§ 44 and 67. Mr. Lennox-Boydasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (1) when it is proposed to issue the schedule of air services to be operated within the United Kingdom; the dates on which operations will commence; and the types of aircraft to be used;
(2) when it is proposed to issue for each of the three airline companies schedules of external routes to be operated; the dates on which operations will commence; and the types of aircraft to be used.
§ Mr. LindgrenExternal services in general are operated on routes laid down in bilateral agreements between His Majesty's Government and the foreign Governments concerned. Such agreements as have been concluded have been laid before Parliament and others are under active negotiation. As regards internal operations, a schedule of services was published in June of this year. The hon. Member will of course appreciate, that circumstances from time to time involve modification. Timetables of existing services are, of course, available and I will arrange for copies to be sent to the hon. Member.
Under the provisions of the Civil Aviation Act, 1946, the three corporations are required to submit to my noble Friend their programme and estimates for each financial year as well as a forward programme covering three years. Consultations on the future programme are already on foot between my Ministry and the Corporations. As arrangements are made for new services to come into operation, timetables will be issued, but to publish a schedule in anticipation might be prejudicial to our competitive position.