§ Lord GainfordMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. I declare an interest as president of the Air Safety Group.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what stage deliberations have reached within the European Commission and within the Joint Aviation Authorities on flight time limitations.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for the Environment and Transport (Baroness Hayman)My Lords, noble Lords will be aware that the Joint Aviation Authorities have developed a flight time limitations scheme. However, in early 1995 pressure arose from the European Commission and some member states to consider further the proposals in that scheme. The Commission subsequently formed a task force in August of last year. That task force has met a number of times. Organisations representing both airlines and crews were asked to submit proposals to the task force for discussion by May. The Commission has been asked to brief the European Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Kinnock, on progress in June.
§ Lord GainfordMy Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply. Bearing in mind that in this country we have the Civil Aviation Authority, in what circumstances is it possible for that authority to act unilaterally should it be thought to be more effective than the Joint Aviation Authorities?
§ Baroness HaymanMy Lords, at the moment the Civil Aviation Authority is the body within the United Kingdom with responsibility for safeguarding safety standards in this area. That position will continue. It is in the interests of passengers that there are widespread high levels of safety, but the position of this country has been and will remain that it will not compromise the safety standards already in place here under international agreements.
§ Viscount GoschenMy Lords, does the Minister agree that there may be substantial benefits to the 256 travelling public from harmonised flight time limitation standards provided those standards are high enough? What role does the Minister foresee for the European Commission in any future European safety authority?
§ Baroness HaymanMy Lords, I very much agree with the noble Viscount's first point. I believe that it is important to understand that agreements like those negotiated by the JAA must be dealt with through the EU procedures in order to have force and a legislative framework both in this country and internationally.