HC Deb 05 February 1964 vol 688 cc1142-7
15. Sir T. Moore

asked the Minister of Aviation why the control and administration of Prestwick Airport is being transferred from the Scottish section of his Department to London.

Mr. Marten

Responsibility for the local control and administration of Prestwick Airport still remains in Scotland. As a result of a reorganisation of Departmental responsibilities, the Commandant has taken over certain functions which were previously exercised by the Scottish divisional office in Edinburgh. There has been no change in the responsibilities of the headquarters in London for general policy.

This adjustment has been made in order to simplify the airport's administration and to facilitate its eventual transfer, with the London Airports, to an airport authority in accordance with the policy set out in the White Paper on Civil Aerodromes and Air Navigational Services of August, 1961.

Sir T. Moore

With all due respect to my hon. Friend, I am not quite clear what that Answer means. Does it mean, or does it not mean, that the control of Prestwick Airport, and other airports in Scotland for that matter, has passed from Edinburgh to London, or not?

Mr. Marten

No. It does not mean that.

Sir A. V. Harvey

Would it not be better if my hon. Friend implemented what his predecessor said he would do some two years ago and had an airport authority to take these airports out of the hands of the Government and run them efficiently?

Mr. Marten

Yes, I completely agree and I dealt with that in the second part of my Answer. The real trouble is the availability of Parliamentary time to get the necessary legislation to create this authority. The Government are willing.

Mr. Speaker

Sir Thomas Moore.

Sir T. Moore

While there are many other supplementary questions which I should like to ask my hon. Friend in this connection, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, I will keep them for the next Question.

Mr. Speaker

I had called the hon. Baronet in the hope that he would ask the next Question.

16. Sir T. Moore

asked the Minister of Aviation what decision he has now taken regarding the use of Prestwick Airport by Scandinavian Air Services and other foreign airlines.

Mr. Marten

The use of Prestwick by Scandinavian Air Services is at present under discussion with the Scandinavian Governments.

Sir T. Moore

That is not good enough. Numerous rumours are current and numerous statements have been promulgated in Scotland, especially in my part of Scotland, during the past few weeks. Does my hon. Friend appreciate that Prestwick Airport is the direct jet link between the North Americas and the Scandinavian countries, and that if that link is weakened or destroyed, our tourist traffic in Scotland will be seriously harmed? Will he also remember that if Prestwick is not designated our second international airport, as it has been, the many millions of £s spent on the control tower and terminal buildings and so on will have been spent for the sake of six flights a day, which is what the figure has now been reduced to? Surely that money has not been spent just for that?

Mr. Marten

My hon. Friend is quite correct. It has not been done for that. Of course, we recognise the Scottish interests, but this is not a clear or easy question, because the basic objective is to secure for Britain a sound, long-term development of our air transport industry. There are air services agreements with the Scandinavian countries, and if airlines do not observe the conditions by which we concede rights the value of what we offer will depreciate.

Mr. Rankin

Is it not the case that these consultations have gone a little further than the hon. Gentleman indicated? Is it not also the case that it has been definitely stated by his Department that if S.A.S. services at Prestwick are reduced, B.O.A.C. will step in to fill the gap? Can the hon. Gentleman guarantee, can he assure the House, that if that happens, B.O.A.C. will maintain the link between Scotland and Northern Europe in the interests of businessmen in Scotland? Can he also assure the House that if the Government reduce the flights of S.A.S. at Prestwick, Sweden will increase the flights of B.O.A.C. at Stockholm?

Mr. Marten

I cannot give a guarantee on behalf of B.O.A.C. It is not the function of the Ministry of Aviation to do this. What B.O.A.C. has said is that if there is a need, it will fill the gap. The Corporation has said that and I assume that it will do so. If the air services are reduced when these negotiations finally reach a conclusion—and there is to be another meeting on 17th February, a meeting for which the Scandinavians asked—it will be open to the Scandinavians to provide short-haul services between Scandinavia and Scotland.

21. Mr. Emrys Hughes

asked the Minister of Aviation what representations he has recently received from Ayr County Council on the question of the conditions under which Scandinavian Air Services stop at Prestwick Airport; and what has been his reply.

25. Mr. Ross

asked the Minister of Aviation what representations he has recently received on the future use of Prestwick Airport by foreign airlines; and what reply he has made.

Mr. Marten

My right hon. Friend has a number of representations from various Scottish interests, including two letters from the Ayr County Council stressing the importance of extending international air services through Prestwick, and of maintaining the services to Scandinavia. We have explained both to the Council and to others that it is necessary to bring Scandinavian Airline Systems' operations through Prestwick into conformity with our air services agreements with the Scandinavian countries, but that the action we have proposed need not conflict with our aim of using Prestwick Airport as fully as possible. The Ayr County Council has asked, and my right hon. Friend has agreed, that its representatives should meet officials to discuss this matter further.

Mr. Hughes

Does the Minister realise the extent of the anxiety that exists in Ayrshire about the Ministry's attitude towards Prestwick Airport? Is he aware that there is a growing feeling that facilities are being diminished after an enormous sum of public money has been expended, and that it might become a white elephant?

Mr. Marten

I understand those anxieties, but I do not think that they are fully justified. There is little danger that there will be insufficient airline capacity at Prestwick.

Mr. Ross

Is not the effect of the proposals being put forward by the Ministry of Aviation a reduction in services by S.A.S. stopping at Prestwick? Does not the hon. Member appreciate that to say that the fullest use will be made of Prestwick just does not make sense, in view of his own statement, in answer to an earlier Question, that the gap can be filled by short-haul services? He must realise that short-haul services will use not Prestwick but Renfrew.

Mr. Marten

The answer to the first part of that supplementary question is "Yes". As to the second part, the attractiveness of Prestwick could well make them use it in order to tie up with the intercontinental flights going out from Prestwick.

Mr. Ross

Does that mean that B.E.A. will now use Prestwick?

Mr. Marten

I cannot say what routes B.E.A. will operate. This is up to B.E.A. and the Air Transport Licensing Board.

27. Mr. Ross

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will take steps to ensure that the fullest use is made by all airlines of Prestwick Airport.

Mr. Marten

The Ministry of Aviation is spending considerable sums of money to develop Prestwick Airport and to increase its attractions to airlines. Apart from this, my right hon. Friend is ready to grant rights at Prestwick to foreign airlines in exchange for worthwhile rights elsewhere for British airlines. It is for the Air Transport Licensing Board to decide what services by British airlines should be licensed to operate there.

Mr. Ross

That sounds all very well, but is it not a fact that recent passenger statistics show that the trend is downward? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that that impression is widespread, and will be in no way dispelled by the Answers given today, and that the intervention of the Ministry may have an opposite effect to that which he suggested?

Mr. Marten

That may be. But there is a meeting on 14th February between the county council and Ministry officials when I hope that the various misconceptions will be cleared up.

Sir T. Moore

I welcome the interest in my constituency shown by my colleagues. Does not my hon. Friend appreciate that if K.L.M. and the Scandinavian Airlines are prohibited from using, or limited in their use of, Prestwick Airport, that practically means the end of Prestwick as an international airport?

Mr. Marten

I am sorry. I cannot but disagree with my hon. Friend.