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The Weekly Telegraph | Humperdinck Media Group (Luthori)

Parliament Passes "Increased Airlines Security and Protection Act", with overwhelming majority.

August 5609

Fort William, Luthori - Luthori's Parliament passed today, with an overwhelming majority, the Increased Airlines Security and Protection Act, an Act of Parliament aspiring to avoid another air disaster like the one which happened in Shipleyriding back in 5595, when a Beluzian aircraft was hit by a Luthorian air defence missile. In the aftermath of the memorial service in Clamfeld, Parliament passed the "Increased Missile Communication Act", whose aim was to increase communication between the Luthorian Government, foreign partners and the Defence Staff in case that any grand exercise testing Luthorian air defences capabilities were to be undertaken by the Government. The Secretary for Transport, Alex Salmond stated that this Bill was "necessary" to increase security in Luthorian skies for all airplanes passing by Luthori's Home Territory.

The Bill undertakes to reform the Imperial Aviation Security Organisation (IASO) into the Federal Air Security Command (FASC), being tasked with more prerogatives than its formerly-weakened counterpart. The FASC will be the supreme authority regarding airline transportation authority, with an increased budget of over 45 % compared to today and will be completely subjected to the authority to the Department of Transport, as opposed to being subjected to the authority of the Department of Home Affairs like before. The Secretary for Transport enlightened the need for further "centralisation" of all transport-related agencies within the grasp of the Department of Transport, a position which drew ire from the Home Secretary's allies within the Conservative Party and from the Home Secretary himself, who was stated to see with an "disapproving look" the fact that the FASC's supreme authority was being transferred from the Home Affairs to Transport Office.

Regardless of what the Home Secretary may have thought about that issue, the Prime Minister gave his approval to the Transport Secretary to carry on with his reform plan to air security, seemingly agreeing with the reasoning that the Transport Office may be more efficient that the Home Office in order to deal with all transport-related issues, even security issues.

The Bill was introduced in the Imperial Diet by Alex Salmond in his capacity as Member of Parliament for Howshire (Shipleyriding) and co-sponsored by MPs Katherine Howard, Member of the Imperial Diet for Darlington (Fort William) and Patrick Howes, 3rd Viscount Howes (Senate). Both MPs are recongnised as being members of the Tory Party's "One-Nation" Faction, a faction who believes in increased government responsability in both the economy and socially, promoting family and conservative values that other factions of the Party have let cool down to moderate themselves into a more center-right alternative. Compared to other factions, while the One-Nations are represented in the Cabinet with personalities such as the Health, Transport or Defence Secretaries, they are nowhere near other factions' influence within the Party.

After a debate in the Diet, the Speaker called for a vote, which saw an overwhelming majority of Ayes in the first round of voting, a rare sight in Darlington Palace, proof that the Bill was "uncontroversial" according to the Transport Secretary. In the Senate, meanwhile, after the Diet passed the Bill, the Senate passed it with a relative ease, as the Leader of the Imperial Senate and the Prime Minister were both speerheading the debate towards an amicable settlement with the National Labour Party in order to receive their support for the Act. With the law's passage, the Prime Minister congratulated Parliament on a "show of bipartisanism" meant to "better protect Luthorian and foreign citizens passing through Luthori by air transport.

The Opposition reasoned that the Bill was quite "uncontroversial" and was "sufficiently amended", as shown by the low attendance of voting session in both the Diet and Senate. The FASC's first Head was appointed by Letter Patent of the Sovereign in the afternoon, with Richard Crayer taking over as the new FASC chief. He promised that "communication will be the agency's number one priority in avoiding disaster such as the Beluzair".

@TheWeeklyTelegraph