DfT confirms first appointment to new CAA 'transparency' panel
Will PayneThe Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the first appointment to a new independent aviation panel created to strengthen transparency around decision-making and regulatory processes at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Nick Denton, current traffic commissioner for West Midlands who has experience in investigative processes and procedures, was selected by ministers following a recruitment process run by the DfT.
The panel is fully independent and impartial of the CAA and will review "eligible decisions" made by the aviation authority. The panel will be open to review decisions taken after 2 May.
It will soon be open to individuals whose cases meet a certain threshold if they remain unsatisfied following the CAA’s new internal review process.
Eligible decisions cover personnel licensing and certification decisions, such as those following an airspace infringement or the decision to suspend a licence or endorsement to an instructor or examiner.
The panel will consider whether the CAA correctly followed its processes and procedures in arriving at a decision. It will have the power to remit the case back to the CAA where it investigates and considers the CAA has not done this.
Denton said the decision-making process "must be understandable and transparent to those whom they affect" and people "need to be confident" they have received fair treatment.
"I’m very pleased to be appointed to the panel and to offer my expertise in reviewing cases with a fair, proportionate and independent eye, as I have done up to now in my traffic commissioner role," he added.
An important aspect of the UK and international aviation safety system is that the regulatory authority has the responsibility for safety-related decisions. Therefore, the CAA will remain the ultimate decision-maker.
In the exceptional event that the CAA chooses not to reconsider a case in light of a recommendation to do so from the panel, it will need to explain its rationale to the complainant, the panel and the aviation minister.
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