Luton Airport (Hansard, 13 October 1975)

§ 20. Mr. Madel
asked the Secretary of State for Trade what conclusions he has reached on the future development of Luton Airport following his recent visit there; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Trade (Mr. Clinton Davis)
No conclusions about the future development of Luton Airport will be taken in advance of the consultations with local authorities and other organisations which will follow the publication shortly of a consultation document on London airports.

§ Mr. Madel
May we take it from that answer that in spite of the Maplin decision the Government will refuse to finance development of a second runway at Luton? Does the Minister feel that there should be more restrictions, particularly at night, on movements at Luton Airport in the meantime?

§ Mr. Davis
Any question affecting the further development of Luton is a matter for the airport authority, and I discussed this when I visited Luton in September. The authority would be well advised to await the result of the consultations which will follow the publication of the consultative document very shortly. I am glad to say that noise has recently been a reducing factor. I think that the hon. Gentleman will bear that out.

§ Mr. Tebbit
When he is considering the future of the airport will the Minister remember, first, that it is a very important airport to many trade unionists who like to take their package holidays to Spain 860 from there and, secondly, that it is an important employer and an important industry to its owners, the local Corporation of Luton? The need is to encourage more traffic rather than to discriminate against it in any way.

§ Mr. Davis
The hon. Gentleman is inviting me to prejudge the consultations affecting Luton. Of course it is an important airport, but it would be wrong for me to make an advance announcement of the Government's thinking about it.
The hon. Gentleman's observations about package holidays to Spain are irrelevant to this issue, but I hope that fewer people will embark upon such holidays in future as a result of what has happened in that unfortunate country in the last few weeks.

§ Mr. Goodhew
Surely by talking about a falling off in the number of flights from Luton the Minister is merely taking advantage of the fact, or hiding behind the fact, of the Court Line collapse and the smaller number of flights from Luton as a result from that. What is he doing to prevent a further increase, in fact, a return to the very high rate of night flights, in particular from Luton, which affect a vast number of people, not merely in the area of Luton Corporation?

§ Mr. Davis
The situation affecting the development of the airport is not a matter I am seeking to hide behind. I agree with the hon. Member for Chingford (Mr. Tebbit) that Luton is a very important airport. I have taken very much into account the fact that as a result of the Court Line collapse there has been a reduced use of Luton airport, but I am perfectly entitled to say that I believe that there has been a marked reduction in noise. However, that is insufficient for the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew) who has constituency interests.