§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What priority is given to expanding regional airports to redress the economic imbalance between the South East and the rest of the United Kingdom; and what consultation Ministers have had with the regional airports on this matter. [HL3606]
§ Lord Davies of OldhamIn the 1998 integrated transport White PaperA New Deal for Transport—Better For Everyone; the Government stated that they would:
encourage the growth of regional airports to meet local demand for air travel where consistent with sustainable development principles".We remain committed to that objective and will set out our proposals for regional airports in the forthcoming air transport White Paper.
The consultation which we have undertaken to inform preparation of the White Paper has been one of the biggest ever undertaken on transport and has included discussions with regional airports themselves and a wide range of regional and national stakeholders, business representatives, environmental and residents' groups. The consultation concluded on 30 June 2003.