§ 62. Mr. MANDERasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what progress 391 has been made in the development of the new flying-boat base at Portsmouth for the Imperial Airways service to Australia; what subsidy will be paid to the Portsmouth Corporation; and whether he is satisfied that a large flying boat can take off on the proposed site satisfactorily in all directions?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Sir Philip Sassoon)The question of the provision of a flying-boat base at Portsmouth has been the subject of preliminary discussions between the Air Ministry and the Portsmouth Corporation. The matter is primarily one for the corporation, but they have recently made an application for some measure of Government assistance towards the finance of the scheme in recognition of the Imperial value of the base. This application will be examined forthwith by the Inter-Departmental Committee on International Air Communications. As regards the last part of the question, I have no reason to suppose that any scheme sponsored by the corporation, after consultation with all concerned, would prove other than operationally satisfactory.