Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of security at (a) airports and (b) ports of other countries offering connections to the UK.

Mr John Hayes

A) Airports

Under international treaties administered by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), all contracting states are responsible for the implementation of aviation security regimes in their own airports, to be applied according to a number of standards and recommended practices set out by ICAO.

However, implementation of these aviation security standards around the world does vary and can be less effective when compared to those in the UK. The Department for Transport therefore works closely with a wide range of overseas governments to first assess their implementation and then assist them where necessary, to build their capacity and strengthen their aviation security, governance and procedures. We also work closely with airlines to implement additional security measures, where judged appropriate.

B) Ports

Under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code it is the responsibility of the host state to implement effective security measures at their ports in accordance with the ISPS Code and based on that state’s assessment of the maritime security risks. The UK takes maritime security extremely seriously, and the Department has recently established an International Maritime Security Engagement programme to assess security standards at key foreign ports and to provide training in UK best practice to help raise standards.