Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle the potential use of drones in terrorist attacks.

The Home Office is leading work across government to ensure a robust ap-proach to the illegal misuse of drones.

This includes developing policy over how counter-measures can be best used to respond to malicious and illegal drone use, and accelerating work with the security community and industry to test and evaluate counter-drone technologies. We are working closely with UK sectors at risk to determine how they can be best protected, reducing the likelihood and impact of malicious incidents.

To further strengthen our ability to tackle drone misuse, an Unmanned Aircraft Bill is currently being prepared which will give the police enhanced powers to enforce drone-related rules. From 30 November 2019 a registration requirement will also come into force for all operators of drones weighing 250 grams or more, as will a requirement for remote pilots of drones to take a competency test.

The Department for Transport has also extended the restriction zone around airports where the flying of drones is prohibited. The new zones, which came into force in March this year, cover an airport’s aerodrome traffic zone and 5km extensions from the end of runways. This builds on the government’s changes to the law last year, which made it illegal to fly a drone above 400 feet or within 1 km of an airport.