Have your say on the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill

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Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill [Lords] Bill 2019-21, which is currently passing through Parliament?

If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration.

The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee will be on Tuesday 9 February and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 23 February 2021. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 23 February 2021. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Introduction

The Bill seeks to enable the Government to modernise airspace management and air traffic licensing, and to introduce new powers to tackle the unlawful use of unmanned aircraft or ‘drones’.

Part 1: Airspace management

A programme of airspace modernisation is underway to redesign the UK’s flightpaths. The aims of this are to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys. It will also deliver more capacity. This modernisation programme is being led by industry with support from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and from Government. However, participation is currently on a voluntary basis. Neither the Government nor the CAA currently have powers to guarantee that airspace change is taken forward.

Clauses 1-8, together with schedules 1 and 2, would introduce new powers for the Secretary of State to direct airports and other entities with functions relating to air navigation to take forward airspace change proposals.

Part 2: Air traffic licensing

In 2016, the Government published a consultation on Modernising the Licensing Framework for Air Traffic Services. This consultation noted that the current licencing framework governing the provision of air traffic services needed to be “modernised to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and continues to improve on the UK’s record on safety, satisfying demand and resilience”.

Clauses 9-11, together with schedules 3-7, would amend the Transport Act 2000 to update the regulatory framework governing the licensing of air traffic services.

Clause 12, a Government-tabled amendment at Report Stage in the Lords, would provide temporary powers to amend the retained EU law on airport slot allocation due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 80/20 or Use it or Lose it Rule is used to monitor compliance and determine whether airlines can retain their legacy slots. The European Commission has waived the rule for the summer and winter seasons in 2020-21 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the UK Government wishes to make a similar waiver through the use of these temporary powers.

Part 3: Unmanned aircraft

The Government has welcomed the opportunities of unmanned aircraft (also known as drones) but recognises their safety risks. The risks were most visibly seen with the disruption at Gatwick Airport in December 2018, where the airport closed in response to several reports of drone sightings. There are also concerns around the use of drones to smuggle contraband into prisons.

Clauses 13-18, together with schedules 8-11, would expand the regulatory framework to address misuse of unmanned aircraft. The Bill would:

powers to police the misuse of unmanned aircraft, including to: (i) ground unmanned aircrafts; (ii) stop and search people and vehicles; (iii) to obtain a warrant to search property
provide for fixed penalties for certain offences relating to unmanned aircraft

Follow the progress of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft [Lords] Bill

The Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill [HL] 2019-21 has completed its stages in the House of Lords, where there has been qualified cross-party support for the principal aims of the Bill. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 28 January 2021. Second reading was held on 2 February 2021.

There will be no oral evidence sessions.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.

The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee will be Tuesday 9 February and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 23 February 2021. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 23 February 2021. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk.

Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here.