Mr (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op):
If he will have discussions with (a) Airbus and (b) Boeing on air
safety.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (): Both I and departmental
officials engage proactively with industry, including Boeing,
Airbus and other manufacturers, on aviation safety. The Civil
Aviation Authority, the independent safety regulator for the
aviation sector, also engages regularly across the industry. I
should point out that we have some of the safest skies in the
world. The fatal accident rate of UK airlines is among the lowest
in Europe and the world. We have not had a single fatal accident
involving commercial passenger airplanes for more than 29 years.
I am determined that that safety record will continue.
Mr Sheerman: The Minister might know that I am the chair of a
manufacturing group for Members of Parliament. Airbus, Rolls-Royce and
Boeing are amazing manufacturers at the heart of our
manufacturing economy, but does he agree that we must sort out
the problems that seem to have occurred in the manufacture of
Boeing's 737 MAX? Does he agree that the faster our regulators
work with American regulators to sort this out, the better for
British jobs and British innovation?
: I absolutely agree with
the hon. Member that they are amazing companies with huge
operations in the UK and enviable safety records. Not one of the
171 Boeing 737 MAX 9s operating globally operates in the UK or
from the UK, so there was no need to ground them. The Department
for Transport liaises closely with American authorities. The CAA
follows very closely the work of the US Federal Aviation
Administration to ensure that safety standards remain as high as
possible.