§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Trade why he proposes to reverse the legislation which obliged civil aircraft to be maintained and approved by Government-licensed engineers in favour of the work being done by employees of airlines.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisAmendments to the Regulations concerning the maintenance of aircraft were included in the Air Navigation (Fifth Amendment) Order 1976, which was considered in Standing Com-678W mittee on 16h June and came into operation on 1st July. They were made on the recommendation of the Civil Aviation Authority, which is responsible for aircraft maintenance standards. The authority advised that, because the maintenance of large and complex aircraft is now essentially a team effort at shop-floor level, supported and guided by the many specialised technical services of the operator or maintenance contractor, it has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for any individual licensed engineer to have either sufficiently wide knowledge or sufficient control over such services in order to make meaningful maintenance certifications of such aircraft.
In the interests of safety, the amendments to the legislation were designed to ensure that the ultimate responsibility for the achievement of satisfactory maintenance standards and for the release of large aircraft for service after maintenance rests with the airline operator or his maintenance contractor. They have, of course, to be approved for this purpose by the authority.