Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their reasons for abolishing the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise; what assessment they have made of its ability to demonstrate its worth during the COVID-19 pandemic; and, in any such assessment, whether they considered that more time may be needed for it to demonstrate its worth given the circumstances of the pandemic.

The independent review of the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN), commissioned by the Department, found that ICCAN’s functions were essential, but that other models of delivery could be considered to deliver the functions more effectively. The review took into account the circumstances of the pandemic.

Having considered other models, the Government has decided that the majority of ICCAN’s functions could be done more effectively by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In particular, the CAA’s wider environmental and airspace responsibilities make it a more natural fit to ensure that noise advice forms part of wider considerations.