Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of to Question 176575 on Aviation: Immigration Controls, what were the UK regional differences in the submission of General Aviation Reports for (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Home Office records show that approximately 87,975 General Aviation Reports (GARs) have been submitted in the UK in 2022.
England – 80,553
Scotland – 4,512
Wales – 1,639
Northern Ireland – 1,271
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last reviewed the criteria under which general aviation reports are required.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office was consulted by HM Revenue and Customs about the requirement for the submission of General Aviation Reports for aircraft arriving in or departing from Great Britain or Northern Ireland prior to the Commissioners of Revenue and Customs making the Passenger Information Directions on 1 April 2022.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many general aviation reports were submitted in each region in 2022.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Home Office records show that approximately 87,975 General Aviation Reports (GARs) have been submitted nationally in 2022.
North Region -14,593
Central Region - 28,362
Heathrow Region - 23,950
South Region - 20,093
South-East Region - 977
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of waiting times at Heathrow Airport on passengers; and what discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the steps being taken to reduce waiting times at that airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It is the responsibility of industry to manage demand, recruit and roster staff. The Aviation Minister and DfT officials continue to engage with the sector, including Heathrow to gain assurances on their operational planning and performance.
For Heathrow, this includes their planning for industrial action that coincides with the Easter period. At peak periods, passengers should be prepared that airports will be busier and should follow all advice from their airline and the airport. The Aviation Passenger Charter, published last year, makes clear the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of the sector.
On 27 March the CEO of the CAA Richard Moriarty and Director General for Aviation, Maritime and Security, Rannia Leontaridi jointly wrote to CEOs across the aviation sector to set out expectations ahead of the Summer 2023 season.
Under the CAA’s economic regulation of Heathrow, the airport is required to measure its security queues against targets of 95% of queues below 5 minutes and 99% below 10 minutes. The performance can be tracked via Heathrow’s website.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card in August 2021, for how many (a) individuals and (b) nights accommodation was purchased at The Plaza Tirana on 26 August 2021; and what the purpose was for that stay at that hotel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The purpose of the visit was for the UK Director General for Civil Aviation and another senior member of the DFT International Aviation team to attend the 70th Special Meeting of European Civil Aviation Conference Directors General of Civil Aviation. They stayed for three nights in the designated conference hotel, in line with normal practice.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the transparency data entitled DfT's spending over £500 for August 2021, published on 30 December 2021, for which individuals accommodation was purchased at the Plaza Tirana on 26 August 2021; for how many nights that accommodation was purchased; and what the purpose was for those stays at that hotel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Accommodation was purchased for three nights (25th August-28th August 2021).
The purpose of the visit was for Rannia Leontaridi (UK Director General for Civil Aviation) and Rebecca Lambert (member of the International Aviation team), to attend the 70th Special Meeting of European Civil Aviation Conference Directors General of Civil Aviation.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much their Department has spent on air travel for (a) Ministers and (b) officials in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The table below sets out the amounts the Attorney General’s Office spent on air travel per financial year.
2020-21 | 0.00 |
2021-22 | £110.98 |
2022-23 | £2,391.36 |
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) number and (b) dates of times ministers in his Department have met with officials at the RMT union since 13 May 2022.
Answered by Wendy Morton
There have be no meetings between ministers and officials at the RMT union to discuss rail matters since 13 May 2022. The Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security met with industry stakeholders, including the RMT, to discuss the seafarer protection nine-point plan on 9 June.
The rail disputes are between individual employers and the trade unions and it would not be prudent for Government to intervene in this relationship. We encourage meaningful discussions and for the trade unions to return to the negotiating table in order to end these rail strikes which impact businesses, users and the general public.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that potential reforms to flight compensation regulations do not result in a lower level of compensation for customers.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation explored a range or reforms to protect consumers whilst ensuring fairness for both consumers and businesses. It included proposals for new and extended compensation for customers, such as for mobility aid damage and for delays to domestic flights of less than 3 hours. The consultation has now closed, and we have received responses from across industry, consumer groups and the general public. We are now conducting a comprehensive review and analysis of the responses and will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the remit of the Airfield Advisory Team within the Department for Transport; how many staff work as part of that team; and what budget has been allocated to their work.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Airfield Advisory Team (AAT) are a team within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and were set up to provide independent non-regulatory advice and support to General Aviation airfields on a range of matters affecting their operations. The team is currently comprised of 2 personnel.
The annual budget for the AAT in Financial Year 21/22 is £375,000. This funding is made available by the DfT under sections 12 and 16 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, which permits the department to provide the CAA funding for specific activities.
GA Airfields are the critical infrastructure which supports all aviation activity in the UK by developing a skilled workforce, the safety processes to support the entire industry, and can offer the potential as a test bed for new technology before its adoption by the commercial sector.
The GA sector including its airfields contributes around £4bn to the economy and supports around 40,000 jobs, most of which are STEM roles.