HC Deb 26 April 1976 vol 910 cc25-6
29. Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects the Green Paper on the role of regional airports to be published.

Mr. Clinton Davis

Part 2 of the consultation document on airport strategy for Great Britain, dealing with regional airports, will be published within the next few weeks.

Mr. Steen

Before publishing the Green Paper, will the hon. Gentleman have a talk with Freddy Laker, who is anxious to increase his business operations from Liverpool provided the Government do not down-grade the status of Speke Airport and thereby wreck any prospects of a commercial operation from there being viable?

Mr. Davis

Representations about the consultative process can be made by anybody with an interest in this matter. I have repeatedly told the hon. Gentleman, both in the House and in correspondence, that the Government have no intention of downgrading any airport in anticipation of the report. The consultative process which we are undertaking will be very thorough, and I hope that the hon. Gentleman will stimulate those with local authority interests in his area to make their representations felt.

Mr. Adley

Will the hon. Gentleman declare his acceptance of the planning principle that airports should be sited within or adjacent to the areas they serve?

Mr. Davis

Environmental and planning matters form part of the considerations which will affect the judgment of the Government when they ultimately determine the national airports strategy for this country.

Mr. Tebbit

The succession of Green Papers is generally welcome as a means by which the public should discuss these matters, but does the hon. Gentleman agree that before coming to any conclusions about airports policy the House should have an opportunity to discuss the matter, because it affects almost every hon. Member and his constituents?

Mr. Davis

It would be helpful for the Green Paper on regional strategy to be published first. On the question of a debate, the words of the hon. Gentleman may—it is conceivable—have been heard by the Leader of the House.

Mr. Hal Miller

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the National Exhibition Centre has opened in Birmingham and that there is no need to wait for a Green Paper to be aware of the necessity for a new terminal at Birmingham Airport to serve the centre?

Mr. Davis

A new terminal at Birmingham Airport is not immediately a matter for me. If the hon. Gentleman's representation that Birmingham should be given priority over other airports were to be applied, I think that other hon. Members would feel that he was being given unfair preference. There are many other constituency and regional interests in this matter.