§ Lembit ÖpikTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuance of unofficial safeguarding arrangements for(a) gliding sites and (b) other licensed and unlicensed aerodromes provided for in paragraph 9 of the annexe to Circular 2/92; and if he will make a statement; [52870]
(2) what progress his Department has made on the revision of Circular 2/92; and if he will make a statement. [52869]
§ Mr. JamiesonMy Department carried out a public consultation last year on a proposal to revise Department of the Environment Circular 2/92 on the official safeguarding of aerodromes, technical sites and military explosives storage areas. Following the end of the public consultation period, and discussions with the main stakeholders. my Department last month issued for further comment by those stakeholders a second draft of a revised Circular. In doing so the Department has reinstated the recommendation contained in the 1992 Circular, to operators of smaller aerodromes and of sites for other aviation activities, such as gliding or parachuting, to lodge an 'unofficial' safeguarding map with local planning authorities, together with the offer by the Civil Aviation Authority of advice on a format for such maps.
§ Lembit ÖpikTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made on a safeguarding publication to be issued by the Civil Aviation Authority concerning the operators of unlicensed aerodromes and gliding sites; and if he will make a statement. [52871]
§ Mr. JamiesonI understand from the Civil Aviation Authority that it has undertaken to publish guidance on aerodrome safeguarding for all aerodrome operators. A complete draft of the guidance is at present being considered by an industry working group, and the intention is that the final version will be available to complement the proposed new Departmental Circular to local authorities on safeguarding consultation requirements. Notwithstanding the proposed changes to those requirements, and the proposed publication of guidance, the Civil Aviation Authority will maintain its own safeguarding expertise and will continue to provide advice to aerodrome operators as the need arises.