and will not be able to delay an adoption for the perfect match if there are other suitable adopters available. The ethnicity of a child and the prospective adopters will, in most cases, come second to the speed of placing a child in a loving home.
• Proposed changes to legislation will make it easier for children to be fostered by approved prospective adopters while the courts consider the case for adoption. This will mean they stay in one home with the same parents, first as foster carers, and then as adopted parents if the court agrees to adoption.
• If a match has not been found locally within three months of a child being recommended for adoption, LAs will have to refer them to the national Adoption Register so they can find a match in a wider pool of prospective adopters.

 
On a visit to a children’s centre in west London the Prime Minister will hear from people who want to adopt, adoptive parents and children who have been adopted, as well as social workers and LA adoption managers.

The Prime Minister will say today:

“Every child deserves the love of a stable family – and that’s why I’ve made sorting out and speeding up adoption in this country a priority.

 

“There’s no more urgent task for government than this. Young lives are being wasted while the process takes its toll – and the victims are some of the most vulnerable young people in our society. You can’t put children’s futures on hold while the system gets round to dealing with their case.

 

“So this government is going to tear down the barriers that stop good, caring potential adoptive parents from giving a home to children who so desperately need one.”

A recent pilot project funded by the Department revealed that there was a lack of urgency in social workers using the national adoption register which meant that possible matches were not followed up for several weeks.

New regulations will require information about a child to be kept up to date so that prospective adopters have the best understanding of a child’s needs when they are considering a match.

Prime Minister

Good afternoon and welcome everybody. This Council has focussed on three issues. First, the need for the European Union to address its growth crisis and real action to be taken on the single market. Second, the opportunity of Serbia joining the European Union. And third, the plight of innocent Syrians being murdered by their own leader.

Let me start with growth. Yesterday’s unemployment figures for Europe, more than 24 million people out of work, are a stark reminder that we need to recover Europe’s dynamism and create jobs. Before this summit, 11 other EU leaders and myself set out an action plan for growth and many more have backed our plan since then. This is an unprecedented coalition; it brings together countries from all four corners of Europe. It wasn’t just the traditional allies from the northern European countries. It included Spain, it included Italy, it included Poland and many others. I have to say this letter has been the main focus at this Council. Together, the countries that signed this letter represent over half of the EU’s population – a quarter of a billion people. We made it clear that we should agree concrete steps at this meeting. Yesterday I was frustrated that the draft summit communiqué did not do this. But today in Brussels, as you will see when the communiqué is published, we have made our voice heard.

The communiqué has been fundamentally rewritten in line with our demands. There was in the original communiqué no mention of deepening the single market in services; now we have a clear commitment to take action in that area. There was nothing on tackling regulated professions and properly opening up this vital element of the single market; now we have a clear commitment to make progress on that specific area. There was no reference to deregulation; now we have clear references including sectoral targets, a timetable and targeted action for micro-enterprises – those firms that employ less than 10 people. There was no mention of completing the internal energy market. This is a change that can add several percentage points to EU GDP. There is now in the communiqué, a specific deadline to achieve this by June 2014. There was, incredibly, no mention of trade – one of the great drivers of economic growth. Now there will be a special focus on trade, including trade deals at our next meeting in June.

Now let me be clear, this was not just a British initiative. We were joined by a strong group of leading countries, all of whom spoke up very strongly at the Council meeting at dinner last night and again at the meeting we had this morning. I would say that for the first time since we’ve been setting out these ideas, our letter really did become the agenda for this meeting of the European Council. We now have a plan that we must stick to in the months ahead. We have the words, now we need to make sure we get the actions that follow from those words.

Second, on Serbia we have today put that country on the path to EU membership. Britain has long been a champion of enlargement and this step is important for the whole Balkan region. EU membership can help to entrench democracy, to help to entrench human rights and help to make sure that countries really focus on the rule of law right across the western Balkans. With that it can help anchor the lasting peace and stability that we want to see. Twenty years after war ravaged the Balkans, Serbia has turned a page, and I pay tribute to President Tadić for what he has done in that regard. It has turned over war criminals to face justice, a reminder to brutal dictators everywhere that justice has a long reach and an even longer memory.

That brings me very specifically to Syria where the Assad regime is butchering its own people. The history of Homs is being written in the blood of its citizens. The situation there is truly terrible: constant shelling, no water, no food, no medicine, freezing conditions. It is a scene of medieval barbarity. Now, last night the United Nations Security Council made a united call, with Britain in the Chair, calling for an immediate humanitarian access. This is the very least that must happen to bring immediate relief to those who are wounded or dying. But it is far from enough. The world must come together to condemn the killing, so I say to the Russians and the Chinese, ‘Look hard at the suffering from Syria and think again about supporting this criminal regime.’

I said this morning, when coming into the European Council, that we should do more to ensure those responsible for atrocities are held to account. We need to document their crimes. We need them written down. We need to make sure the evidence is there. Britain is playing its part in doing that and we have now decided, again in the communiqué, to work together to document the evidence of these atrocities. We will make sure, as we did in Serbia, that there is a day of reckoning for those who are responsible. So, I have a clear message for those in authority in Syria: make a choice; turn your back on this criminal regime or face justice for the blood that is on your hands.

Question

Prime Minister, you mentioned Syria. You said – I think for the first time you used the phrase that, ‘Assad’s regime is a criminal regime.’ You used similar language in relation to Libya. Can you tell us what the difference is when it comes to protecting civilians between Syria and Libya? Is it simply a matter of realpolitik?

Prime Minister

Well, first of all, let’s look at some of the similarities. I think there is a point at which a regime is taking criminal actions against its own citizens. When you see what you see in places like Homs, I think it’s very important that we then set out the war crimes that are effectively being committed; that we document, we write them down, we take the photographic evidence, we bring it together and we start to use all the legal processes at our disposal to make sure that, however long it might take, the day of reckoning will come when those people will face justice. People had their doubts whether that would happen in Libya, but it did. But we do have to accept that there are differences between the Libyan and the Syrian case, not least that we don’t have in Syria a UN Resolution that gives all necessary measures as we had in the Libyan case.

But instead of focussing on what we are not yet able to do, I think we should focus on those things we can do in terms of building the strongest possible political and diplomatic alliance to pressurise this regime, so further rounds of sanctions, further help for the opposition, further work with the opposition to increase their focus and their appeal to all of Syria. There’s a lot more that can be done and I think this specific thing I’m talking about today, about making sure the regime is accountable by gathering the evidence, I think is an important point.

Question

Thank you Prime Minister. Can I ask you about what you were talking about growth last night? I mean, what’s the point about complaining about a Brussels summit being a Franco-German stitch-up? That’s basically the way it works and, frankly, you are the last person who can really influence that at the moment. And can I ask you separately, I think people are curious to know, what do you really think about all this Rebekah Brooks horse riding thing? I mean, is it a silly Westminster village distraction, or is it in some way emblematic of the dodgy relationships between politicians, press, police and the rest?

Prime Minister

Okay. Well, first of all, on the issue of the European Council, I think what this Council has shown is that when countries come together, as we did over this letter, and have a forceful case for action at the European level for growth, you can make a real impact and actually France and Germany weren’t signatories to that letter. I think that they had some sympathies with some parts of the letter; they may have disagreed with other parts. But the facts is, we came to this Council with an alliance of 11 other countries with a whole list of demands, very few of which were in the original communiqué, but we leave this Council with a whole lot of them clearly documented and spelt out. As I say, look, politicians have been standing here for many years saying, ‘I’m coming to a European Council; I’ve written a very important letter and I hope that some of it will get into the Conclusions.’ This time, it’s not just that the content of the letter went into the Conclusions; it was the talking point of the Council.

The good thing about this Council is there hasn’t been the same air of crisis around the Euro. I think the Euro still faces some challenges, but there hasn’t been an air of crisis. There’s been an air of, ‘Let’s get on and do things that will help the European economy to grow,’ and the key list of things are the things that Britain and the other countries set out in their letter. So, I don’t see the EU, as you put it, as a ‘Franco-German stitch-up’. What I see is an organisation of 27 countries where clearly the bigger players – of which Britain is one – have a large influence. But when you work together with like-minded allies, particularly when you can include allies from unexpected quarters – the fact that the Italians, the Spanish, the Portuguese, others are now supporting this approach – you make a real difference.

On the issue of horses, if a confusing picture has emerged over the last few days, I’m very sorry about that. I think my staff has had to answer a lot of questions about horses. Let me try to shed some light on it. I’ve known Charlie Brooks, the husband of Rebekah Brooks, for over 30 years and he’s a good friend and he’s a neighbour in the constituency; we live a few miles apart. I haven’t been riding with him since the election, as I said yesterday. Before the election, yes, I did go riding with him. He has a number of different horses and, yes, one of them was this former police horse, Raisa, which I did ride. I’m very sorry to hear that Raisa is no longer with us. I think I should probably conclude by saying I don’t think I’ll be getting back into the saddle any time soon.

Question

Thank you, Prime Minister. Can we go back to this question on influence? You spoke about your frustration that your ideas in the letter had not been included in the draft communiqué. Is this symptomatic of the fact that people in Europe aren’t really listening to you, at least until you raise your voice and bang the table?

Prime Minister

I didn’t have to bang the table particularly hard, because we had very strong allies, all of whom want to see the actions in the letter go into the communiqué. While yesterday they weren’t there, today, and you’ll see it when it’s published – they are absolutely there – on services, on trade, on energy, on the digital single market, on the number of regulated professions in Europe, which we have been going on about for years, but have never been able to make much progress on. All of those things are in there.

It wasn’t a question of banging the table, although I’m perfectly prepared to do that if necessary. It was, I think, about the fact – and I pay tribute to the very hardworking officials in the foreign office, in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office, who have worked incredibly hard to put together a pretty unprecedented alliance. It’s well-known that the Dutch, the Danes, the Fins, the Swedes, the British, often get together and say, ‘If only Europe moved in a more free market, liberal, open trading direction.’ That’s what we think; we northern Europeans are very alike. What’s different is having the Italian Prime Minister, the Spanish Prime Minister, the Portuguese Prime Minister, very sympathetic too. Other member states actually coming out during the Council, and saying, ‘Well, I actually support what is in the letter and want to back you on this.’ That’s what changed. And I think there is a very simple reason for it, which is in Europe, there is no room for a fiscal stimulus; no governments have the money to stimulate their economy through large tax cuts that aren’t funded, or spending increases. There isn’t much room for monetary stimulus, certainly not when you’ve got interest rates as low as they are. So the one stimulus you have is trade, is opening up your markets, deregulating your economies. So, there’s real force behind this, and I think it’s made a really big difference.

Question

Senior lawyers and MPs have expressed great concerns about measures in the Green Paper on security and justice, in particularly, the extension of closed material proceedings, which they say is going to erode the ancient British tradition of open-justice. How can you justify such an extension of powers and secret closed hearings?

Prime Minister

I think it is absolutely justifiable. The situation today is that people from anywhere in the world can make accusations against the actions of our Security Service, and we’re completely unable to hear those cases in court and produce the intelligence or information that allow people who work for our country to defend themselves. So we end up having to pay out, often multi-million sums, to people who may be making completely unfounded allegations against our security services. We need to have a legal way of hearing this information in court. Other countries do so, and so Kenneth Clarke is coming up with a plan to deliver this. It’s an excellent plan that he’s put in place; he has consulted with judges extensively about how this can be done. We’ve published it in a Green Paper; we need to bring forward legislation.

It will be in a very, very small number of cases, because these are very niche cases, but I think it is absolutely vital that we can make sure that Security Service personnel can defend themselves in court, so these cases are heard in court if wrongdoing has taken place. I want to make sure that those cases can be heard, and justice can be done. So I think it’s absolutely essential we find a way of doing it in our criminal justice system and we can protect our national security in that way. What we can’t have is a situation where we have to go on making these payouts, or not having court cases at all, or having open court cases where we would have to reveal intelligence information which would harm our national security, or harm relationships with other vital security partners. So this is the right way forward. I’m absolutely convinced we can win the argument, and win the argument with anyone who has civil libertarian concerns, because it’s much more important that justice is done and that we have these court cases going ahead.

Thank you for coming.

In a speech to the Business in the Community conference the Prime Minister said that business is the most powerful force for social progress the world has ever known, and set out plans to shine a light on the good that companies do that will help empower consumers and reward and encourage responsible business.

The Prime Minister announced the launch of a business-led working group called the Open Business Forum which will bring together leading companies and organisations to look at how business can be more transparent and help consumers and investors to differentiate between them, without adding any further burdens.

To help small businesses get involved in responsible practice, and to help get more young people into work the Prime Minister also set out plans for:

• The launch of “Trading for Good” a new online directory for SMEs that will showcase the good work they do in the community; and provide free toolkits to help businesses get involved in socially responsible practices, like offering apprenticeships and work experience and setting up a payroll giving scheme, and,
• A new careers advice web-based service – led by businesses and charitable partners – that will help inspire and support young people aged 11-24 in preparing for their future careers.  It will also advertise entry-level jobs, apprenticeships and placements. Later this year they’ll launch a major website – the one-stop-shop for the best careers advice;
• The Prime Minister also welcomed the more than five and a half thousand new apprenticeship places offered since the start of the year.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Today business needs champions, more than ever. In recent months we’ve heard some dangerous rhetoric creep into our national debate that wealth creation is somehow anti-social, that people in business are out for themselves. We have got to fight this mood with all we’ve got. Not just because it’s wrong for our economy, because we need growth and jobs but because it’s wrong for our society.

“Business is not just about making money, as vital as that is, it’s also the most powerful force for social progress the world has ever known. It can help us to smash poverty, raise horizons, drive the innovations, products, services that make our lives better, longer and happier and business is doing amazing things in our communities helping build bigger and stronger societies. This doesn’t get celebrated enough.

“Now, more than ever, we need the creative talents of business, not just for economic innovation but social innovation too.”

 

On business transparency the Prime Minister said:

“The vast majority of good business goes under the radar. We want to change that to link the good work business is doing much more directly with public recognition. This is a government that believes passionately in transparency.  Now just imagine the possibilities for responsible business. You could get people choosing mobile phone companies not just on their tariffs but their carbon emissions or supermarkets not just on price but how green they are. We want business to lead, devise and shape this new era of transparency.”

Notes to editors

1. Members of the Open Business Forum include; Chair – Philip N Green, Government Adviser on Corporate Responsibility; Aviva; Business In The Community; Carillion; E.ON; Excell Group; Procter & Gamble; Sir William Wells; Trading for Good and Waitrose. The Forum will also be welcoming new members over the coming months.

2. The Open Business Forum will bring together companies and organisations who, like government, believe in the power of transparency and are eager to embed openness in the way they do business. It will explore how businesses can become more transparent, without making life difficult, and identify where government can help. The Forum, will be business-led and free to shape its own detailed objectives based on the priorities of members.

3. Trading for Good will be launched in the coming months. It is a new not for profit digital service helping small businesses improve their reputation through showcasing the good work they do in their communities. It will give free advice to local businesses to help them get involved in socially responsible projects – everything from taking on apprentices to supporting local charities to being more environmental. Trading for Good is supported and led by the Every Business Commits Forum, a group of SME membership organisations including, amongst others: the British Retail Consortium, the Institute of Directors and the Forum of Private Business. A number of businesses are supporting the development including Excell Group, Dods, Visa Europe and Ernst & Young. The platform is being developed by a number of small businesses including Itineris and Eyebright Media;

4. The new online careers advice service is being developed and designed by a new not-for-profit enterprise Workality. Workality are a group of employers, charities, brand and social media experts, working with young people that have been brought together to inspire the next generation. They were set up in response to a specific challenge set out by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister which called for industry and the voluntary sector to get involved in an initiative to inspire young people about their futures.  Founding sponsors include: Serco; Centrica; Eversheds; Engine; Mcdonald’s; Salesforce.com. With support from charities including the IEBE and The Ideas Foundation. And receiving advice and support from leading technology providers such as Facebook, Microsoft, Google, IBM, LinkedIn, Cisco and Blackberry;

5. The Coalition Government is committed to working with employers to tackle youth unemployment. Under this government, the number of apprenticeship places has increased at a record rate with improvements across all age ranges, in all sectors and throughout the country.  Over 457,000 learners started an apprenticeship in 2010/11, an increase of 63.5% compared to 2009/10.  During National Apprenticeship Week a fortnight ago (week commencing 06 February) the Prime Minister announced Round two of the Higher Apprenticeship Fund which will develop thousands of new apprenticeships up to degree equivalent, helping deliver the world class skills firms need to drive growth. The Prime Minister also opened the bidding for the new Employer Ownership pilot, inviting employers in England to apply to access up to £250m of public investment and secure more control over how skills training is designed and delivered. The Prime Minister also launched the new small firms incentive scheme, offering £1,500 to small employers to hire their first young apprentices. This is expected to support up to 40,000 new apprenticeships over the next year.

6. Over 5500 new apprenticeships places have been created since the beginning of 2012. Amongst these places include HSBC which will offer an additional 688 apprentice places, bringing the total number of apprenticeships at the company to 1000 by the end of 2012. Santander will launch an apprenticeship scheme in 2012 that will see up to 50 places offered at the bank. Barclays will launch an apprenticeship scheme in April across their retail and Business Banking divisions offering apprentices to young people across England and Wales. Starbucks will offer apprenticeships for the first time this spring targeting 16-18 year olds, offering up to 45 apprenticeships each month in 2012, increasing to 65 each month in 2013.

7. This year the Government is running the Business in You campaign to encourage more people to start or grow their business throughout 2012 using a range of existing support services. More information is available at www.businessinyou.bis.gov.uk

8. Every Business Commits was launched by the Prime Minister in December 2010 to encourage businesses to contribute their creative thinking and innovation to tackling wider policy issues, by setting out a new focus on corporate responsibility, matched by a Government commitment to remove barriers to enterprise, cut red tape and to stand up for business. The five areas of action in Every Business Commits -

• creating jobs and developing the skills of their workforce
• supporting local communities
• larger businesses supporting small and medium sized enterprises to grow 
• improving the quality of life and well-being of their employees
• reducing carbon and protecting the environment.

9. These five Every Business Commits areas represent the priorities where government values commitment from business most, bringing clarity and consistency across government policy. Since Every Business Commits was launched Philip N Green has been appointed Corporate Responsibility Adviser to the PM. Norman Lamb MP is the lead Minister for Corporate Responsibility and is driving forward Every Business Commits.

10. The UK is a pioneer in transparency and open data in government it’s now possible to access over 35,000 government data files through data.gov.uk, including, for example, information on every item of local government expenditure over £500. We’ve published unprecedented data on transport, health and education – we’re empowering patients through giving them individual access to their GP records online, and we’re helping businesses and individuals plan by releasing real-time data on the running of trains and buses.

11. Business in the Community is one of the Prince’s Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President. Business in the Community is a business-led charity with a growing membership of over 850 companies. They are one of the largest and most influential leadership networks focused on driving responsible business practice.

The discussion focused on progress achieved to date, the challenges ahead and how the Government can support the football authorities and campaign groups to send a clear message that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated in the national game. The football authorities have agreed to work together on a way forward and report back to Government before the start of the next season.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“As our national game, football has exceptional reach into every community. So much about football reflects what makes us great as a nation, and we all want to keep it that way. 

“Football has done a huge amount in recent decades to eradicate the types of racist attitudes and behaviour that sadly often blighted the game. The football authorities, leagues, clubs and campaigns like Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card have led the way in this respect and must be praised for their efforts. But we cannot be complacent. We must address problems which could, if left unchecked, threaten to undo much of the hard work that has been done.

 

“Football must do more to be inclusive, in order that the beautiful game is truly open to all players, managers, coaches and supporters. Today’s announcements mark a further step towards this goal. We will continue to work in partnership to confront discrimination within the sport.”

 

During the meeting Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that the Government is contributing £3 million to the Football Association’s National Coaching Centre, St George’s Park. This facility will be used to help increase the number of qualified coaches in the country, which along with other specific initiatives, will encourage more people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds to gain the necessary credentials for coaching and managerial positions at the top of the game. Set to open later this year, St George’s Park in Burton will become the base for English football to develop coaches, players, administrators and officials.

Alongside this funding, the football authorities have also revealed details of a new bursary scheme open to Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates who have a minimum of the Level Two coaching qualification. This scheme will assist with the costs involved in obtaining the top Uefa levels of coaching and provide them with support and mentoring opportunities at Premier League and Football League clubs.

Jeremy Hunt said:

“We’ve made significant progress over the last two decades in tackling discrimination in football and this is something we should be proud of. But we mustn’t become complacent. It would be great to see more black and ethnic minority coaches and managers working in the game and this is something we want to work on achieving with the football authorities.”

 

David Bernstein, Chairman of the Football Association said:

“The Football Association continues to play a lead role in tackling discrimination in football. I firmly believe in widening participation and diversity within the game at all levels. The FA is determined to provide an inclusive football experience for anyone who wishes to play, coach, officiate or support English football. An experience that is reflective of our diverse communities, safe for all and free from abuse and discrimination. Just this week, a major conference was held at Wembley to raise awareness of the issues surrounding homophobia and transphobia. While we have come a very long way, it is clear we all have work to do.

“I thank the Government for the strong support of St. George’s Park. When it opens later this year, it will provide an inspirational boost to our development work across all communities. The FA remains firmly committed to ensuring football is for everyone and that prejudice has no place.”

 

 Nic Coward, Premier League General Secretary said:

“The Premier League and Clubs are committed to raising standards both on and off the pitch. A huge amount of work has been done to ensure everyone feels welcome, and abuse is dealt with. Clubs, the players and managers, have worked to raise awareness and change attitudes, and to remove discrimination. Most recently the Get On With The Game initiative has made a positive difference, and stewarding has been reviewed to make sure today’s challenges are being met.

“However, as recent events have also reminded us, there is no room for complacency and we can always do more. Arrests in football are at their lowest since records began, and we are determined to use all means to educate, prevent and deter, and to use sanctions available to us. We look forward to working with the authorities so that any offenders know abuse will not be tolerated, and acted on.”

 

The Premier League is also to work closely with the Police e-crime units to improve the way online racist and grossly offensive behaviour is identified and dealt with. This will build on the work already achieved and raise awareness of the Premier League’s Get On With the Game initiative that promotes a positive atmosphere at matches.

The Football League chairman Greg Clarke also announced that he is to sign the Government’s Sports Charter to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport on behalf of the 72 league clubs that make up the Championship, League 1 and League 2 divisions. The Football League join the 20 Premier League Clubs that signed up earlier this month to unite everyone who loves sport behind a pledge to reject homophobia and transphobia abuse both in the stands and on the field.

Greg Clarke, Chairman of the Football League said:

“Football League Clubs are at the heart of local communities throughout the country and, together, we are committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, head on. Everybody should be able to play, watch and enjoy sport regardless of their background and we will continue to play our part in promoting equality and diversity in English and Welsh football. To this end, Football League clubs from all three divisions have authorised me to sign the Government’s Charter tackling homophobia and transphobia in sport on their behalf.”

Representatives from Somaliland, Mogadishu, Puntland, the minority clans in South Central Somalia and diaspora from Kenyan and Tanzania, as well as representatives from the London Somali Youth Forum and the Council of Somali Organisations attended the meeting on Monday.

The Prime Minister heard how the Government can best support the Somali UK diasporas to contribute to the support needed on the ground and how we can all work together to secure a long term settlement in the Horn of Africa.

He assured the round table that the government was committed to maintaining close cooperation with the Somali diaspora beyond Thursday.

Speaking after the meeting the Prime Minister said: 

“As we all agreed at the round table, the whole of the world needs to get behind Somalia to turn it into a safer and more prosperous place.

“The London Somali Conference is about recognising the huge amount of effort going on in Somalia to help rebuild the country and what the world needs to do is help that take place and to grow. The Conference is an opportunity to show that we fully support the efforts of the Somali people themselves to build a stronger, safer, more prosperous country. In particular how we forge a new momentum in working together to tackle piracy, terrorism, conflict, poverty and famine.

  

“For two decades the problems in Somalia have been dismissed as simply too difficult and too remote to deal with. That fatalism has failed Somalia. And it’s failed Britain too. Yes, it’s an incredibly difficult situation but I have great expectations and great hopes for what I think we can achieve in lots of different areas and I’m convinced that the international community can help create a breakthrough. In the end, it’s about giving everyone in Somalia, particularly young people, some hope of a job and a voice and a future.” 

 

Baroness Warsi – who was also in attendance – said:

“At a time when Britain and the world are getting behind the people of Somalia to build a stable future it is important that the voice of the British Somali diaspora community is heard. Not only are they one of the largest diaspora communities outside of Africa but they’re also huge contributors through remittance, travel between the UK and Somalia, trade and investment and ongoing community and humanitarian work.

“The British Somali community are a wide and diverse community, and it’s important that we listen to what they have to say. The diaspora roundtable has kick-started an important week of discussions on Somalia.”

 

International Development Minister Stephen O’Brien also met with Somali community groups in Bristol, where he outlined the UK’s support for Somalia during the recent famine and set out the aims of Thursday’s conference. 

The Government is focussed on practical measures in seven key areas to help make Somalia and the region more stable and secure:

• political process: shape a stable political future for Somalis by agreeing a form of government that will succeed the transitional government in August 2012, and will represent Somalia’s sub-national regions.
• security: expand the remit of the African Union’s peacekeeping mission, AMISOM, and put its funding on a sustainable footing.
• terrorism: strengthen international resolve to tackle the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia.
• piracy: forge new international agreements to destroy the pirate business model and detain convicted pirates.
• stability: agree international funding for an international support package for Somalia’s regions, and set up mechanisms to stamp out corruption.
• humanitarian: secure renewed commitment to tackling the humanitarian crisis and a commitment to support building up resilience to crisis.
• international coordination: agree on a new process to maintain the pressure and support for change.

Backgroud information on Somali diaspora

At least 15% of the Somali population (10m) live outside its borders.

The UK is home to one of the largest communities (200,000) outside East Africa mostly based in London, Birmingham, Leicester, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol.

Many of the Ministers in the Transitional Federal Government come from the diaspora, including from the UK.

Estimated that the diaspora worldwide remits anything from $1.3-$2bn a year back to Somalia, of which up to $130-200m goes to humanitarian and development assistance.

Discussions focused on domestic reforms underway to drive economic growth, the trade and investment relationship and bilateral cooperation within the EU.

Following the Prime Ministers’ meeting they visited Crossrail where Spanish company Ferrovial is working as part of the consortia and will create 1,500 jobs.

A transcript of their joint press conference follows: 

Prime Minister

Good afternoon and welcome everybody.  It is a huge pleasure and a privilege to welcome the Spanish Prime Minister to Number 10 Downing Street.  We have had some excellent discussions and we are going to be having more discussions this afternoon as we go and visit one of the largest construction projects in the whole of Europe, which is the Crossrail project. 

We discussed three things really.  First of all, our bilateral relationship.  There is an incredibly strong relationship between Britain and Spain, and now with two centre-right Prime Ministers I think we can make that relationship even stronger.  We have very strong economic ties between our countries, huge UK investment into Spain and massive Spanish investment into the UK.  We will be seeing one example of that, Ferrovial, a big contributor to the Crossrail project, this afternoon. 

We had a long discussion about the European situation, the Eurozone situation, but above all the need to get growth throughout Europe.  I am delighted that the Spanish Prime Minister has signed and co-authored the growth letter that we we’ll be sending to the European Commission before the next European Union Summit.  It is a letter that demands action on completing the single market in services, completing the single market in energy, in digital, making sure that we properly promote innovation, making sure that Europe is deregulating and helping growth, and making sure that we are signing trade deals with the fastest growing parts of the world.  It is a fully-formed, fully-worked out growth agenda, that has the backing of Prime Ministers right across the European Union and it is excellent that Spain and Britain are co-operating so well on this issue. 

Finally, the third thing we discussed was some of the key global issues, and I paid tribute to the fact that the Spanish have joined the European effort to put in place an oil embargo on Iran.  I think this is a really positive step forward to show to the Iranian government that they must change course and abandon their plans for nuclear weapons and that we are committed to taking this very tough action in terms of sanctions, and also that we are working together on sanctions against the Syrian regime.  There have been round after round of sanctions, but we are determined to go further to make sure that we see a Syria that has a future free of Assad, who has been butchering and killing his people and continues to do so as we stand here today. 

Very good talks, a very warm welcome for you to be here today, and I hope the start of a long and fruitful friendship between our two governments.  Thank you.  

Spanish Prime Minister(Via Interpreter)

Good afternoon to you all.  Thank you very much for your kind words, Prime Minister.  Thank you for your warm welcome.  As you know, both Spain and the UK are united by ties that make us allies, friends of the first order.  We have splendid bilateral relations.  As the Prime Minister has said, they will be even better if possible now, and in the future.  We have economic and financial relations of every sort and we share an intent to propose similar values: democracy, respect for human rights, and to work in order to improve the well being and wealth of our citizens in the United Kingdom and in Spain.  

I think that the Prime Minister has also explained the contents of our meeting.  I cannot add much more to what he has said already, but I may want to stress some of the subjects he has referred to. 

The most important part of our talk has been about the economy and about what is happening at present in the European Union, and also, of course, about the proposal that some Prime Ministers and heads of government of different European countries have signed.  In this regard, I have the following to say.  Spain, as very many other countries, has a major objective.  Ours is very clear and known to all: to promote economic growth and create jobs, which is tantamount to generating wealth and well being.  We need to act on four different lines, but simultaneously. 

First of all, austerity, fiscal discipline is important.  Not spend what you do not have, that is why we have cut our budget.  We have approved a fiscal stability law that will receive final approval from our parliament very soon.  

In addition to that we need reforms.  Each and every member of the Union needs to take on reforms, and we are doing so, as you already know.

Last Friday, we approved a reform of our labour market.  The week before that, a reform of our financial system.  These will be four years in Spain, especially this first year, of very many reforms in our economy in order to lay very solid foundations for the future.  

Together with austerity and reforms in our countries, at least those countries that are part of the Eurozone need monetary measures, such as the ones being adopted by the ECB at present, thirdly. 

Fourthly, and that is what we have talked about today, we need structural reforms in Europe, and these structural reforms in Europe are essential to further growth and employment in Europe, to compete in this ever more global and open world and to improve the well being and wealth in our respective countries. 

There are very many things that are still pending that we have to do and that are included in the letter sent to Mr. Van Rompuy and Mr. Barroso.

We have to work in harmonising our services, the digital single market, the energy market – very important for us – interconnections in having a true single energy market, innovation, and SMEs as well as a global market, also the labour market.  At the last European Council on 30th January I made a suggestion in this regard, and also on the financial sector in Europe.  

When Europe started, perhaps to be more precise, with the Treaty of Rome almost 50 years ago, we already spoke about the freedom for goods, capital and people.  50 years later this is not yet a reality.  It is not complete and we need to do some work and get it made.  We hope that this can be done and we hope agreement is across all the countries.  It will benefit Europe and the world as a whole.  

As regards other matters, the Foreign Ministers and the Defence Ministers of the government I chair will be attending the conference organised by Prime Minister Cameron about Somalia on the 23rd.  We think it is a very important subject.  He has our full-fledged support.  We have to tackle it and also we share the position with regard to Iran.

Spain‘s position is well known to all and I have told Prime Minister Cameron we will always stand by our allies and friends.  

And now, we are ready to take your questions.

 Prime Minister

Thank you very much.  Perhaps we will start with Sky. 

Sky News

Thank you Prime Minister.  May I ask both Prime Ministers about Greece and the Eurozone?  I think many commentators fear that Greece has no chance really of generating the growth necessary to make the plan that was agreed last night viable.  Do you share any anxiety about really aggressive fiscal discipline actually choking off growth, making further bailouts inevitable, and further contributions, whether it be through the Eurozone or the IMF?

 Prime Minister

What I would say is Greece has made its choice and we now have to focus on the next step, which is constructing a firewall that is large enough to prevent contagion within the Eurozone.  Britain is outside the Eurozone.  We are not going to join the Eurozone and we have the advantage, outside the Eurozone, of being able to accompany the tough fiscal measures that are necessary when you have a deficit like ours.

When you have a debt like ours, you have to make some reductions in public spending.  You have to control public spending properly, but at the same time you can accompany that with a looser monetary policy, obviously the responsibility of the Bank of England, but they have enabled that to happen.  I think that is absolutely essential and I think it is important in the Eurozone too, but obviously that is a matter for the European Central Bank.  

Question (Via Interpreter)

Good afternoon.  The questions are for both Prime Ministers.  You have talked about the bilateral agenda.  I would like to know if, on your bilateral agenda, you have talked about the conflict of Gibraltar and specifically whether you have talked about it and whether you are going to open up a negotiation and if it is going to be exclusively, if so, between London and Madrid, which is one of the requests of the Spanish government?  About the economy, I would like you to please delve further into the letter sent to Brussels that has been signed by both Prime Ministers.  Why haven’t the governments of France or Germany signed that letter?  What are their reasons for not signing and could we be speaking of a new front versus the European Council with France and Germany, Spain? 

Spanish Prime Minister(Via Interpreter)

These two questions, let’s see, the first: yes, we have talked about Gibraltar and out Foreign Ministers will continue talking in the future.

Our positions differ but we will continue talking.  

All I can say with regard to your second question is that I signed the letter because I thought it was a good letter.  It brought up structural reforms that as I said are necessary.  We need austerity measures in Spain, we need a European Central Bank that adjusts its monetary policy to the times and reforms in Europe.  We have been building Europe for very many years now and it’s time to give it a boost.  That’s why I signed the letter.  There is no frontier of anybody against anyone else.

I’m in favour of Spain and in favour of the UK as well and I’m in favour of the Eurozone.  But above anything else, I’m in favour of what we as government leaders should pursue.  And that’s fixing people’s problems, generating employment and improving wellbeing and wealth.  It’s an ambitious programme for reforms and it’s very important for us to be resolved, to be courageous, to work, to get going and not just talking. 

Prime Minister

Well, taking your two questions, on the issue of the growth letter it’s obviously completely open for the French and the Germans to support this letter.  It’s a very good collection of 12 different countries who are supporting this letter, everyone from Italy and Spain in the south of Europe to the United Kingdom and Sweden in the north or Europe, the Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic and then many of the Baltic states such as Estonia as well.  So, a very strong collection of countries are behind this approach and obviously the more people that support it the more we’ll be able to drive that agenda through at the European Council. 

On the issue of Gibraltar, as the Spanish Prime Minister said, we do have different positions.  From the UK perspective there’s no change in the government’s position, it’s for the people of Gibraltar themselves to determine their future and we wouldn’t engage in any discussion about Gibraltar that the Gibraltarians didn’t want us to engage in.  And that’s, I think, important to understand.  But I don’t believe that should get in the way of a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Spain.  I think we’ve got one more UK question, then one more Spanish question.   

ITV News

Thank you Prime Minister.  A domestic question if I may.  It’s become quite clear today quite how badly you have sold or made the case for the NHS reforms.  52% of people who were asked in a poll say that they want these plans ditched.  If you’re not going to ditch them, will you ditch the man who designed them?  And if not now, how long has Andrew Lansley got?  

Prime Minister

Well look, I support Andrew Lansley and I support the NHS reforms.  And it’s worth making the point that the process of reform is never easy.

When you’re making changes, when you’re establishing some important principles like increasing the amount of choice that patients have you often find opposition to those changes.  But what is absolutely vital is that we put in place these reforms and I think it’s important that we stand back for a moment and try and explain again to people what it is that we are attempting to do.  Because I think the principles behind the reforms do actually have quite good support.  

For years people have said there’s too much bureaucratic decision making in the NHS, we want clinical decision making: that’s what the reforms deliver.  For years people have said we’ve got too much money spent on that bureaucracy and not enough health care.  Well, the reforms help deliver that too.  For years people have said, there’s not enough emphasis on public health, it’s just on treating sickness in the NHS.

Well, actually, the reforms really establish public health properly in the UK.  

So, for all those reasons and many others I strongly support the reforms.  It was interesting at the discussions we held yesterday, some of the clinical leaders who are actually putting the reforms in place on the ground were able to explain that actually having more clinical leadership, cutting down that bureaucracy, putting money into the frontline, meant better health outcomes for patients, a healthier public, more joined up care between health and social care.  This is what the reforms can deliver on the ground.  Reform isn’t easy, it always involves argument, but I’m confident that we can win those arguments and demonstrate how those reforms will lead to continuous improvement in our NHS. 

ITV News

And have the same Health Secretary in the next election, will you? 

Prime Minister

I think Andrew Lansley is doing a very good job.  I’ve worked with him for many, many years and I think he understand the Health Service better than almost anyone else in parliament and does a very good job and he has my support.  Prime Minister, your question? 

Question (Via interpreter)

Good afternoon and thank you.  Trade unions have sent you a letter, President of the Government, to take into account the demonstrations of Sunday and your attempt to change the labour market as for Valencia.  Do you think these are isolated incidents or do you think that all these changes may lead to more protests? 

Spanish Prime Minister

 (Via Interpreter) Well, with regard to the letter sent by the trade unions, I haven’t received it yet but I have in the media seen that they have indeed sent me a letter.  I have talked to the trade unions.  I did so before I became President of the Government, after the elections when I knew I was President Elect.  

We all know that trade unions have been talking to the government of Spain, the previous government and the one I’m chairing now, and also with the business organisations.  They have been doing so for a long time too.  Labour reforms have been taken recently that have not been very useful and the government is in charge of leading, of governing, and I am familiar with the business organisations’ positions, the trade unions’ positions, but in a country where all that many millions wish to work and young people too, we had to take decisions.  And I think the decisions taken are fair, they’re balanced and when economic growth begins it will contribute to generate employment.  They are good for SMEs and for workers in general.  It’s good, of course, but some things may not be to the liking of the trade unions or the business industry.  

But I need to defend the general interest of every Spaniard and my work is aimed at growth and employment in that regard.  The labour reform had to be done immediately.  Our labour law dates back to 30 years.  We cannot be there in the past and the obsolescence because the world is no longer the way it was.  We need to be competitive now and it will open up opportunities to Spanish SMEs, to workers, employees and youth who are unemployed.  So, we think there will be a major change in the foundations and regulations but I don’t want to fool anyone, it wouldn’t be good for Spain.  

As regards Valencia, that issue.  Right now our countries as others in the Union, are undergoing difficult times.  They are complex as well and the government is adopting very many decisions.  I think we’re doing so fairly, equitably and they’re affecting for example, fiscal institutions, banks, public administrations who will also have to bear the costs and the cuts and decisions that affect very many people.

We’re going through difficult times and I think right now the best thing for Spain is for everyone to help act as an engine.  Everyone, and I include myself, has to make the effort to be up to what’s expected of us.  Responsibility and we must be demanding and we cannot give an image of our country about what it isn’t.  Everyone is entitled under our constitution to express their opinions and demonstrate but everyone must also understand because the constitution also sets that down, that the police and law enforcement bodies of the state have a role to play.  If everyone acts in a contained way and with common sense, things like that won’t happen again.  Because, what is best for Spain is the best for all.

The initiative follows a series of bilateral meetings between the Prime Minister and other European leaders where David Cameron has repeatedly made the case for concrete action at EU-level to create jobs and generate prosperity.

During a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Monti, in January, the two leaders agreed that their countries should work together to deliver practical measures to unlock the potential of the single market.

Since then, the UK has been working with other like-minded countries to pursue this agenda.

Amongst those who have signed the letter is the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, who the Prime Minister will meet at Downing St tomorrow.

Read the full text of the letter here.

Representatives from Somaliland, Mogadishu, Puntland, the minority clans in South Central Somalia and diaspora from Kenya and Tanzania will all attend the meeting.

The Prime Minister wants to gather their ideas on how the Government can best support the Somali UK diasporas to contribute the technical and political support needed on the ground and how we can all work together to secure a long term settlement in the Horn of Africa.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister said:

“For two decades the problems in Somalia have been dismissed as simply too difficult and too remote to deal with. That fatalism has failed Somalia. And it’s failed Britain too. The threat to our national security is growing. Young British minds are being poisoned by radicalism. Pirates are disrupting vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists and aid workers. The Shabaab control a third of the country. Famine and instability in Somalia are spreading instability across the wider region.

“The problems in Somalia can only ultimately be solved by the people of Somalia. But our national interest is clear: we can’t just sit back and let all this carry on. Nor do I think the people of Britain want us to. When there was a famine in the Horn of Africa, no one gave more than the British people. That makes me proud to be British. But it’s not enough just to give aid. Unless we can help the people of Somalia build a stable future, these problems will keep reoccurring. I’m convinced that the international community can help create a breakthrough. That’s why I will bring together 50 countries and international organisations in London this week.”

 

And on the role of the Somali diaspora, the Prime Minister said:

“No one cares more about Somalia than its people. And there are many Somalis who have made their home in this country who will have a particular interest in what we are doing this week. We can’t build peace without them. My message is this: don’t go back and fight. Help Somalis and help your homeland by doing all you can to back the political process, to build the rule of law and to continue to support the development of the economy. That’s what we want to do this week. To turn your commitment to a better Somalia into a better future for us all.”

 

The Government aims to agree concrete outcomes from the summit, focused on practical measures in seven key areas to help make Somalia and the region more stable and secure:

• Political Process: shape a stable political future for Somalis by agreeing a form of government that will succeed the transitional government in August 2012, and will represent Somalia’s sub-national regions.
• Security: expand the remit of the African Union’s peacekeeping mission, AMISOM, and put its funding on a sustainable footing.
• Terrorism: strengthen international resolve to tackle the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia.
• Piracy: forge new international agreements to destroy the pirate business model and detain convicted pirates.
• Stability: agree international funding for an international support package for Somalia’s regions, and set up mechanisms to stamp out corruption.
• Humanitarian: secure renewed commitment to tackling the humanitarian crisis and a commitment to support building up resilience to crisis.
• International coordination: agree on a new process to maintain the pressure and support for change.

The Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Defence Secretary and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change are also in attendance and will meet with their French counterparts to discuss shared challenges and priorities.

A centrepiece of the summit is the landmark agreement to strengthen co-operation on civil nuclear energy between France and the United Kingdom. This joint declaration signals a shared commitment to the future of civil nuclear power, setting out a shared long term vision of safe, secure, sustainable and affordable energy, that supports growth and helps to deliver UK emission reductions targets.

A communique on Syria  and a declaration on security and defence have also been agreed at the Summit.

The strengthened co-operation on civil nuclear energy will be supported by a new Franco-British high level group on nuclear energy, bringing together industry, government, and other key stakeholders.

This partnership agreement will be underpinned by a number of commercial deals in the field of nuclear energy, worth more than £500 million and creating more than 1500 jobs across the country. These agreements represent a significant strengthening of the relationship between France and the UK in the field of civil nuclear development. They also constitute the first concrete orders which make the UK new nuclear programme a reality, helping to secure our energy supplies and meet our carbon reduction targets. 

Commenting on the UK-France relationship ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister said:

“Today’s summit shows the strength and depth of Britain’s ties with France. One year on from the Libya uprising, we are working together to stand up to the murderous Syrian regime and to stop a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran. At the United Nations, we co-sponsor more than three quarters of Security Council resolutions. Our commercial relationship is deep and growing with exports increasing and French investment sustaining almost 10,000 jobs in the UK. Our militaries are working together on cutting edge military technology. This relationship is vital for the national security and the prosperity of both Britain and France.

 

“At our last summit, we signed a historic partnership on defence. Today, we will match that ambition on nuclear energy. As two great civil nuclear nations, we will combine our expertise to strengthen industrial partnership, improve nuclear safety and create jobs at home. The deals signed today will create more than 1500 jobs in the UK but they are just the beginning. My goal is clear. I want the vast majority of the content of our new nuclear plants to be constructed, manufactured and engineered by British companies. And we will choose the partners and technologies to maximise the economic benefits to the UK. Today marks an important first step towards that. A good deal for Britain and a good deal for France.”

 

Edward Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said:

“We need hundreds billions of pounds of investment in clean energy projects in the UK. This will bring high-skilled job opportunities the length and breadth of the country. Construction workers, engineers, technicians – they will all have a role to play.

“There are plans for new nuclear in Somerset, Suffolk, Cumbria, North Wales and Gloucestershire. Supply chains will spring up too, and extend the reach of economic benefit across the country. This investment could be worth around £60billion and create up to 30,000 jobs.

 

“The deals we will see signed today reflect our ongoing desire to work closely together with our French allies and the private sector on nuclear, and across the energy mix.”