The UK Space Agency has today announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that Wales will play host to the 2019 UK Space Conference, with the new International Convention Centre (ICC) near Newport confirmed as the event venue.

The UK Space Conference is considered the most influential event for the space community, bringing together government, industry and academia, to build links, share opportunities and address mutual concerns at a crucial time of unprecedented change and growth for the sector.

The position of Programme Committee Chair is now open for nominations; this committee is responsible for defining the theme, shaping the content and selecting the speakers. Nominations for members of the committee are also welcome. We are looking to ensure wide engagement in the conference and so encourage people from across the community to put themselves forward.

The 2019 conference is set to be the biggest and most significant event to date with over 1,200 delegates anticipated. The ICC Wales, an £84 million investment development, is due to open shortly before the 2019 event. This biennial conference has been held previously in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester, with the first held in 2011 in Warwick.

CEO of the UK Space Agency, Dr Graham Turnock said:

We are working with the space sector to build on our significant capability and maximise the benefits of space to life on Earth, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

The UK Space Conference is a fantastic event for sparking the kind of collaborations and partnerships that will help our sector grow. I am delighted that Wales will be hosting the 2019 conference and I’m sure it will build on the huge success of the 2017 conference in Manchester.

Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and founder of the Surrey Space Centre said:

The UK Space Conference provides a vital forum for the UK space sector, academia and policy makers to network, debate, form new collaborations, and do business. It’s a key event for SSTL, and a fixture in my calendar.

This 2017 programme included 5 plenary and 28 parallel sessions which were carefully designed to inspire, enable and connect the space community. 180 speakers delivered a total of 43 hours’ worth of content and discussion to 1,200 delegates. Speakers included British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake, one of the most inspirational figures in the UK space sector, who spoke in the closing plenary entitled ‘Inspiring the future through exploration’.

Other influential speakers included; Professor Jan Wörner, Director General of the European Space Agency, and Andy Green, President of UKspace and chair of the Space Sector Council.

The National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) was opened today [11 January 2019] by UK Government Minister Lord Duncan and Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Scottish Government Energy Minister, in Newburgh in North-East Scotland’s Energetica Corridor.

The government ministers joined industry and civic leaders to celebrate the launch of this long-term partnership between the Oil & Gas Technology Centre and the University of Aberdeen. The NDC is part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal, from which it has received £180million in funding.

UK Government Minister Lord Duncan welcomed the centre’s opening:

The National Decommissioning Centre is a real and tangible benefit to the region of the Aberdeen City Region Deal. This presents an exciting opportunity to establish a centre of excellence in the North-East of Scotland which will develop new capabilities, skills and jobs to meet the decommissioning challenge now and in the years ahead. It will be funded in partnership by the UK Government, Scottish Government, University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and the private sector.

It’s been two years since the Aberdeen City Region Deal started to make a huge difference to the region’s economy. The Deal is helping to boost jobs and prosperity and is driving growth across the region. To date the UK Government has committed more than £1.1 billion to City Region Deals right across Scotland.

The centre will receive £90million in funding from both the UK and Scottish Governments as well as funding from the University of Aberdeen and the private sector.

The NDC aims to become a global leader in decommissioning as well as academic research into the area. The centre is home to the most powerful industrial laser of its kind at an academic insitution in the UK and a supercomputer cluster.

The MOD has released new projected figures on the numbers of ex-service personnel living in Great Britain over the next ten years.

New figures released by the MOD provide an insight into how the UK’s veteran population will change over the next decade.

The figures show that over the next ten years, the number of former service personnel in Great Britain is expected to decrease by around 1 million, to approximately 1.6 million by 2028. Estimates put the number of former service personnel currently residing in Britain at around 2.5 million.

As well as the reduction in size, the age and gender profile of the ex-forces community is also expected to change. The percentage of veterans of working age, between 16-64, is projected to rise from 38% to 44%, while the percentage of women is set to increase from 10% to 13%.

The new data projections will inform the first ‘Strategy for our Veterans’, jointly published by the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments, which sets out the key areas of support for those who have left the armed forces.

Published in November 2018, the strategy identified six key areas where support is most needed over the next ten years, including: community and relationships, employment and skills, health and wellbeing, finance and debt, housing, and contact with the law. The UK Government consultation complementing the strategy is open until 21st February.

All relevant Government departments have a responsibility to ensure that the military community is treated fairly, and not disadvantaged by their service as part of the Armed Forces Covenant. This includes access to housing and healthcare, as well as employment and education support.

The 2021 census, which will for the first time allow citizens to identify whether they have served, will work alongside these new projected figures to help local authorities to better understand the needs of the veterans community, and to support them in the most efficient way.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Ellwood said:

The figures reveal important insight into the potential needs of our future veteran community, and will help us to continue to step up our support for those who have served this country.

While the vast majority of ex-service personnel go to live happy, healthy and successful lives, it’s right that we work across Governments to make sure veterans can access the services they need.

This week, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that all social housing applicants will be given the chance to identify themselves as veterans, and those struggling with mental health will be given the same priority as their peers with physical injuries.

Last year, NHS England confirmed that every part of the country now has dedicated mental health services up and running for veterans, and announced the first 25 hospitals to become ‘Veteran Aware’, delivering specialist healthcare support to those who have served. This will be supported by £10 million of investment as part of the NHS’s long term plan.

Any veteran in need of advice can call the Veterans’ Gateway – a 24 hour helpline which acts as the first port of call for ex-service personnel and their families. The MOD has announced that the Gateway’s 24/7 helpline will trial a new outreach service where it will proactively call those who have served, to check in on their wellbeing and remind them of where support can be found.

We have made changes to clarify the scope of delegated functions to grant emergency representation for urgent homelessness judicial reviews.

These changes make it clear that these powers are available for any proceedings under:

• part VII Housing Act 1996

• section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948

• section 20 of the Children Act 1989

• section 47(5) National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990

• section 19(3) of the Care Act 2014

• section 36 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014

This reverts back to the position that was in place before September 2018.

Why are you doing this now?

Since 2013, providers have not had the power to grant emergency representation using delegated functions for judicial reviews. However, cases concerning urgent homelessness matters have always been exempt from this rule.

In September 2018, a technical change was made to the terms of this ‘homelessness exemption’. Following constructive discussions with stakeholders, we have now decided to revert back to the position for these cases that was in place before September.

How are you making this change?

We are making this update by amending the authorisations under section 5 of LASPO.

The updated authorisations also make it clear that providers are permitted to make determinations on financial eligibility for emergency representation when using delegated functions.

There is no need to refer the case to the Legal Aid Agency to make this initial assessment of financial eligibility.

Further information

Work out who qualifies for civil legal aid – to download tables of delegated authorities