Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of Protector military drone flights on local people in and around the area covered by the Airspace Change Proposal initiated for RAF Waddington.

In developing its Air Change Proposal for the area around RAF Waddington, the MOD is following the CAP1616 process as mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with respect to any air space changes within the UK.

The CAP1616 process prescribes the information required by the CAA, including any potential impact on affected areas, and how stakeholder and public consultations are to take place.

The MOD expects to carry out a full consultation with communities within any potentially affected areas later this year. This will provide an opportunity for the public to understand any potential impact and offer their views on the proposal.