§ 13. Sir William van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he can now give a date for the privatisation of British Airways.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerIt remains our firm intention to proceed with privatisation as soon as practicable within the next financial year. No date has yet been set.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeI understand the legal problems facing my hon. Friend with litigation, and I understand also the financial prudence involved in placing the shares. Does he appreciate that he has very warm support from behind him on the Government Benches and from a wide range of the electorate for the next further extension of wider share ownership?
§ Mr. SpicerI thank my hon. Friend for those remarks. As he rightly says, there has been some slippage due to the uncertainties arising from current anti-trust cases related to the Laker failure. I assure him that as soon as those are out of the way we intend to proceed with privatisation as quickly as possible.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursWill the Government allow a privatised British Airways the right to operate twin-jet aircraft on long-haul routes across the Atlantic?
§ Mr. SpicerWe shall have to consider that in the light of various arrangements which the Civil Aviation Authority is currently considering.