HC Deb 17 June 1953 vol 516 cc949-50
8. Mr. Beswick

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation to give details of relevant information with regard to the proposed development of Gatwick Airport, which has been made known to him since he announced his decision last July to develop Gatwick Airport.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

At this stage I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave the hon. Member on 10th June.

Mr. Beswick

The answer which the Minister gave the hon. Gentleman on 10th June was to the effect that he had since received information about undertakings that had been given by his predecessors. Does not he think it would be unfortunate, to say the least, if he gave the impression that his predecessors had given any undertaking of which he was unaware when he made his statement in July last year?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

What I said in reply to a supplementary question was that certain inferences were drawn by some people from statements made by our predecessors, and on that I would refer the hon. Gentleman to correspondence recently in "The Times" on that particular point. There are, of course, other issues, like the Brighton Road diversion and certain railway questions, which have since been put to me in a rather different light, and which have demanded some reconsideration of our detailed plans.

Mr. Beswick

While I can understand the complications now troubling the Minister and can appreciate his desire to give full heed to the representations made to him, will he now make it quite clear that when last week he said that undertakings were given of which he was then unaware he was not stating the position correctly?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

I did not say that I was unaware of the undertakings. I said that certain undertakings had been given which had now complicated our position, and I added that inferences had been drawn from statements made by my predecessors of which, naturally, I must now take account.