Tuc:
"Agreed. So, given the composition of MoD, you're advocating a totally independent MAA?"
Abso-Bloody-Lutely!
The minimum requirement for an effective "Competent Authority" is one with Teeth to enforce the standards required right from the start; to avoid individual and spurious interpretation of the rules; and to prevent independant officers (or contractors) from imposing their own standards for fleets of aircraft operations and maintenance.
Only this sort of direct and positive intervention can avoid the poor standards of today continuing into the new "regime". Evenso, the bleed of present standards into the future will take years to get corrected.
The only reason for not installing a fully independant authority is the ability of MOD to quietly corrupt it as time goes on and the reason for doing the right things becomes lost in budget arguments again.
The present proposition, of a breast-fed authority, can only result in yet more Chinooks, Sea Kings, Hercs, Nimrods, Torpedoes, Typhoons or F35s producing more unhappy relatives...
An independant authority will produce more hassle, but less accidents.