which I think is another way of saying what Chug did!
I am obliged to you dervish, I was obviously being far too obtuse. Fiscal creditability is not the only issue here, though Lord knows that the MOD is indeed pants in that regard. The issue that directly affects the thread OP is regulatory creditability of which the MOD (and its wholly owned subsidiary the MAA) has none.
It is all very well for the MAA to pout and refuse to issue RTS's, but it will only have creditability if it enforces the regulations instead of rewriting them as a workaround. The only way that it can enforce the regulations is to confront why they have remained unenforced for so long. The only way it can do that is to attain true independence of the MOD, by being outwith it and having a civilian DG. Ditto all of the above for the MAAIB, which needs also to be independent of the MAA. Then and only then can RTS's indicate that the subject aircraft are released in accordance with the regs, ie that they are airworthy! Which is why the MRA4 is not a separate issue, Roland, but absolutely central to the problem posed by the OP.
Self regulation doesn't work and in aviation it kills!