A collaborative international aviation network with global aviation leaders has been launched to tackle the sector’s biggest challenges.

The National Aviation Authorities (NAA) network’s mission is to foster cooperation between world-leading aviation regulators on emerging challenges in aviation and aerospace, improving innovation and safety.

These challenges include making the most of new technology, such as safely integrating new forms of transport like air taxis into some of the busiest airspace systems in the world, as well as supporting the sector’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and promote guilt-free flying.

The NAA network currently includes the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. The network will exist to ensure that the aviation sector is the safest and most innovative and environmentally conscious it can be.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

The aviation industry has shown immense resilience these past 2 years, with governments and authorities around the world working together with the sector on new challenges like slashing carbon emissions and making new technology as safe as it can be.

The NAA network is a huge step forward in supporting this work – helping the sector safely meet the challenges of tomorrow and improve lives for the better.

Sir Stephen Hillier, chair of both the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the National Aviation Authority Network Governance group said:

This is both an exciting and a challenging time for the global aviation sector, and regulators must move quickly to build greater resilience, keep pace with rapid innovation, and work together to reduce carbon emissions.

The NAA Network helps us strengthen collaborative approaches to common challenges and to share best practice and regulatory approaches.

We’re already doing timely and important work together within the network and I very much look forward to continuing to work closely with my colleagues in Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand to help advance global aviation.

Acting US Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Billy Nolen said:

We can only achieve the next era of aviation by working collaboratively with our international partners.

This network will help us with new aviation challenges, like bringing air taxis safely into operation and building a sustainable aviation system, and the FAA looks forward to working together.

The UK and its international partners will use the NAA network to respond quickly and flexibly to new issues and influence new regulation, finding ways to align approaches to address common challenges.

This group complements the various coordination mechanisms under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and remains committed to working within ICAO to support the global aviation system.

For example, NAA network regulators have already been sharing best practice on safety to help plan for future external shocks, meaning the sector will be better prepared to sustain operations in the event of a future shock on the scale of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A collaborative international aviation network with global aviation leaders has been launched to tackle the sector’s biggest challenges.

The National Aviation Authorities (NAA) network’s mission is to foster cooperation between world-leading aviation regulators on emerging challenges in aviation and aerospace, improving innovation and safety.

These challenges include making the most of new technology, such as safely integrating new forms of transport like air taxis into some of the busiest airspace systems in the world, as well as supporting the sector’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and promote guilt-free flying.

The NAA network currently includes the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. The network will exist to ensure that the aviation sector is the safest and most innovative and environmentally conscious it can be.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

The aviation industry has shown immense resilience these past 2 years, with governments and authorities around the world working together with the sector on new challenges like slashing carbon emissions and making new technology as safe as it can be.

The NAA network is a huge step forward in supporting this work – helping the sector safely meet the challenges of tomorrow and improve lives for the better.

Sir Stephen Hillier, chair of both the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the National Aviation Authority Network Governance group said:

This is both an exciting and a challenging time for the global aviation sector, and regulators must move quickly to build greater resilience, keep pace with rapid innovation, and work together to reduce carbon emissions.

The NAA Network helps us strengthen collaborative approaches to common challenges and to share best practice and regulatory approaches.

We’re already doing timely and important work together within the network and I very much look forward to continuing to work closely with my colleagues in Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand to help advance global aviation.

Acting US Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Billy Nolen said:

We can only achieve the next era of aviation by working collaboratively with our international partners.

This network will help us with new aviation challenges, like bringing air taxis safely into operation and building a sustainable aviation system, and the FAA looks forward to working together.

The UK and its international partners will use the NAA network to respond quickly and flexibly to new issues and influence new regulation, finding ways to align approaches to address common challenges.

This group complements the various coordination mechanisms under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and remains committed to working within ICAO to support the global aviation system.

For example, NAA network regulators have already been sharing best practice on safety to help plan for future external shocks, meaning the sector will be better prepared to sustain operations in the event of a future shock on the scale of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The government has bold spaceflight ambitions that we outlined in the National Space Strategy that we published last September.

The UK has a thriving satellite manufacturing industry and we excel at providing satellite-based communications and high-end navigation services. The space sector directly employs 45,000 people in the UK and satellites support at least £360 billion of UK GDP.

However, the UK is currently reliant on other launch countries to put UK built and UK operated satellites into space – including those critical for our defence and security.

Through the Space Industry Act 2018 (the 2018 Act) and the Space Industry Regulations 2021 (the 2021 Regulations), we have established the regulatory framework and appointed the Civil Aviation Authority as the spaceflight regulator, to enable the licensing of spaceflight activities from UK spaceports.

Space based technologies provide fundamental services to the daily lives of everyone in this country – from supporting defence and security, enabling faster and more efficient travel, enabling our smart phones, the provision television services and receiving better weather forecasts.

Having a UK launch capability will generate and support many additional high skilled jobs up and down the country – and give UK greater control and increased options for getting our satellites into space that can provide benefits for all.

I have therefore today (19 July 2022) laid a departmental minute describing a new contingent liability that the Department for Transport plans to undertake in respect of future launch operator licences granted under the 2018 act.

The liability arises from a combination of the UK being a party to the United Nations Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects 1972, powers and obligations under the 2018 act to indemnify operators and those who sustain injury or damage in the United Kingdom as a result of spaceflight activities and limits placed on a launch operator’s liability by or under the 2018 act and the 2021 regulations.

The circumstances giving rise to the contingent liability are fully explained in the departmental minute.

A potential contingent liability will be created each time a launch activity is conducted under the 2018 act. The liability is unquantifiable – but we anticipate that the likelihood of any liability arising above an operator’s liability limit to be very low.

The Department for Transport will keep Parliament informed of the specific indemnities entered into under this notification by reporting on them in our annual report and accounts which are laid before Parliament.

HM Treasury has approved the contingent liability in principle.

If, during the period of 14 parliamentary sitting days beginning on the date on which this minute was laid before Parliament, a member signifies an objection by giving notice of a parliamentary question or by otherwise raising the matter in Parliament, final approval to proceed with incurring the liability will be withheld pending an examination of the objection.

The action I have taken today is another step towards achieving the first small satellite launch from Europe this year. It reaffirms this government’s bold commitment to establishing the UK as one of the most attractive and innovative space economies in the world and the leading provider of commercial small satellite launch in Europe.

The government has bold spaceflight ambitions that we outlined in the National Space Strategy that we published last September.

The UK has a thriving satellite manufacturing industry and we excel at providing satellite-based communications and high-end navigation services. The space sector directly employs 45,000 people in the UK and satellites support at least £360 billion of UK GDP.

However, the UK is currently reliant on other launch countries to put UK built and UK operated satellites into space – including those critical for our defence and security.

Through the Space Industry Act 2018 (the 2018 Act) and the Space Industry Regulations 2021 (the 2021 Regulations), we have established the regulatory framework and appointed the Civil Aviation Authority as the spaceflight regulator, to enable the licensing of spaceflight activities from UK spaceports.

Space based technologies provide fundamental services to the daily lives of everyone in this country – from supporting defence and security, enabling faster and more efficient travel, enabling our smart phones, the provision television services and receiving better weather forecasts.

Having a UK launch capability will generate and support many additional high skilled jobs up and down the country – and give UK greater control and increased options for getting our satellites into space that can provide benefits for all.

I have therefore today (19 July 2022) laid a departmental minute describing a new contingent liability that the Department for Transport plans to undertake in respect of future launch operator licences granted under the 2018 act.

The liability arises from a combination of the UK being a party to the United Nations Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects 1972, powers and obligations under the 2018 act to indemnify operators and those who sustain injury or damage in the United Kingdom as a result of spaceflight activities and limits placed on a launch operator’s liability by or under the 2018 act and the 2021 regulations.

The circumstances giving rise to the contingent liability are fully explained in the departmental minute.

A potential contingent liability will be created each time a launch activity is conducted under the 2018 act. The liability is unquantifiable – but we anticipate that the likelihood of any liability arising above an operator’s liability limit to be very low.

The Department for Transport will keep Parliament informed of the specific indemnities entered into under this notification by reporting on them in our annual report and accounts which are laid before Parliament.

HM Treasury has approved the contingent liability in principle.

If, during the period of 14 parliamentary sitting days beginning on the date on which this minute was laid before Parliament, a member signifies an objection by giving notice of a parliamentary question or by otherwise raising the matter in Parliament, final approval to proceed with incurring the liability will be withheld pending an examination of the objection.

The action I have taken today is another step towards achieving the first small satellite launch from Europe this year. It reaffirms this government’s bold commitment to establishing the UK as one of the most attractive and innovative space economies in the world and the leading provider of commercial small satellite launch in Europe.

New figures published today (19 July), show the growing impact of the Government’s revolutionary National Tutoring Programme, with almost 1.8 million courses started so far this year across an estimated 80% of schools.

With almost 600,000 course starts in the last two months alone, the boost in tutoring means the programme has now reached just under 2.1 million courses in total, transforming the way young people receive targeted support in school.

The Government set a target of two million courses for this academic year. Final data will be published by the end of the year, with numbers expected to continue growing over the summer.

The 1.8 million courses, started between 1 September 2021 and 26 June 2022, demonstrate the huge value of the programme and the resilience of schools, teachers and young people, in the context of disruption to pupil and staff attendance over the winter, amidst the Omicron wave.

Developed as part of the Government’s ambitious Covid recovery plan, the National Tutoring Programme is supporting pupils across England to get back on track following the disruption caused by the pandemic. It forms part of the Schools White Paper pledge to offer high-quality support to any child that falls behind in English and maths.

Today’s figures also reveal that an estimated 80% of schools are now participating in the programme, highlighting a 14pp increase in take-up since May 2022. The data also highlight the continued success of school-led tutoring, which now accounts for over three quarters of all courses started.

The Department has today announced the appointment of three new delivery partners: Tribal Group, Education Development Trust, and Cognition Education, reflecting the programme’s new operating model for next year which will see funding go directly to schools, making it easier than ever before for pupils to access tutoring sessions. This will replace the previous model, in which Randstad acted as the sole contractor of the programme.

School’s Minister, Will Quince, said:

The National Tutoring Programme is helping to level up opportunities for millions of children across England and these latest figures are further evidence of the programme revolutionising the support available to the children who need it most.

I am determined to provide every pupil with the opportunity to reach their full potential and look forward to working with Tribal Group, Education Development Trust, and Cognition Education to continue growing this vital programme and ensure even more children can benefit from the high-quality tutoring we know makes such a difference.

In total, 1,433,793 courses have been started through the school-led tutoring route this academic year, with a further 200,835 through Tuition Partners, and 147,318 through Academic Mentors.

As schools this week receive confirmation of their funding for the next academic year, with allocations totalling £349 million, the three new organisations that will support the delivery of high-quality tutoring over the next two years have been announced:

• Tribal Group will support schools by quality assuring Tuition Partners. This will ensure schools can have confidence in the quality of tutoring provided by Tuition Partners that are involved in the programme.
• Cognition Education will recruit well-qualified people to work as academic mentors and deploy them to schools that are most in need of additional tutoring resource.
• Education Development Trust will provide high-quality training for new tutors, which will ensure that all tutors employed in schools have the right skills and knowledge for the role.

Kathryn Harris-Gurner, Head of Operations, Tribal Group, said:

We are delighted to be playing a part in the next phase of the National Tutoring Programme. The Government’s investment in tutoring has the potential to be transformational for all schools, but in particular those serving pupils from the poorest backgrounds.

Building on what has already been learned in the first two years of the NTP, we will be working closely with school leaders, the tutoring sector and the DfE to put in place a new system for selecting and monitoring Tuition Partners, which ensures high standards across the country.

Tina Lucas, CEO, Cognition Learning Group, said:

We are extremely pleased to have been awarded the contract to support the National Tutoring Programme. As a company dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people through learning, we are proud to be selected to support schools with access to high quality Academic Mentors as they seek to address the challenges faced by many our most disadvantaged pupils as a result of pandemic disruptions to their education.

Yalinie Vigneswaran, Programme Director, Education Development Trust, said:

The national catch-up programme is a vital initiative and Education Development Trust is delighted to be carrying on our involvement in ensuring the damage wrought by the pandemic does not undermine school pupils’ life chances.

“The National Tutoring Programme is making a real difference to outcomes for young people across the country. We are excited to continue bringing our decades of experience and expertise to this work.”

Today’s statistics also highlight the continued success of the programme in areas like the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and West Midlands, meaning that the programme is reaching some of the most disadvantaged children in the country.

Data published earlier this year indicates that primary pupils have already recovered around two thirds of progress lost due to the pandemic in reading, and around half of progress lost in maths.

A £5 billion investment into education recovery will continue to help children and young people to recover from the impact of the pandemic, ensuring that no matter where a child lives or what their ability might be, each will be supported to thrive. It will continue to play an important role in supporting the government’s Levelling Up mission for education, for 90% of primary school children to achieve the expected standard in Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths by 2030.

Schools are encouraged to continue using the programme as part of any summer provision they are running.