Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service will have on the ability of light aviation to make precision approaches to UK airports.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government’s assessment is that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) means that as of 25 June 2021, airspace users will not be able to benefit from “localizer performance with vertical guidance” (LPV) procedures which offer 3-dimensional precision approaches. Where promulgated, airspace users will continue to be able to use lateral navigation (LNAV) procedures which offer 2-dimensional non-precision approaches.
The Government continues to explore options for mitigating the loss of the LPV capability.
The UK Government did seek to retain the use of EGNOS, but it was not possible to reach a satisfactory settlement with the EU in the 24 December 2020 agreement.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of individuals under the age of 18 being employed in the role of a Covert Human Intelligence Source during the last complete calendar year for which such a record is available.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The most recent available data published by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner reported that 17 Juvenile CHIS authorisations were approved across 11 public authorities during the four-year period between January 2015 to the end of 2018.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedure allows them to implement changes to military air space which are requested by the Ministry of Defence to further peacetime operations.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK Flight Information Region airspace is neither specifically military or civilian. The Joint Air Navigation Services Council is responsible for the management of airspace and Air Traffic Service provision with a Joint and Integrated Approach between the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence.
These joint procedures are published in Civil Airspace Publication (CAP) 740 - UK Airspace Management Policy which is available on the Gov.uk website.
The practical policy guidance to enact an airspace change is published in CAP1616, again with the specific military stakeholder requirements considered throughout any change process.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what temporary tax relief they plan to give (1) airlines, and (2) airports, during the period in which their operations are limited to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The aviation sector is important to the UK economy, and firms can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and financial support for employees.
As Air Passenger Duty is paid on a per passenger basis, the recent decline in passenger demand will have resulted in a significant reduction in liability for airlines. HMRC are also ready to help businesses, including airlines and airports, in financial difficulty due to the coronavirus, through the Time to Pay Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they plan to give large airports which are forced to remain open as key national infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government recognises that airports are critical in enabling essential air services across the country and overseas, including getting Britons home from abroad, delivering essential supplies, and connecting isolated communities. We are working to make sure that a network of infrastructure remains in place across the UK to continue to deliver these services.
Measures announced by the Chancellor in recent days, including a scheme for firms to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills and financial support for employees, are available to the sector to draw upon during this period.
Ministers and officials at the DfT will continue to stay in close contact with the aviation sector, so that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments and understands where additional policy measures could address specific industry issues, and can therefore ensure UK nationals overseas are able to return home and that freight continues to flow in and out of the country
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to give to flying schools and clubs whose operations have been disrupted by measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The aviation industry, including General Aviation, is in an increasingly difficult financial position with significantly reduced demand.
A number of measures to support the industry have already been announced, including Time to Pay support with taxes, financial support for employees. and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF). The Government is working urgently to develop further measures, as necessary
HMRC is ready to provide guidance and support as appropriate to all businesses and self-employed individuals who are experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to Coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to temporarily defer the regulatory deadlines and charges on (1) airports, and (2) airlines, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working with airlines and airports to consider the use of established flexibility within the regulatory framework to help manage and mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. It has also decided to delay the implementation of its recently proposed charge increases for three months to assist the UK aviation industry.
More widely, the Government is urgently considering additional options to provide support to the UK aviation industry. A number of measures which could support the sector have already been announced, including Time to Pay, financial support for employees, and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).
We recognise that the current situation is increasingly difficult for the transport sector and, across Government, we are engaging with the sector’s leadership to support workers, businesses and passengers
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many thefts of aircraft (1) engines, and (2) avionics, have been reported to police over the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on offences of theft reported to and recorded by the police, but it is not possible to separately identify those involving theft of aircraft engines or avionics.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the sale of stolen aircraft parts.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government is clear that the theft of aircraft parts, and other forms of acquisitive crime should be reported to the police so that they can be investigated appropriately. To help ensure that the police have the resources they need to do so, we are recruiting 20,000 officers over the next three years. £45 million has already been committed in 2019/20 to start the recruitment process and a further £750 million will be invested in 2020/21 to enable forces across England and Wales to recruit 6,000 additional officers by the end of March 2021. In addition, the Crown Prosecution Service is receiving an extra £85 million to ensure the criminal justice system can support the work of these extra officers.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many occurrences of denied access to controlled airspace have been reported using form FCS1521 in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) received 16 reports of denied airspace access using its Form FCS 1521 during the 12-month period from 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2020.
The government is aware of the genuine concerns of the general aviation community around access to controlled airspace.
In October 2019 the government amended the Air Navigation Directions 2017. This requires the CAA to carry out a review of the classification of airspace to ensure the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum necessary to maintain a high standard of air safety and reflects the needs of all airspace users on an equitable basis.