Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of transferring the power to enforce airline breaches of UK Regulation 261 from the Civil Aviation Authority to the Competition and Markets Authority.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the United Kingdom’s specialist aviation regulator, is well placed to take enforcement action in relation to breaches of Regulation 261/2004. The Government is strengthening the CAA’s direct enforcement powers through the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, which is currently in the Commons.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concurrent powers with the CAA, and the two regulators work together closely to ensure the appropriate regulator acts within the specific circumstances.