§ Miss McintoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (1) measures are being taken to ensure that a continuous 24-hour service is available for the National Air Traffic Services' online safety information service; on how many occasions the service has been suspended, and for how long in each case; and what assessment he has made of the safety implications of United Kingdom pilots having to obtain safety information via alternative sources to the NATS online information service; [81927]
(2)if he will make it his policy that the maximum period of downtime on the NATS online information service be not more than 30 minutes in any three-month period; [81925]
(3)what assessment he has made of the implications the faults on the NATS online information service might have for pilots flying from airfields in North Yorkshire. [81926]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe setting of service standards for civil air traffic services in the UK is a matter for NATS in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority.
73WThe CAA recognise that some users have experienced problems receiving NOT AM information from the Web-based system over the past three months, however the information has always been available by telephone from the UK AIS Office.
NATS do not have a precise record of the numbers of suspensions to this service. However, a recent software update to the online service has resulted in a marked improvement to the speed and reliability of the system.