HC Deb 28 July 1975 vol 896 cc1273-5
8. Mr. Les Huckfield

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on his review of civil aviation policy.

21. Mr. Tebbit

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is yet ready to announce the results of his consultations following his review of air transport policy guidelines.

30. Mr. McCrindle

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is now in a position to make a statement on his review of civil aviation policy.

Mr. Shore

I expect to make a statement very shortly.

Mr. Huckfield

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that as most international airlines on international routes are losing money and as British Airways on its domestic routes is losing money, it does not make sense to go on having a policy of double designation of British-operated international routes or competition on our domestic routes? Does he not think that the time has now come to bring to an end the policy of a mixed economy in British civil aviation?

Mr. Shore

What my hon. Friend says about double designation and its effect is one of the matters to which I have had to give careful consideration. However, my hon. Friend would not wish me to anticipate my statement by saying any more now.

Mr. Tebbit

Apart from observing that the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Huckfield) is talking nonsense, may I ask the Minister whether he is aware that as his statement is so imminent and as we have rehearsed the arguments before, I at least will wait until he makes it?

Mr. Shore

I thank the hon. Gentleman for showing an unusual degree of self-restraint.

Mr. Conlan

During the course of his review, will my right hon. Friend take account of the report of the Civil Aviation Authority in connection with the location of airports in this country? If so, will he accept my assurance that the Civil Aviation Authority was right to reject the consultants' recommendation in connection with an airport in the North-East?

Mr. Shore

I assure my hon. Friend that I shall not be making a statement on this occasion to cover airport policy. I hope to have something separate to say about that a little later.

Mr. McCrindle

I do not wish the right hon. Gentleman to anticipate the content of his report, but can he say whether he has seen suggestions in the Press that the rôle of his Department in civil aviation is likely substantially to increase as a result of publication of this report and that at the same time the rôle of the Civil Aviation Authority is likely to diminish? Is he in a position to confirm or deny that that will be the situation and to comment on the matter in any way?

Mr. Shore

Both the CAA, which was established in 1971, and the Department of Trade have indispensable rôles to play in the evolution of British civil aviation policy and its implementation, and I certainly envisage a continuing part for both organisations.

Mr. Donald Stewart

Contrary to the statement of the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Huckfield), is it not the case that on some of the routes where British Airways has had competition from another airline the British Airways share of the market has gone up as well?

Mr. Huckfield

So have the losses.

Mr. Shore

I know that the hon. Member has a keen interest in this subject, but he should look with great care at the figures for particular routes. It may well be that that has been the result in one or two cases, but he may reach different conclusions about other and rather more important routes.

Mr. Warren

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance before making his statement that he has consulted the EEC Commission, because any change in British civil aviation guidelines will have implications for the Commission? As he knows, the Commission itself is preparing a civil aviation policy for Europe which it hopes to publish next year.

Mr. Shore

The answer to that question is "No, Sir."