§ Mr. WoolasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish the Government's reply to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report into aviation safety published on 21 July. [101123]
§ Mr. MullinThe Government have laid before the House today a Command Paper—4539—which is a consolidated response on behalf of the Government and of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's Fourteenth Report, titled "Aviation Safety", published on 21 July 1999.
133WThe Government welcome the "Aviation Safety" report, which covered a wide-ranging and detailed examination of aviation safety issues by the Committee. We note that the evidence the Committee received showed that the United Kingdom has an excellent safety record, particularly in the commercial aviation sector. The Committee seeks reassurance that all necessary steps are being taken to maintain that record in the face of the challenges presented by a dynamic and growing industry, in which the UK is a world leader. The Government and the CAA agree that the current high standard of aviation safety in the United Kingdom must be maintained and, where possible, improved. We fully recognise that aviation safety requires constant vigilance by regulators and the regulated alike.
The Committee makes 29 recommendations, some to the Government, some to the CAA, and others to both. Both we and the CAA have considered the recommendations fully and carefully and they are dealt with in turn, and in detail, in the Command Paper.