§ Not amended (in the Standing Committee), considered; reported without amendment.
7.44 pm§ The Under-Secretary of State for Trade (Mr. Ian Sproat)I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
The purpose of the Bill, as the House will know, is to give effect in United Kingdom law to certain requirements of the protocol amending the 1960 Eurocontrol convention and the multilateral agreement on route charges—both signed on 12 February 1981—and to enable the Government to ratify the protocol and agreement that were presented to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs last October. Most of the provisions of the protocol and agreement can be implemented under existing legislation, in particular under the Civil Aviation (Eurocontrol) Act 1962 as amended, and now consolidated in the Civil Aviation Act 1982. If enacted, the Bill will amend and add new provisions to the 1982 Act.
The principal change made by the protocol is to transfer back to member states the formal responsibility for the provision of air navigation services above 25,000 ft. It will also enable Eurocontrol to expand and strengthen its role as the focus for co-operation between member states in the future development of air navigation services in addition to continuing with tasks ranging from basic research and development to the training of controllers and engineers.
The transfer of formal responsibility for their upper airspace back to member states should make it easier for states which have held back until now to join the organisation. This will be beneficial both to them and to us. The transfer of responsibility for the whole of national airspace to Eurocontrol would have resulted in an enlarged bureaucracy with supranational powers which would have been costly in manpower and money.
The amending protocol has been signed by the current seven member states—Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, the Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and by Portugal, which will become a full member when the protocol is ratified.
Associated with the amending protocol is a new multilateral agreement on route charges, which has also been signed by Austria, Spain and Switzerland as well as by the eight states which signed the protocol. This replaces the previous agreement, which signified the intention to set up a common charging scheme, and codifies the system for collecting charges for en route navigation facilities and services which resulted.
The main effect of the Bill will be to enable the United Kingdom to play its part in the strengthening of the machinery for the enforcement of claims on behalf of Eurocontrol.
Clause 1 provides for the enforcement and recognition in the United Kingdom of judgments given in foreign courts and determinations by administrative tribunals in respect of route charges for air navigation services.
Clause 2 makes alterations to the existing immunities and privileges of Eurocontrol.
1117 Clause 3 makes a textual amendment to the definition of the Eurocontrol convention to make it clear that it covers all amendments to the convention made with the agreement of the contracting parties.
Clause 4 gives the title, commencement and extent of the powers of the Bill.
We are co-operating with the other member states to make Eurocontrol an efficient organisation adapted to the needs of the civil aviation community. The Bill enables us to play a full part in this process and I therefore commend it to the House.
§ Mr. K. J. Woolmer (Batley and Morley)The measure has been considered carefully and in detail both on Second Reading and in Committee. The Opposition take the view that the changes should not increase costs to airlines and hence ultimately to the consumer—the air traveller. We take the view also that there should be neither unquestionable support for supranational organisation, regardless of the consequences for efficiency in our national interests, nor, on the other hand, unquestionable support for a narrow, go-it-alone nationalistic approach to such an international service as air traffic control.
There are those who see the arguments merely on one side or another, but the Opposition are prepared to support the measure, which seems to strike a balance between national interests and continuing, necessary, international co-operation. We also welcome the strengthening of enforced powers. I feel sure that the British Government will continue to seek that balance, combining the necessary increase in efficiency and cost and passing that on to the consumer.
I trust that the Government will continue to scrutinise the new arrangements carefully as they operate and that the cost savings will be achieved and passed on in lower charges. I support the Bill as seeking to achieve a reasonable balance between all the considerations involved.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.