Recommendation 27

HM Government Acknowledged

The Government partially accepts these recommendations. On the timely processing of checks, UKSV (UK Security Vetting) has prioritised applications for national security vetting from the aviation sector. The delays that have been raised by industry are in relation to reference checks for previous employers, and form part of the background checks which are carried out by the aviation industry themselves. Government has put in place measures to ease the burden for industry of carrying out these checks. On 29 April 2022, Ministers introduced a Statutory Instrument to amend retained law on background checks which gives them more power to make changes. This came into effect on 30 April 2022. After a careful consideration and assessment of the risk, to ensure security standards are not compromised by any adjustments made to security measures Ministers have decided to temporarily allow some training courses to proceed before referencing checks from previous employers have been completed. Industry was notified of the training modules that could be delivered under these circumstances on 3 May. There are no ratios in regulation pertaining to trainees and supervisors, although we do expect industry to have adequate supervision in place. This is an important aspect of ensuring staff are supported to perform their role to the right standard. We have explored with industry other ratios on escorting. A temporary alleviation came into effect on 8 April 2022 which allows one full airport pass holder to escort six temporary employment pass holders. Previously the ratio had been one to three. HMRC already provide personal statements outlining employment status over the past 5 years at the request of an individual and will continue to do so. DfT Ministers have agreed that these HMRC employment history letters can be temporarily used as a suitable form of employment reference check alongside other appropriate security safeguards. The aviation industry is now making greater use of HMRC letters to meet the required background reference checks. The Department for Transport continues to work closely with Border Force to ensure resilience for the summer period. Together we have established a Joint Ministerial Group on Airport Borders to track progress while looking at future solutions for the border, which last met on 12 April. The Secretary of State and the Aviation Minister held an industry roundtable on 1 June with Aviation Industry leaders, including airports, airlines and ground handling companies to discuss the current disruption and determine actions needed to avoid disruption in the Summer. Following this meeting, the Department for Transport have requested airport CEOs to take a leading role in bringing together airlines, ground handlers that operate at their airports, along with Border Force and air traffic control to form Airport Partners Working Groups. These Airport Partners Working Groups will report into a newly formed weekly Strategic Risk Group, chaired by the Minister for Aviation. This Group will operate in parallel to the Summer Resilience Group, which Department for Transport established with Border Force ahead of May half term. This will enable close working with the industry ahead of the summer to ensure steps are being taken to de-risk the summer operation. On 21 June 2022, the Government took further action to support airlines in delivering a robust schedule over the summer and reduce the risk of delays and last-minute cancellations. The Government laid regulations before Parliament that will allow a one-off “amnesty” on airport slots, enabling airlines to plan and deliver a realistic summer schedule that minimises disruption at airports. This was provided as an exceptional measure while industry makes progress in recruiting the necessary staff. The Government has given airlines a short window from 25 June to 9 July to hand back slots for the rest of the summer season that they are not confident they will be able to operate. This will give passengers confidence in schedules and reduce the risk of the kind of last-minute cancellations seen over the Easter and half-term holidays. Air passenger rights are a key priority for the Government. We recently published the Flightpath to the Future strategy for aviation over the next ten years. Central to this strategy is putting consumers first, and recognising the importance of Government and the aviation sector working together to help rebuild consumer confidence following the pandemic. This close collaboration will be delivered through a new Aviation Council, which will bring together representatives from across Government, the Devolved Administrations and the sector to deliver commitments set out in the strategy. It will also have focused sub-groups to address key issues, such as rebuilding consumer confidence. As part of our commitment to consumers, earlier this year the Government also published a consultation which considers ways to boost air passenger rights. T