Lords to examine civil use of drones

The House of Lords enquire if the conditions concerning the civil use of drones were right “for the industry to take off”.
The committee’s chair, Baroness O’Cathain, said that “the rise of civilian use of drones across the EU is staggering. In the UK alone the number of permissions granted for civilian use of drones in congested areas went up 40 fold between 2006 and 2013."

Since 2012 the European Commission has been discussing how the operations of UAVs should be regulated in the EU. In a published Communication of 8 April 2014 the Commission sets out its ideas on how European industry can become a global leader in the market for this emerging technology. At the same time, it acknowledged that the integration of RPAS into the EU’s airspace must be accompanied by adequate public debate on societal concerns, including safety, data protection, and security threats, among others.

The Committee will consider whether the Commission has identified the key issues in this debate, and how the EU’s actions can benefit the UAV industry in Europe in a way that is acceptable to all stakeholders. In its deliberation the Committee will look at wider questions such as the advantages and disadvantages of regulating RPAS at national, EU or international level and the new and innovative ways in which RPAS are likely to be used in the future.
The inquiry will focus mainly on the European Commission’s work on drones. The deadline for submission of evidence is 19 September.

More information are available here.  

Source: The Guardian and UK Parliament website.