Last year, the authority said a second consultation would be follow in the spring. However, speaking at the Aito General Meeting on Tuesday (29 March), Paul Smith said: “There will be another consultation in the middle of the year – around summer time."
Smith told delegates there had been a “phenomenal response to the original consultation", with the CAA receiving "around 300" pieces of feedback on the proposals.
"Although the process has taken longer than we might have liked, there have been some positives to that," said Smith reflecting on the consultation process. "It’s given us more time to think and reflect on some of the responses. It’s meant we can spend time understanding businesses.”
The original consultation opened in April last year and closed in August. Smith said most respondents agreed change was needed. However, he warned: “The consensus breaks down over what the best approach to this change is. There is not necessarily likely to be a one-size-fits-all approach."
Smith said the CAA would publish a document summarising the responses to the consultation.
He also stressed: “We haven’t made any decisions – we’re still very interested in talking with stakeholders. We’re keen to ensure that this remains a competitive industry that also protects consumers.
“The second consultation will focus on how we move towards the option that is most appropriate.”
Elsewhere, Smith praised the resilience of the sector – and admitted the CAA had initially been braced for more failures at the start of the pandemic.
He added the CAA had had tried in its licensing framework to reflect the ultimate need to protect consumers while acknowledging the challenges businesses have faced. "[We] have tried to do our licensing in a way that reflects that," Smith continued.
“We have tried. I’m not sure everyone is fully happy with our licensing process over the past two years, but we have tried to find suitable solutions. We want to listen; we want to understand. We want to ensure what we do moving forwards allows this industry to succeed.”
