Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL]

Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe Excerpts

2nd reading
Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Lab)]

My Lords, I concur with the statements of the noble Baronesses, Lady Grey-Thompson and Lady Ramsey, and the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, re access. Does my noble friend the Minister agree with me that disabled air passengers and air passengers with conditions which restrict their mobility should be enabled to travel independently if they so wish? Currently, it is total assisted travel—having to arrive early at airports, not being able to use lounges to work—or absolutely nothing. I have personal experience of being left in what can only be described as holding pens in airports, once being given colouring pencils when I was on my way to Strasbourg to declare an EU-wide climate emergency. I wish, however, to thank OCS assistance staff in the UK, who are kind and resilient.

Disabled passengers deserve equality of dignity. Will the consumer protection powers in the Bill significantly apply to airports and the rights of disabled passengers when flying? Time and again, when coming from the European Parliament to Manchester Airport, I was met with broken-down lifts and escalators, with no advance warning, leaving me stranded. Can my noble friend say whether there is scope for secondary legislation relating to both airlines and airports?

This is not widely known, but I discovered it: most airline staff will not assist with placing hand luggage in overhead compartments on planes, resulting in disabled passengers having to check in even hand luggage in advance or depend on the kindness of strangers. This is stressful and unequal. What measures are there to ensure better protections for air passenger rights, including those of vulnerable groups such as disabled passengers?

I also have a Michael O’Leary story—and this is true. The noble Baroness, Lady Foster, and I served on the transport committee in the European Parliament. Michael O’Leary asked for a meeting with the then chair, Brian Simpson. Brian, with his colleagues and his civil servants, asked Michael O’Leary and his staff if they would like a coffee, to which the response came back, “Yes”. Bearing in mind that this was over a decade ago, the chair of the EP transport committee then said, “That will be €3, please”.

What are the powers to amend or create air passenger rights regulations? Will the needs of deaf, blind and visually impaired passengers who wish to travel independently be met? What provision is there for disabled passengers to escalate complaints when needed? Too many disabled passengers are left on planes—the BBC’s Frank Gardner is a case in point, as noble Baronesses have already said. People disembark to find their electric wheelchairs damaged; how will the Bill improve this? Will it give powers to issue direct penalties when an airline or an airport breaches its legal obligations to disabled and less mobile passengers?

The most recent Civil Aviation Authority consumer survey illustrates that, while passenger satisfaction has improved overall, disabled passengers, people who struggle with digital services, and those under financial pressure report lower levels of satisfaction. The most common reasons for dissatisfaction include overcrowding and problems with accessibility. Assistance is required by passengers with pan-impairments, including visible, non-visible, physical and non-physical challenges, neurodivergence and health conditions.

The CAA has taken court action in only one case relating to air passenger rights. That took nearly four years to reach a final judgment, leaving passengers out of pocket and without recourse throughout that period. Can my noble friend the Minister say how this Bill, which I warmly welcome, will improve this?

Self-driving Vehicles: Disabled Passengers

Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The noble Baroness knows that we consider the implications of transport for people with disabilities extraordinarily seriously. Whatever individual providers have said—and some of them have said something following the recent announcement by the Secretary of State—it will still be up to the Secretary of State to grant permission, under the conditions I described. For taxis and private hire vehicles, they will need local authority consent and, of course, that will all be subject to the public sector equality duty.

I think the noble Baroness is assuming that all these services will be provided by newly designed vehicles, when in fact the likelihood is that, in the very short term, they will be the same sort of vehicles used for taxi and PHV services. In the medium term, clearly there will be new designs, and there are already some that are suitable for wheelchairs and people with disabilities. We have to acknowledge that automated vehicles are part of an exciting future, but they have to be implemented safely, and she is right that they have to be implemented to benefit all parts of the community.

[Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Lab)]

My Lords, what provision will there be for disabled passengers in all HMG’s transport plans?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question. The Government are consulting on an integrated transport policy, which will of course include provision for disabled people. In the various modes of transport, there is extensive work going on in all cases to accommodate disabled people as fully as we can in the provision of public services going forward. Some of them are more difficult than others. The railway is 200 years old this year—some of its facilities are equally old—but the Government are striving to achieve what my noble friend looks for.