Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
What recent discussions he has had with truck hauliers on the challenges facing that sector.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Transport Minister Baroness Vere and Employment Minister Mims Davies, Member for Mid Sussex, hosted a haulage industry roundtable on the driver shortage on 16 June.
This event follows a series of meetings between Government and industry regarding driver shortages, its impact on supply chains, and the work each can do to address this issue.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with West Dunbartonshire Council on the near collision between an unmanned drone and a passenger aircraft above Clydebank on 6 March 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
There is a process in place for reporting such incidents. The independent UK Airprox Board (UKAB) has a well-established and high reputation for investigating all airprox incidents effectively and to make safety recommendations which it believes are necessary. More information about this process can be found at the following link https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/Learn-more/The-Airprox-process/.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the near collision between an unmanned drone and a passenger aircraft above Clydebank on 6 March 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
There is a process in place for reporting such incidents. The independent UK Airprox Board (UKAB) has a well-established and high reputation for investigating all airprox incidents effectively and to make safety recommendations which it believes are necessary. More information about this process can be found at the following link https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/Learn-more/The-Airprox-process/.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidelines there are for the flying of unmanned drones in the proximity of airports.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Article 166 of the UK Air Navigation order 2009 (ANO) requires operators of small unmanned aircraft to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purposes of avoiding collisions. It also states that an operator may only fly the aircraft if they are reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.
In addition, Article 138 of the ANO 2009, which also applies to small unmanned aircraft, states that “a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property”. This includes persons within another aircraft, and of course the aircraft that those persons are within.
The Civil Aviation Authority issues CAP 722 which is guidance for operating drones in the UK.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the issue of resilience in the event of a drone collision with a passenger airline in Scottish airspace.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government hasn’t had any direct discussions with a Scottish Government on this issue. Commercial aircraft are already rigorously tested to withstand collisions with small objects, such as birds, but my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority are working with the aviation sector, including manufacturers, airports and airlines, to ensure our understanding of the potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. This activity is also helping to provide real life evidence of drone risks and the options for preventing collisions.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with airport operators on responding to incidents involving unmanned drones and aircraft.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with airline operators in response to incidents between unmanned drones and passenger airlines.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents involving unmanned drones and aircraft in the proximity of UK airports have been reported in each month in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The following table show the number of incidents involving unmanned drones that have been reported by pilots, air traffic control and the general public for each month since 2015. There is no specific data relating to incidents in the proximity of UK airports and very low levels of reporting prior to 2015. These figures should be viewed with the following caveats:
2015 | |
Jan | 2 |
Feb | 3 |
Mar | 2 |
Apr | 9 |
May | 5 |
Jun | 6 |
Jul | 11 |
Aug | 10 |
Sep | 12 |
Oct | 9 |
Nov | 6 |
Dec | 2 |
2016 | |
Jan | 4 |
Feb | 9 |
Mar | 31 |
Apr | 27 |
May | 25 |