INDUSTRY UPDATE NEWS
Home Office targets UK building sites C onstruction sites are the focus of the Home Office’s efforts to stamp out illegal working in the UK. While construction isn’t the only sector under scrutiny – others include restaurants and nail bars, for example – it does account for a number of employers subjecting illegal workers, often migrants, to unfair, unsafe and unethical working conditions where workers are underpaid and overworked. In March, for example, nearly 40 people were arrested at a construction site in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, after the Home Office investigated it. Those arrested were guilty of numerous offences, ranging from breached visa conditions to illegal entry to the UK without permission to work. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “For too long, employers have been able to take
EU approves JCB’s hydrogen engine J CB has achieved a key milestone in its hydrogen technology programme, securing full EU type-
“This is another very significant moment for JCB’s hydrogen programme,” said chairman Anthony Bamford. “To have secured full EU type-approval proves that the internal combustion engine has a future – if powered by zero-carbon hydrogen.” JCB has produced over 130 hydrogen evaluation engines powering backhoe loaders, Loadall handlers, and generators. Pre-launch field testing is underway, with customer-ready machines expected soon. “We’re ready to bring hydrogen- powered equipment to market,” Bamford said.
approval for its hydrogen combustion engine, enabling sales and use across the EU, EEA, and EFTA regions. The certification confirms the engine meets EU Stage V emissions standards under Regulation (EU) 2016/1628. It follows previous temporary approvals by 10 authorities across nine European nations under ‘new technology’ provisions. UK approval had already been granted.
on and exploit migrants, with people allowed to arrive and work here illegally. “This will no longer
Government’s AI planning underway
T he government has partnered with Google to introduce Extract, an AI tool to reduce planning departments’ workloads by digitising old, paper-based planning records – some hundreds of pages long – into high-quality digital and geospatial data in minutes. “We’re harnessing the power of AI to help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions and unlock new homes for hard-working people,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Planning officers in England currently spend an estimated 250,000 hours
annually checking and validating paper documents. With over 350,000 applications submitted each year, the existing process is inefficient. In pilot schemes across Hillingdon, Nuneaton & Bedworth, and Exeter, Extract converted maps and documents in under three minutes, compared to up to two hours manually. The technology could process about 100 records a day— clearing backlogs and enabling faster housing delivery. The government aims to roll out Extract across all English local authorities by the end of 2026.
be tolerated on our watch. That’s why we are ramping up our enforcement activity and introducing tougher laws to finally get a grip of our immigration and asylum system. “Under our Plan for Change, we will continue to root out unscrupulous employers and disrupt illegal workers who undermine our border security.”
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