New Clause 8 - Duty to report on the transfer of powers from the CAA to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
Civil Aviation Bill
10:00 am
Julian Brazier (Shadow Minister, Transport; Canterbury, Conservative)
I am really not satisfied with that answer. The amendment was a probing measure and the requirement for reports a device. Let me make three points. The Minister referred to scrutiny. I did not mention scrutiny at all; that is not the issue. The issue is what happens in reality. Politicians on committees asking questions are not going to save lives on aeroplanes that are unsafe. What saves lives on aeroplanes is competent technicians examining them.
The second point concerns the Minister’s response to the main thrust of my speech, in which she said that manpower planning is ongoing, and that the CAA is assisting in close liaison. My informal information from the CAA is that it does not enjoy the same level of confidence as the Minister about that. It is not a matter of whether it is early days; if those people find well paid jobs elsewhere, they cannot be got back. There is a relatively small number of them in the European aviation industry, most of whom are English and French and do not want to live in Cologne. They are drifting away. It is difficult for the CAA to employ new people, so the fact is that there is a manpower problem. Manpower planning will help, but the numbers are not being addressed and the problem is developing fast.
My third and last point is that the Minister did not make a strong case for the transfer of powers, but suggested in a sentence or two that it is still early days and that we are still finding our way around after only a couple of years. The fact is that the French found their way around on day one; there was no problem with Mr. Lindstrand’s French competitor, which was certified immediately.
The French have found the transitional path; we have not. For that reason, I intend to press the new clause to a vote, although I am quite willing to accept that it is purely a protest in calling for a report.