Written question asked by Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 April 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 21 April 2017. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 13 April 2017 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Unmanned Air Systems

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of technical solutions to the enforcement around sensitive locations and sensitive events of no-fly zones relating to UAVs.

Answer: Across government there are a number of strands of work aimed at improving our defences against the potential misuse of drones, with a focus on sensitive and important locations and events; this includes consideration of solutions for technical enforcement. We are engaging directly with manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), academia and industry on technical solutions such as geo-fencing, and trials and demonstrations have already taken place to examine the applicability of technological options to detect and counter drones. Further trials and demonstrations will take place this year, with Government involvement being overseen by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

Secondary information