The Department for Transport (DfT), working in collaboration with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has today (13 September 2021) announced its intention to create a new independent panel to strengthen transparency around decision-making and drive forward best practice regulatory processes at the CAA.

The panel will sit outside of the CAA and will be available to review complaints made by individuals about the process by which the CAA has made decisions that affect them. It will be open to individuals whose cases meet a certain threshold if they remain unsatisfied following the CAA’s internal two-stage complaints processes.

Eligible complaints will cover licensing and certification decisions, such as those following an airspace infringement or the decision to suspend a licence or endorsement to an instructor or examiner.

The panel will consider whether the CAA correctly followed its processes and procedures in arriving at a decision. It will have the power to remit the case back to the CAA where it investigates and considers the CAA has not done this.

An important aspect of the UK and international aviation safety system is that the regulatory authority has the responsibility for safety-related decisions. Therefore, the CAA will remain the ultimate decision-maker.

However, in the exceptional event that the CAA chooses not to reconsider a case process in light of a recommendation to do so from the panel, it will need to explain its rationale to the complainant, the panel and the Minister for Aviation.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts said:

Our world-leading safety standards and training are what sets us apart and this new panel will provide greater strength, clarity and assurance on decisions that affect individuals working in the aviation sector.

It’s thanks to the exemplary work of our Civil Aviation Authority that we have such highly regarded standards and this panel will help bolster our shared aims around open and effective decision-making.

The DfT is responsible for setting up and recruiting the new panel. It will be made up of people with expertise in investigative processes and procedures.

To ensure it is considered truly independent, panel members will not be expected to be aviation experts and will need to be independent of both the CAA and those individuals or sectors that have an interest in the decision.

Sir Stephen Hillier, Chair of the UK CAA, said:

We welcome plans to create an independent panel to review how the CAA has made decisions that affect individuals.

As the UK’s independent aviation safety regulator, we sometimes need to make tough decisions that can impact the livelihoods and interests of people across the aviation sector.

The expectation is that only a handful of cases will come before the panel following our internal processes, but having this independent channel available outside of the CAA is important.

We always strive to make decisions properly and with safety interests to the fore, but this additional layer of review will add more transparency and should build further trust between the CAA and those that we license.

The panel process will be open to eligible decisions taken after the formal establishment of the body. DfT will be publishing more details on the timescales for launching the panel, as well as the public appointment process in due course.

The new 24/7 worldwide service has been launched at the start of London International Shipping Week (13 September 2021), one of the most respected and valued maritime events in the world.

The new team will be responsible for boosting the nation’s maritime sector, by offering a proactive service to any maritime business that needs assistance with navigating government departments. The UK is a traditionally strong maritime nation, and the UK Shipping Concierge has been designed to ensure the nation is always able to deliver on this reputation by making it easier to set up a business, new or established, in the UK.

The service will connect owners and operators with the relevant government departments, UK trade associations and related maritime specialists, to ensure that they have access to the right expertise in an efficient and timely manner.

Benefits include:

• single point of contact for UK government departments and services
• providing strategic account management for relationships with government department experts, ship owners, operators, managers and maritime sub-sector leaders
• facilitating an accessible link between maritime industry and government
• identifying and removing barriers to entry to UK for the maritime sector and advising government on how to advance policy informed by commercial, social and environmental needs
• helping drive UK maritime prosperity to create jobs and grow the maritime economy
• providing the UK maritime sector with a government centre of expertise, continuously monitoring international propositions and recommending adjustments to the UK’s offer

It is one of the first on the market, designed to create a streamlined and personalised experience for international maritime businesses, and the new service will transform a once complex endeavour that involved multiple areas into a simple process dealing with one team.

Maritime Minister Robert Courts said:

The UK is the world’s best place to do maritime business. We’re investing in new technologies, committed to decarbonisation, and home to the world centre of ship management and maritime financial and legal services.

Our new UK Shipping Concierge service will help the maritime sector unlock more opportunities here in the UK by providing a one-stop-shop of advice, support, and guidance.

Strategic Lead for the UK Shipping Concierge Mark Seastron said:

It really is an exciting service to be launching in LISW, one we are proud to be shouting about.

The aim is to make it easier for shipping companies to gain access to the UK and it’s something those shipping operators have been asking about for a long time. It’s going to revolutionise what we offer as a maritime nation.

While delivering excellent customer service and a personalised experience are at the heart of the service’s aims, the UK Shipping Concierge will go a step further by providing corporate account management to ensure the UK is a place where maritime businesses can thrive.

It aligns with the UK government’s initiative to Build Back Better and will enable maritime businesses to benefit from this investment. The recommendation for the concierge service came from a report delivered by Maritime London at the last LISW.

To find the latest information and updates, visit:

Sign up to hear more about the new service at London International Shipping Week

Meet the new team at our launch event and find out how they can help your maritime business invest and thrive in the UK. This live event will be hosted online and includes a Q&A session where you’ll be able to ask questions of the concierge team.

Dates and times:

On 8 September 2021, at Sheffield Magistrates Court before District Judge Redhouse, the company was fined a total of £150,000 and ordered to pay £36,506.25 costs.

Yorkshire Water Service Limited pleaded guilty to 2 charges at an earlier hearing. The charges were causing sewage sludge to enter a tributary of the Mother Drain and breach of permit condition relating to ammoniacal nitrogen levels in their final treated sewage effluent.

Representing the Environment Agency, Rebecca Chalkley told the court that Yorkshire Water Service Limited holds an environmental permit. The permit authorises water discharges from Balby Sewage Treatment Works under a number of strict conditions.

On March 28 2017, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reported that Mother Drain at the Potter Carr Nature Reserve, had become discoloured and smelt of chemicals. The site is of Special Scientific Interest.

Environment Agency officials attended and confirmed pollution of the Mother Drain. They saw small pieces of toilet paper floating in the water, which looked grey, and sample results confirmed high levels of ammoniacal nitrogen in the water.

Due to the severity of the pollution the Environment Agency requested the Internal Drainage Board to switch off a pump station used for land drainage. It was switched off to prevent polluted water passing downstream to the River Torne, they also instructed abstractors to cease abstracting water. This included Doncaster Golf Club.

Once the Environment Agency contacted Yorkshire Water Services Limited, they confirmed that there was an issue at Balby Sewage Treatment Works.

Officers attended Balby Sewage Treatment Works on March 29 2017 and took a sample of treated sewage effluent which contained ammoniacal nitrogen above the permitted maximum limit.

During the site visit Yorkshire Water Services Limited explained that a valve failure had led to a settlement tank on site draining sewage sludge. The sludge drained inside a building and onto surrounding ground.

Later, in an interview under caution, Yorkshire Water Services Limited explained that the valve failure happened on Monday 27 March 2017. But they did not contact the Environment Agency because they thought effluent was contained on site.

The company further added that electrical damage caused by the incident affected parts of the works and disrupted the biological treatment processes. This resulted in a deterioration of the treated sewage effluent quality.

In response to the incident Yorkshire Water Services Limited placed aeration equipment in the Mother Drain. The Environment Agency continued to investigate and monitor the effects of the pollution for over a week. There was no sign of dead or distressed fish.

In court, District Judge Redhouse found the culpability of Yorkshire Water Services Limited to be ‘high negligent’. Due to the fact the incident could have been avoided if there had been a drain survey at the site and if the valves had been checked.

She stated that whilst the general public may consider the actions reckless when applying common everyday language, in criminal legal terms it was negligent. She described it as “very negligent”.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

Water companies are aware that their activities have the potential for serious environmental impacts, and they know that we will take action when they cause pollution.

In this case Yorkshire Water has failed the environment, customers and the system of environmental laws the public puts its trust in.

Polluters must pay, the Environment Agency will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.

If anyone has environmental concerns they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800-80-70-60.

On or before 27 March 2017, at Balby Sewage Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water Services Limited did cause a water discharge activity in that sewage sludge entered a tributary of Mother Drain contrary to Regulation 12(1) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.

On 29 March 2017 at Balby Sewage Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water Services Limited did breach condition 11 of environmental permit T/83/45405/R in that treated sewage effluent readings of ammoniacal nitrogen readings exceeded the maximum amount of 20mg/l of authorised by the said permit, contrary to Regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.