HC Deb 17 April 1972 vol 835 cc13-4
11. Mr. Hugh Jenkins

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in view of the information supplied to him by the hon. Member for Wands worth, Putney, he will make a further statement on the States that have banned supersonic flying over their territory, and indicate what countries have recently enacted bans, and what countries have declared their intention to introduce such a ban.

Mr. Michael Heseltine

A number of countries permit controlled supersonic military flying in their airspace. Only Switzerland has introduced legislation to prohibit overland supersonic flying. Each country will decide for itself the controls it wishes to apply to civil overland routes. A few countries have indicated an intention to regulate supersonic over flying, but I cannot speculate on the form these controls will take.

Mr. Jenkins

Is it not the case that the possibility of the commercial success of this aircraft is increasingly remote as more and more countries—and Canada is one—take the view that the aircraft cannot be allowed to fly over their territory? There is no possibility of this project being a commercial success. Will the Minister try to persuade the British Aircraft Corporation to start building some useful subsonic aircraft and to abandon the delusions of supersonic grandeur which have meant spending £1 million a day? If the Minister is to add to that expenditure a research subsidy, a development subsidy—[HON. MEMBERS: "Too long."]—a production subsidy, and after that—[HON. MEMBERS: "Too long."]—an operating subsidy as well——

Mr. Speaker

Order. The hon. Member is going on too long.

Mr. Heseltine

I must say to the hon. Gentleman that his continually repeating that Concorde cannot be a commercial success makes it no truer now than when he first said it.

Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

Will my hon. Friend consider holding an international conference to work out supersonic air lanes for this aircraft?

Mr. Heseltine

This is a matter for individual Governments. A number of them are looking at it, and a number of others have made recommendations with which my hon. Friend is familiar. It will be right for the British Government to watch the train of events in this field.

Mr. Millan

I should like to add my congratulations to those already offered to the hon. Member on his present position. I am sure that it must be very worrying for the Government that so many of these things should be in a state of complete indecision when the hope is that firm orders for Concorde will be placed very soon. Can the Minister say, quite apart from supersonic flights over territories, what discusions there have been with, for example, the United States Government about landing rights at airports in the United States? This is another extremely important matter that we should like to see settled.

Mr. Heseltine

The question of landing rights is a matter for the individual airlines, but it is important to say that since the Concorde project was started a very large number of hurdles have had to be overcome, and the vast majority of them have been overcome. In a very sophisticated project of this kind it must be recognised that there are bound to be a number of problems outstanding, but the Government remain confident that these will be overcome in order to see that airlines buy the project on a suitable scale.