Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases the Civil Aviation Authority referred for criminal prosecution for illegal flights since the Piper PA-46 Malibu crash on 21 January.

The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so, but enforcement action will vary depending on the circumstances of the incident. It may include educating individuals or organisations on the regulations to avoid breaches, a formal warning, the revocation of licences, approvals or certificates, and/ or criminal investigations and prosecutions.

The CAA has not referred any such cases for criminal prosecution since 1 January 2015, however earlier this year, they assisted with the prosecution of an individual in the Manchester Crown Court for, among other things, illegal public transport.