HC Deb 14 December 1922 vol 159 cc3148-9
76. Sir H. BRITTAIN

asked the Secretary of State for Air which is the length of notice which must be given to enable machines to alight on the Thames at Westminster; and whether it is the intention of the Ministry to give any further facilities to seaplanes making use of that permission?

Sir S. HOARE

The answer to the first part of the question is that applications to alight on the Thames at Westminster, if approved by the Air Council, would then require consideration and approval by the Port of London Authority. The length of time required to obtain the necessary permission would, I understand, depend upon the circumstances of each individual case. With regard to the second part of the question, no requests have up to the present been received to make use of the Thames at Westminster for a regular air service, and the establishment of a permanent air port in this part of the river is not, therefore, immediately contemplated. In these circumstances I do not think that expenditure upon the provision of any special facilities could be justified at the present stage.