Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of underwriting or otherwise guaranteeing the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service Safety-of-Life Service to enable its use for domestic aviation purposes; what plans they have to implement such an arrangement to restore localiser performance with vertical guidance approach capability in the UK; and what is their estimate of the cost and timeframe for doing so.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) programme the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) terminated the EGNOS working agreements with aerodromes, resulting in the UK’s access to an assured EGNOS Safety of Life (SoL) service provision being terminated. Whilst the signal in space is still available and receivable, the signal should no longer be used as a SoL service. It should be noted that flights that are taking place continue to do so safely, following alternative Civil Aviation Authority approved procedures.
The Government is still considering options for UK access to a satellite-based augmentation system, following our withdrawal from the EU's EGNOS system. This work is continuing and no decision has yet been made.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial contribution the EU requested for the UK to continue to access to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service Safety of Life service; how the request compared with the UK’s previous contributions; how they assessed value for money in view of its impact on aviation; and what plans they have to renegotiate access to this service.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK sought to negotiate a service access agreement on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) with the EU. However, the EU required participation in the programme along with the full associated costs of participation, as per previous years, for continued access to the EGNOS Safety of Life service. For all programmes under consideration, the Government was clear it would only participate where the terms were in the UK’s interests, and in this case, it was not considered value for money.
Officials in the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have been working with the aviation sector on understanding the impact and ensuring any available mitigations are put in place. The UK is also developing a national strategy for resilient position, navigation and timing through a dedicated programme of work which will consider the aviation sectors’ needs and requirements.
The negotiations on EGNOS concluded in December and given the clear position from the EU, there are no plans to reopen discussions on this matter.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain access to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK no longer participates in the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) programme.
The UK sought continued access to EGNOS services through the UK-EU trade negotiations. However, an agreement could not be reached as the EU demanded a significant financial contribution to secure those services.
Despite not being able to reach an agreement, we expect that UK users will continue to be able to utilise the freely available EGNOS Open Service, which is used for a range of different applications, including precision agriculture and personal navigation.
The UK is exploring alternatives to fulfil its needs for secure and resilient position, navigation and timing information through a dedicated programme of work led by the UK Space Agency.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service will have on the ability of light aviation to make precision approaches to UK airports.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government’s assessment is that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) means that as of 25 June 2021, airspace users will not be able to benefit from “localizer performance with vertical guidance” (LPV) procedures which offer 3-dimensional precision approaches. Where promulgated, airspace users will continue to be able to use lateral navigation (LNAV) procedures which offer 2-dimensional non-precision approaches.
The Government continues to explore options for mitigating the loss of the LPV capability.
The UK Government did seek to retain the use of EGNOS, but it was not possible to reach a satisfactory settlement with the EU in the 24 December 2020 agreement.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of individuals under the age of 18 being employed in the role of a Covert Human Intelligence Source during the last complete calendar year for which such a record is available.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The most recent available data published by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner reported that 17 Juvenile CHIS authorisations were approved across 11 public authorities during the four-year period between January 2015 to the end of 2018.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedure allows them to implement changes to military air space which are requested by the Ministry of Defence to further peacetime operations.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK Flight Information Region airspace is neither specifically military or civilian. The Joint Air Navigation Services Council is responsible for the management of airspace and Air Traffic Service provision with a Joint and Integrated Approach between the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence.
These joint procedures are published in Civil Airspace Publication (CAP) 740 - UK Airspace Management Policy which is available on the Gov.uk website.
The practical policy guidance to enact an airspace change is published in CAP1616, again with the specific military stakeholder requirements considered throughout any change process.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what temporary tax relief they plan to give (1) airlines, and (2) airports, during the period in which their operations are limited to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The aviation sector is important to the UK economy, and firms can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and financial support for employees.
As Air Passenger Duty is paid on a per passenger basis, the recent decline in passenger demand will have resulted in a significant reduction in liability for airlines. HMRC are also ready to help businesses, including airlines and airports, in financial difficulty due to the coronavirus, through the Time to Pay Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they plan to give large airports which are forced to remain open as key national infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government recognises that airports are critical in enabling essential air services across the country and overseas, including getting Britons home from abroad, delivering essential supplies, and connecting isolated communities. We are working to make sure that a network of infrastructure remains in place across the UK to continue to deliver these services.
Measures announced by the Chancellor in recent days, including a scheme for firms to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills and financial support for employees, are available to the sector to draw upon during this period.
Ministers and officials at the DfT will continue to stay in close contact with the aviation sector, so that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments and understands where additional policy measures could address specific industry issues, and can therefore ensure UK nationals overseas are able to return home and that freight continues to flow in and out of the country
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to give to flying schools and clubs whose operations have been disrupted by measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The aviation industry, including General Aviation, is in an increasingly difficult financial position with significantly reduced demand.
A number of measures to support the industry have already been announced, including Time to Pay support with taxes, financial support for employees. and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF). The Government is working urgently to develop further measures, as necessary
HMRC is ready to provide guidance and support as appropriate to all businesses and self-employed individuals who are experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to Coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to temporarily defer the regulatory deadlines and charges on (1) airports, and (2) airlines, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working with airlines and airports to consider the use of established flexibility within the regulatory framework to help manage and mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. It has also decided to delay the implementation of its recently proposed charge increases for three months to assist the UK aviation industry.
More widely, the Government is urgently considering additional options to provide support to the UK aviation industry. A number of measures which could support the sector have already been announced, including Time to Pay, financial support for employees, and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).
We recognise that the current situation is increasingly difficult for the transport sector and, across Government, we are engaging with the sector’s leadership to support workers, businesses and passengers