Asked by Lord Naseby To ask Her Majesty’s
Government what progress has been made in the last 12 months to
address the challenges raised by the number of drones, particularly
in relation to safety and security risks; and whether they intend
to introduce legislation to regulate their use. The
Parliamentary...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made
in the last 12 months to address the challenges raised by
the number of drones, particularly in relation to safety
and security risks; and whether they intend to introduce
legislation to regulate their use.
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Transport (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con)
My Lords, a cross-government programme of work has made
progress in a number of areas. This includes research to
understand the risks to manned aviation; trials to explore
options to detect and counter drones; meetings directly
with manufacturers to improve technical solutions; and an
expanded campaign to raise awareness of the safety rules.
My noble friend will also be aware that, in December, a
consultation on the safe use of drones in the UK was
launched, which will inform the development of any future
regulation.
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(Con)
My Lords, I am grateful for the depth of that Answer.
Nevertheless, it is well over a year since I asked a
Question on this subject. Is my noble friend aware that, in
the subsequent period, the threat of terrorism has
heightened and the misuse of drones has heightened? I asked
whether we had looked at the laws passed in the United
States and in Ireland, both of which have been successful.
Are we sure now that we can get a grip on the
manufacturers, and those who produce kit products, wherever
they are sold, to produce strict laws that the consumer can
understand and then can be enforced?
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My noble friend raises an important point. We are all
acutely aware of the growing challenges of terrorism to our
country and the threat around the world. In this regard, I
reassure my noble friend that the Government are fully
aware and cognisant of the measures that have been taken,
as he rightly listed, in places such as the US and Ireland.
Our consultation, as I am sure he has seen from the detail,
has been informed by their experience. That consultation
closes in March and, at that point, we will look at what
further regulations can be implemented.
My noble friend will also be aware that part of the
challenge has been about informing the general public about
the existing laws, which restrict and encourage the
responsible use of drones. We are fully cognisant of the
technology advancements in this area, so it is important
that before legislating we look at what is happening
elsewhere—but also at the consultation results as well.
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(Lab)
I believe that the Government’s consultation document is 58
pages long. It covers a wide range of issues relating to
drones and is not just about safety and security. We cannot
wait months while the Government consider their response to
all the many questions posed in the consultation document
about drones before decisions are made on what changes are
needed to the safety and security laws and procedures. Will
the Government give a clear and unambiguous assurance today
that the issue of safety and security and the responses
received on the issue will be treated as the number one
priority for conclusions to be reached, and that decisions
will be announced following the conclusion of the
consultation in the middle of this month—and dealing with the
safety and security issue will not have to wait until the
Government have reached their conclusions and made their
decisions on all the other issues relating to drones raised
in the consultation document?
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My Lords, just to correct the noble Lord, I am sure that he
meant “next month”. I was just checking dates—and I know that
there was a late ending yesterday. Towards the middle of
March we will, as I said, be concluding the consultation. He
has asked me before about timelines; we are looking to
produce our consultation results, including the important
areas that he mentioned—and yes, the Government have
prioritised those areas. The consultation looks
comprehensively at those issues and the positive use of
drones, and we will look to produce our conclusions from that
consultation in the summer of this year.
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(CB)
My Lords, the Minister will know that I was one of the first
to draw attention to the risk of collisions between drones
and airliners. Do the Government have at least a contingency
plan for total exclusion zones for drones around the incoming
and outgoing flight paths of major airports?
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The noble Lord raises an important point about safety around
airports. We are looking much more extensively at the issues
of geo-fencing around critical sites such as airports.
Nevertheless, as I am sure the noble Lord is aware, there
were 70 reported incidents in 2016 and that was 70 too many.
It is important that, as technology advances, we look at more
rapid and rigid enforcement of geo-fencing.
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(LD)
My Lords, there were indeed 70 incidents, 25 of which were at
Heathrow. The Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill has just
been introduced in the House of Commons. This seems the
perfect place to add legislation and rules in this area. At
the moment the Bill includes lasers, but it does not include
drones. Will the Minister undertake that, when the Bill comes
to this House, the Government will put forward suitable
amendments to include drones?
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Of course we will have a discussion about the important issue
of lasers. The noble Lord is quite right to point out that
that is included in the Bill that he mentioned. I am not
going to prejudge what conclusions are reached in the other
place—or indeed in this place—regarding what legislative
vehicle will be used for the purposes of drones. It is
important that we look at the full review of the consultation
taking place in the middle of next month and then consider
its results in the summer of this year.
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(Con)
My Lords, the Government may be cognisant of all the drone
problems, but are the prison authorities cognisant of them?
Are the reports that a lot of drugs are delivered into Her
Majesty’s prisons by drones not correct? Surely steps should
be taken to stop that before anything else.
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My noble friend is right to raise this important issue. Let
me assure him that new laws have been implemented and
measures taken to deal with the problem of the delivery of
drugs into prisons. Equally, let me reassure my noble friend
that I am talking to Ministers across both the Home Office
and the Ministry of Justice. We will be convening a meeting
with manufacturers, either next month or in April, to talk
directly about the importance of ensuring that all safety and
security aspects are covered.
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(Lab)
My Lords, the Minister will recall a debate before Christmas
in which his attention was drawn to the availability of
drone-jamming signal equipment which could be used to an
operational distance of 2,000 feet. It would be avoided by
drone users because they would be likely to lose their
drones. Why cannot we order and use this equipment to cover
our airports?
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The noble Lord is right: he pointed out that specific issue,
which I have taken up directly with officials. I would ask
him also to take part in the consultation. We will be raising
his specific point directly with manufacturers.
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of Kirkwhelpington
(CB)
My Lords, I declare an interest as president of the Aircraft
Owners and Pilots Association and the holder of a current
commercial pilot’s licence. I flew myself down
here—safely—today. There is an answer in relation to
controlled airspace around Heathrow and Gatwick. When nobody
can go into controlled airspace without authority, surely a
quick answer is to prohibit any drones in that area?
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The noble Lord obviously speaks from experience in this area.
He will be aware that the CAA has a specific regime around
the commercial operation of drones. We are looking at these
particular regulations to see how they may be extended. As I
said, we have a wide-ranging consultation and we wish to wait
for the results of that.
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