Engines - Excellent, as ever.
Pobjoy - I hope someone can answer your questions, but in general terms it is now over two decades since MoD started permitting non-technical staff to self-delegate airworthiness authority. This has directly led to a number of deaths, mainly through them cancelling safety related work to satisfy the "savings at the expense of safety" policy of the Chief of Defence Procurement. Haddon-Cave reiterated this and also made a cutting comment about submariners managing aircraft - clearly a swipe at CDP. As Engines says, this is nothing new. The MAA has merely perpetuated these policies through its refusal or inability to do anything. I suspect refusal, given its denigration at every turn of those who have reported the failings, but acknowledge that position may just be that of a few at the top. For all I know, there's 250 totally hacked off MAA officers complaining every day about being hamstrung. Best of luck.