Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are recruiting a Head of Aviation EU Exit Negotiations to be responsible for the "overall negotiating position on aviation” while “establishing, leading and managing the core aviation negotiating team” two years after the UK decided to leave the EU; when the successful candidate is expected to be announced and to start work; and what it is hoped they will achieve in the final months of negotiations in the aviation sector.

The Department for Transport has, and has had for the past two years, sufficient resource and the relevant expertise dedicated to working on aviation EU Exit issues.

We are now responsibly looking to supplement this team with some additional posts to maintain that sufficiency, as the workload is likely to increase in a particular area, owing to the forthcoming start of the formal Future Economic Partnership negotiations. Our EU Exit plans are expansive and well developed; we will be well placed to deliver a successful aviation outcome for the UK from the negotiations.