UK Motor Industry Gets £1bn Hi-Tech Boost

Britain's motor industry is to receive more than £1bn in new funding over the next decade to improve its global competitiveness.

The joint UK motor industry and Government automotive strategy has agreed to the deal to help secure the growth and development of the vehicle and component manufacturing sector.

This new funding supports multi-billion pound investments announced in the last few years by global automotive companies to boost production levels and develop new technologies and models.

Developed under Automotive Council guidance, both industry and the Government will fund the investments.

The range of projects include the creation of an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), thousands of new motor industry apprenticeships and the development of an Automotive Investment Organisation.

The APC is expected to research, develop and commercialise technologies for the vehicles of the future.

What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett told Sky News: "The British motor industry is booming at the moment but companies are still struggling to attract top quality young people.

"Any incentives to provide apprenticeships in order to attract the brightest and best should be welcomed."

The UK car industry covers several major regional areas

The development of the strategy also sees the provision of finance for tooling investments in the supply chain, and a renewed commitment to encourage the UK as a lead market in the production and sale of low emission vehicles.

The financial commitment is backed by 27 companies in the motor industry sector, including supply chain companies, and it is expected to secure at least 30,000 jobs currently linked to producing engines and create many more in the supply chain.

It was also announced that the Automotive Council, co-chaired by Mr Cable and Professor Richard Parry-Jones, is aiming to recruit more than 7,600 apprentices and 1,700 graduates over the next five years.

In addition, the newly-created Automotive Investment Organisation will aim to double the number of jobs created or secured in the automotive supply chain over the next three years to 15,000.

In a further announcement, the Technology Strategy Board launched a £10m competition that could see successful projects fast-tracked for commercialisation through the APC.

Businesses are being invited to bid for support on innovative, collaborative low-carbon vehicle projects.

Announcing the total initiative with Prof Parry-Jones at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex on Friday morning, Mr Cable said: "The UK automotive sector has been incredibly successful in recent times, with billions of pounds of investment and new jobs.

"With the next generation of vehicles set to be powered by radically different technologies we need to maintain this momentum and act now. Our industrial strategy will ensure we keep on working together to make our automotive industry a world leader."

Prof Parry-Jones said: "Businesses prefer consistency, stability and a clear path to the future in order to make investment plans.

"This is critical to sustaining and growing a thriving UK automotive sector in a highly competitive global industry."

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Nokia Lumia 1020: 41-Megapixel Camera Unveiled

Nokia has unveiled a smartphone which boasts a market-beating 41-megapixel camera in a move to make up lost ground on its rivals.

Experts have praised the Lumia 1020 for taking "mobile photography to the next level" but doubt whether it will be enough of an incentive to woo customers away from Apple and Samsung.

At a launch event in New York, the firm said that the camera allows users to zoom in and reframe their photos without worrying about reducing image quality.

A new feature called dual capture also enables two photos to be taken simultaneously at once - one at a high-resolution of 38-megapixels and another at 5-megapixels which is easier to share on social networks.

The device's camera beats the iPhone 5's 8-megapixels

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop said the new device "will change how you shoot and how you create forever."

But the Finnish company currently trails the two giants of the smartphone market - Apple and Samsung - by a long way.

In the past two years Nokia have reportedly sold around 20 million of their Lumia devices, which run on Microsoft software.

That's compared to Apple's 248 million iPhones and Android's 800 million handsets, many of which are manufactured by Samsung.

Experts doubt whether the Lumia 1020 will entice customers from rivals

The Telegraph's Consumer Technology Editor Matt Warman told Sky News: "The problem that Nokia have got is ... when consumers go into a shop, then how good the camera doesn't decide whether they're going to buy that particular phone.

"It's a great piece of engineering but is it going to be enough to save Nokia? Not of itself, no, I don't think it is."

A UK release date was not confirmed but the device is expected to go on sale in Europe in the next few months.

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NHS Computers With Patient Data Sold On Ebay

An NHS trust has been fined £200,000 by the data watchdog after it sold an old computer which contained the personal details of more than 3,000 patients.

The sensitive information was left on the computer sold by a data destruction company employed by NHS Surrey.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) was tipped off after a member of the public bought the second-hand computer online.

Sky News understands that some of the PCs were sold on the internet auction site eBay.

The company had been employed by NHS Surrey since March 2010 to wipe and destroy its old computer equipment.

The company carried out the service for free, with an agreement that they could sell any salvageable materials after the hard drives had been securely destroyed.

The ICO said: "On 29 May 2012 NHS Surrey was contacted by a member of the public who had recently bought a second-hand computer online and found that it contained the details of patients' treated by NHS Surrey.

"The organisation collected the computer and found confidential sensitive personal data and HR records, including patient records relating to approximately 900 adults and 2000 children."

The watchdog added: "After being alerted to the problem, NHS Surrey managed to reclaim a further 39 computers sold by the trading arm of their new data destruction provider.

"Ten of these computers were found to have previously belonged to NHS Surrey; three of which still contained sensitive personal data."

The ICO's investigation found that NHS Surrey had no contract in place with their new provider, which clearly explained the provider's legal requirements under the Data Protection Act, and failed to observe and monitor the data destruction process.

NHS Surrey mislaid the records of the equipment passed for destruction between March 2010 and 10 February 2011, and was only able to confirm that 1,570 computers were processed between 10 February 2011 and 28 May 2012.

The data destruction company was unable to trace where the computers ended up, or confirm how many might still contain personal data.

Stephen Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement, said: "The facts of this breach are truly shocking. NHS Surrey chose to leave an approved provider and handed over thousands of patients' details to a company without checking that the information had been securely deleted.

"The result was that patients' information was effectively being sold online. This breach is one of the most serious the ICO has witnessed and the penalty reflects the disturbing circumstances of the case.

"We should not have to tell organisations to think twice before outsourcing vital services to companies who offer to work for free."

NHS Surrey was dissolved in March 2013 with some of their legal responsibilities passing to the NHS Commissioning Board.

The board will be required to pay the penalty by July 22 or serve a notice of appeal by July 19.

The full penalty is eventually paid into the Treasury's Consolidated Fund.

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China Tops 'Air Travel Delays' List

Passengers using China's airlines and airports continue suffer the worst flight delays in the world, according to a travel industry monitor.

Less than one-in-five planes leave on time from its capital's airport.

A survey of flight times last month showed that Beijing's airport had the lowest proportion of flights leaving on time among 35 leading airports at just 18.3%, FlightStats Inc said.

Shanghai was slightly better at 28.72%, but still 10 percentage points below the next-worst performer, Istanbul.

Among airlines, mainland Chinese carriers made up eight of the 10 worst performing airlines.

Flag carrier Air China came in sixth from the bottom, with just 54.54% of its flights arriving on time.

No reasons were given for the poor performance.

Industry analysts frequently blame the country's air force's tight restrictions on airspace for heavy congestion along available corridors.

Air travel has more than quadrupled in China along with rising incomes and cheaper tickets.

Alongside that growth, routine delays, shoddy service and ill-mannered passengers have fuelled an epidemic of air rage incidents, video footage of which is often shown on television.

:: The survey comes as Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said overall on-time arrivals and departures at 10 main UK airports during the first quarter of 2013 was 78%, down 4% on the same period last year.

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First-Time Homebuyers At Five-Year High

The number of first-time homebuyers has risen to the highest level in five and a half years, porviding further evidence of a recovery in the housing market.

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), 25,100 loans worth £3.4bn were advanced to people taking their first step on the property ladder during May.

The figure is up 42% on the same time last year, and is the highest volume since November 2007.

It was a marked contrast to the low point of the global financial crisis when just 8,500 loans were given, in January 2009.

The overall £8.4bn of lending for house purchases accounted for 57% of all mortgage lending in May, by value.

Meanwhile remortgaging of £4bn accounted for 27% of all lending.

Other lending, including lifetime, buy-to-let and further advances, amounted to £2.3bn - or 16% of the total.

Paul Smee, director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, said: "Although monthly lending is still running at far less than half its typical monthly level during the peak, there is no doubt that the mortgage market is firmly open for business.

"Both the borrowing appetite of first-time buyers, and the availability of attractive mortgages for them, have improved markedly since a year ago.

"What is interesting is that, in contrast to some recent assertions, this is happening in parallel with the strengthening buy-to-let market."

Mr Smee added: "It is perfectly possible for both the buy-to-let market and the first-time buyer market to improve at the same time, as the evidence clearly demonstrates.

"It is important that the supply of housing steps up, as increased housing supply is a crucial factor in ensuring that housing is affordable over the long term."

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Plans For Plain Cigarette Packs Shelved

Health campaigners have reacted with fury after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that a decision on the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes has been postponed.

Mr Hunt said the Government wanted to see how a similar system recently introduced in Australia worked before deciding whether to go ahead in England.

"Having carefully considered these differing views, the Government has decided to wait until the emerging impact of the decision in Australia can be measured before we make a final decision on this policy in England," he said in a Commons written statement.

The move was widely expected after the Queen's Speech in May did not include any provision for legislation on the issue.

Nevertheless there was anger among health campaigners who accused ministers of putting profits ahead of children's health.

Cancer Research UK chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said there was "strong evidence" that cigarette packaging did affect the take-up of smoking by children.

British Lung Foundation chief executive Dr Penny Woods described the decision as "bewildering".

Australian packs without logos and brand names

Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, a GP who is strongly in favour of plain packaging, bitterly condemned the decision.

"RIP public health. A day of shame for this government; the only winners big tobacco, big alcohol and big undertakers," she wrote on her Twitter feed.

Public Health Minister Anna Soubry faced MPs' questions on the issue after Commons Speaker John Bercow granted an urgent question to her Labour shadow Diane Abbott.

But Mark Littlewood, director general of the free market Institute of Economic Affairs, welcomed Mr Hunt's rowing back on what he said was an "absurd" policy.

"Far from having a positive impact on health, plain packaging would be a boon for the black market and could potentially have done enormous harm to small businesses and economic growth," he said.

The move is seen by some to reflect the influence of the Tories' election strategist  Lynton Crosby, who reportedly advised David Cameron to "get the barnacles off the boat" and concentrate on the core concerns of voters such as the economy.

Downing Street insisted that Mr Crosby was not involved in the decision to put plain packaging on hold and had not lobbied Mr Cameron on the issue.

A Number 10 spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has never been lobbied by Lynton Crosby on cigarette packaging. The important point to stress on this issue is that Lynton Crosby has had no involvement in the decision.

"He is not employed by the Government. He is employed by the Conservative Party as an adviser to the Conservative Party. He doesn't have a pass for Downing Street. He doesn't have a desk at Downing Street. Does he attend meetings at 10 Downing Street? Yes, he does."

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Unilever Hunts New Owner To Swallow Peperami

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Unilever, the FTSE100 consumer goods conglomerate, is seeking a buyer for its Peperami snacking brand more than 30 years after it was created because of a shipping error.

Sky News understands that Unilever has appointed investment bankers at UBS to conduct an auction of Peperami and BiFi, the name under which the product trades in Germany.

The sale is likely to raise only tens of millions of pounds for the Anglo-Dutch company, but will continue its refocusing on faster-growing products and international markets.

Unilever launched Peperami, which is made of spicy pork salami, in 1982, when a container it shipped to the UK contained sausages instead of pate.

The company does not break down sales by individual brands, but has said that it wants to focus on products with a sustainable growth profile in emerging markets.

Unilever's first-quarter results, announced in April, showed underlying sales growth of 4.9% with emerging markets up 10.4%.

Earlier this week, the company, which owns Dove shampoo and Flora margarine, announced that it had increased its stake in Hindustan Unilever, its Indian affiliate, to 67%.

The decision to put Peperami up for sale reflects the ongoing pruning of the company's portfolio by Paul Polman, chief executive, who is also seeking a buyer for Wishbone, Unilever's US-based salads and dressings business.

Earlier this year, he sanctioned the sale of Skippy, another of its major food brands, to Hormel Foods, for several hundred million pounds.

Unilever declined to comment on the prospective sale of Peperami.

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The Sky News Business Round-Up And Look Ahead

Sky's Naomi Kerbel offers a look ahead to what's coming up in the week's business news.

:: Monday July 15

Chinese quarterly GDP data.

April's figures revealed the rate of economic growth in China was 7.7% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2012.

:: Tuesday July 16

The Coca-Cola Company - Q2 results

The company has released its first 250ml can in the UK which has 25% less calories than the normal-sized cans.

:: Wednesday July 17

UK monthly unemployment figures.

May's release showed unemployment fell by 5,000 in the three months to April to 2.51 million, with the unemployment rate at 7.8%. 

:: Thursday July 18

Google Inc - Q2 results

The internet search technology company founded in 1998 has strongly denied 'disguising' operations to avoid tax.

:: Friday July 19

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors' meeting in Moscow.

Attendees will include the OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria and US secretary of the treasury Jack Lew.

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PPI Queen Quits Watchdog For Barclays Role

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

The executive who spearheaded the City watchdog's clampdown on rampant bank mis-selling has quit to take up a highly-paid role at Barclays, Sky News can reveal.

Christina Sinclair, the acting director of retail at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), is to become the global head of compliance for wealth and investment management at Barclays.

Her appointment will reunite her with Sir Hector Sants, who joined Barclays last year as part of efforts by Antony Jenkins, the bank's chief executive, to repair its reputation following its £290m fine for its role in the Libor rate-rigging scandal.

Ms Sinclair's move also marks the latest example of a senior regulator crossing the divide into the private sector, where roles of equivalent seniority tend to be significantly better paid.

She has spent 18 years at the City regulator in its various guises during that period, and played a leading role in campaigns to provide redress for the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) and interest rate hedging products.

Ms Sinclair was with the City regulator in its various guises for 18 years

Those two scandals have cost the major UK banks well over £12bn, and Barclays has been responsible for more than £2bn of that sum on its own.

In an announcement about Ms Sinclair's departure circulated among FCA staff and seen by Sky News, Clive Adamson, the regulator's director of supervision, said: "Christina made a substantial contribution on some of our flagship projects, including Payment Protection Insurance and Interest Rate Hedging Products, helping to secure billions of pounds of redress for consumers.

"Christina will be missed, but I am very pleased about her new role and know she will be a strong advocate for promoting the conduct agenda."

Ms Sinclair, who will join Barclays in October, is being replaced at the FCA by Andrew Giles, currently a special adviser in its supervision team.

In addition to its role in the Libor affair, Barclays is facing a string of awkward regulatory probes including one led by the Serious Fraud Office into the deal which saw it raise billions of pounds from Middle Eastern shareholders during the banking crisis.

A Barclays spokesman confirmed Ms Sinclair's appointment.

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Twitter Takes On Tax Expert To Avoid Woes

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

Twitter is bolstering its international operations ahead of an expected flotation by employing its first full-time tax manager to ensure complex company structures comply with laws across Europe.

Based in its international headquarters in Dublin, the job will include oversight of the preparation and filing of all business tax returns.

The social media giant described the new role as being "in a fast-moving, challenging, yet fun environment".

Sky News understands Twitter is hiring a number of new key finance personnel as part of its extensive international expansion plan.

The tax manager will be responsible for taxation affairs across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and is expected to "implement and monitor transfer pricing strategy".

Transfer pricing is a system whereby goods or services are supplied and charged between arms of a multinational firm, sometimes across national borders and jurisdictions.

Twitter UK Ltd answers to Twitter International Company in Ireland, which is wholly-owned by Twitter Inc - one of at least three companies California-based Twitter has formed in the US state of Delaware.

However, leading American multinationals have been under increasing UK parliamentary scrutiny in recent months over transfer pricing.

The tax expert role advertised by Twitter International

Last week the UK arm of Twitter filed its abbreviated accounts for the year ended December 31 with business regulator Companies House.

Twitter declined to confirm that UK sales were routed through Ireland.

But its accounts revealed that "turnover represents the value of services provided to other Twitter group companies".

A Twitter UK spokesperson told Sky News: "Since Twitter UK opened in 2011 we have been steadily building our team, focusing on promoting great uses of Twitter by all elements of UK society - the arts, sport, Government, and brand partners."

UK profit for 2012 was listed as £108,907, up from £16,499 in the previous year. Twitter UK was formed in June 2011.

The company's taxation and social security liability also increased from £36,800 in 2011 to £326,949 in 2012.

"There have been a number of significant changes and you can see the company's tangible assets in the 2012 accounts have substantially increased to £504,595 from £2,696 in 2011," Maung Aye, corporate solicitor and Mackrell Turner Garrett associate, told Sky News.

"Another factor to consider is whether the assets and equipment of the now dissolved TweetDeck Ltd were absorbed into Twitter UK Ltd so that the application can be continued for its users."

Last December Sky News revealed that Twitter UK and its sister firm TweetDeck Ltd were fined by Companies House for failing to file their 2011 accounts on time.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo resigned his role as Twitter UK director

Two of Twitter's top American officials, chief executive Dick Costolo and head of trust Alex Macgillivray, were directors of the TweetDeck. The two executives, along with chief operating officer Ali Rowghani, were directors of Twitter UK.

Although Twitter UK finally filed its 2011 accounts TweetDeck did not and was forcibly dissolved by the business regulator on May 7 this year.

On May 9, Mr Costolo resigned his remaining British directorial role - with Twitter UK - and his position was taken by Irish ex-'Big Four' chartered accountant Laurence O'Brien, who is in charge of international operations in Dublin.

Forbes magazine has reported that Twitter may seek a public flotation in 2014, saying it could be worth more than $11bn (£6.8bn) to investors if it successfully monetises the service without disenfranchising users.

Meanwhile, the micro-blogging site has fought against spam attacks masquerading as legitimate tweets.

In January, hashtags for the World Economic Forum in Davos were bombarded with so-called spam bots and porn bots, while a recent swamping involved diet aid spams.

In both cases Mr Costolo responded to complaints personally by tweeting that the company was dealing with the problems.

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