Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of altering the legislation to enable the Civil Aviation Authority to allow drones to be operated out of the line of sight by the (a) police and (b) armed forces.

Legislation already allows for police to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) when certain conditions are met. Additionally, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are considering developing a regulatory framework to support police drone use, and the Department for Transport will consider any recommendations they have, including whether any changes to legislation are appropriate.

The armed forces’ use of drones is a matter for the Ministry of Defence to comment on, as it is outside of the remit of civil aviation.