Civil Aviation Bill

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Introduction

1. The Civil Aviation Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 9 June 2005. The Department's press release of 9 June 2005, announcing introduction of the Bill.

2. The Bill received Royal Assent - thus becoming an Act - on 8 November 2006. Please see the Department's press release.

3. The full text of the Act and Explanatory Notes can be found on the Office of Public Sector website.

4. The provisions in section 6 and schedule 1 - concerning the policing of airports - came into force when the Bill received Royal Assent. The remaining provisions will come into effect by statutory instrument in due course; this page will be updated accordingly.

What the Act Does

5. The Civil Aviation Act implements, amongst other things, important Future of Air Transport White Paper commitments to sustainable aviation and protection of passenger interests.

6. The provisions in the Act:

  • Clarify and strengthen the measures available to airports for dealing with aircraft noise. This includes a greater ability to introduce and enforce noise amelioration measures beyond airport boundaries and an ability to take economic measures to reflect aircraft straying from routes designed to minimise noise.
  • Make explicit the powers of airports to set charges which reflect local emissions from aircraft. The Secretary of State would also have powers to direct them to levy such charges.
  • Provide powers for a levy to replenish the Air Travel Trust Fund, the purpose of which is to benefit customers of failed tour operators. This will remove the need for the Government guarantee in place since 1992, and ensure the Government meets its obligations under EU law.
  • Authorise local authority airport companies to undertake specified activities - such as making their expertise available to other airports and taking part in joint ventures - which are at present outside their powers. It would make a modest contribution to enabling local authority airports to compete on a more level playing field with privately owned airports.
  • Enable the Civil Aviation Authority to recoup the costs of its Aviation Health Unit - which offers advice to air passengers, the aviation industry and to Government - by a levy from the aviation industry. This will save the taxpayer approximately £200 000 a year.
  • Remove airlines' existing right of appeal to the Secretary of State in aviation route licensing cases decided by the Civil Aviation Authority. By eliminating a layer of bureaucracy and speeding up the process this will contribute to better regulation.
  • Clarify the responsibilities of airport managers and police in relation to security issues and policing of airports that have been designated under section 25 of the Aviation Security Act 1982(1).

Summary of the Bill's Stages in Parliament

7. Details of all stages of a Bill's progress through the UK Parliament including debates are contained in this section.

8. The Commons Second Reading Debate of 27 June 2005.

9. The report of the Commons Standing Committee of the Bill (5 and 7 July 2005).

10. The Commons Report and Third Reading debates of 10 October 2005.

11. The House of Lords Second Reading debate of 1 November 2005.

12. Grand Committee (4 and 8 December 2005) proceedings.

13. At Grand Committee the Government amended the Bill to clarify the responsibilities of airport managers and police in relation to security issues and policing of airports that have been designated under section 25 of the Aviation Security Act 1982. The Secretary of State gave notice of his intention to amend the Bill in a Written Statement on 21 November 2005.

14. Proceedings at Lords Report (8 March 2006).

15. Lords Third Reading debate (28 March 2006).

16. Commons Consideration of Lords Amendments (CCLA) took place on 8 May 2006. All government amendments were agreed to; all non government amendments were disagreed to.

17. Lords Consideration of Commons Disagreement, Reason and Amendment in Lieu (28 June 2006).

18. The Bill returned to the Commons for consideration of Lords Reason for Insisting, Non-Insistence and Reason for Disagreeing to Commons Amendment in Lieu on 12 October 2006. The remaining issues related to clauses 1 (Aerodrome Charges: Noise and Emissions) and 2 (Regulation by Secretary of State of Noise and Vibration from Aircraft).

19. The Bill returned to the Commons on 25 October 2006 for Commons Disagreement, Reason and Amendment in Lieu.

20.  The Bill received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006.

Further Background Information

21 The following links provide further background material.

General

Human Rights

  • House of Lords/House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights Legislative Scrutiny; Fourth Progress Report, Seventh Report of Session 2005-06, 23 January 2006
  • House of Lords/House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights Legislative Scrutiny; Fourth Progress Report, Seventh Report of Session 2005-06, 27 February 2006 and
  • House of Lords/House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights Legislative Scrutiny: Eleventh Progress Report, Twenty-First Report of Session 2005-06, 20 June 2006.

All three of these reports may be found on the Parliament publications website.

Aircraft Noise and Emissions

Consultation Paper Control of Noise from Civil Aircraft, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, July 2000

Summary of Responses to Control of Noise from Civil Aircraft, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, March 2002.

Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments, HM Treasury/Department for Transport, March 2003

Control of Noise from Civil Aircraft: the Government's conclusions (PDF, 167kb), Department for Transport, December 2003

Appeals in Respect of Route Licences

Contact Points

22. For general enquiries about the Civil Aviation Act you can contact Avril Huston and Roy Strapp.

Or by writing to:
Civil Aviation Bill Team
Department for Transport
Zone 1/22, Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR
020 7944 4079/4856