The August data from Land Registry’s flagship House Price Index shows an annual price decrease of -2.6 per cent which takes the average property value in England and Wales to £162,347. The monthly change from July to August is a decrease of -0.3 per cent and signals a return to the negative rates seen in

ECGD, the UK’s export credit agency (ECA), today announced it was resuming cover for British exports to Libya. The announcement makes ECGD the first major ECA to resume cover for Libya since the NATO airstrikes against the former Qadaffi regime began in March this year.
ECGD chief executive, Patrick Crawford said:
“Now that an internationally recognised regime

British firms looking to boost trade links with Turkey are joining Business Secretary Vince Cable on a three day mission to the country.
The visit is the first by a UK Business Secretary for a decade and underlines the importance of the two countries ambition to double bilateral trade by 2015.
This visit

Businesses in Northamptonshire will be supported by a new local enterprise partnership approved today by Business Minister Mark Prisk and Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark.
The Northamptonshire local enterprise partnership covers a population of around 683,000 and represents over 24,785 businesses. It has the support of both businesses and local authorities in the area and joins the

A new guide for businesses to make sure they don’t fall foul of intellectual property laws has been launched today. Preventing Infringement of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights in the Workplace provides companies with advice on how they can make sure they and their employees are not illegally using other people’s intellectual property.
Criminal IP offences can

The Government today launched a call for evidence on how the UK intellectual property system can better support our globally successful design industry.
At an event hosted by the Design Council, Baroness Wilcox urged the UK’s design community to gather information and data on what makes our design industry tick and what Government can do to

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable have welcomed Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) announcement today that it plans to create 750 jobs at a new engine plant in Wolverhampton.
This project will bring a significant economic boost to the West Midlands with an investment of £355 million and will support the development of

The Bill will update the law for goods and services and for digital content, clarify the law on unfair contract terms, consolidate consumer powers for Trading Standards, and provide much stronger protection for vulnerable customers targeted by misleading aggressive sales practices.
Consumer Minister Edward Davey said:
“Consumer law in the UK comes from a variety of Acts

Drawing on the thinking of business, Government and academia, the Marine Industries Growth Strategy (MIGS) is the first ever integrated UK strategy for the marine industries and establishes a foundation for ambitious but sustainable long-term growth.
If properly implemented, this strategy could lead to a £25 billion marine industry by 2020.
Business Minister and Co-chair of the

Tesco, BT and law firm Eversheds are among the leading UK companies to sign up to the government’s new framework for voluntary equality reporting, the Home Secretary announced today.
The ‘Think, Act, Report’ initiative is aimed at improving transparency on gender equality issues in the private and voluntary sector, and today marks a major breakthrough for