§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, I beg to ask the question standing in my name.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government where and in what manner the Minister for Civil Aviation intends to publish the report of the Committee upon which the plan of the London Airport is based.]
§ I do not know whether it would be convenient to the Minister in answering to give us at the same time any information about the depot which will be used in London. There has been the suggestion of Earls Court. I shall understand if he says he is not in a position to add that to his reply on the specific matter on the Paper. In that event I will put in a specific question about that at a very early date.
§ THE MINISTER FOR CIVIL AVIATION (LORD WINSTER)My Lords, the report in question was pre 200 pared for departmental use only. The subject matter is highly technical, and I do not think that the Report would be of sufficient general interest to warrant publication. I have, however, given instructions that a précis should be prepared, and I will place a copy of this in the Library of the House as soon as it is available. As regards the supplementary question which the noble Viscount has addressed to me, I agree it is a matter of very great importance, and I would ask, with his agreement, to have notice given to me of the question.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONI am very much obliged to the noble Lord, and I will certainly put down an appropriate question at a very early date, because I think it is a matter not only of great importance, but of great urgency. I take it that it will probably be convenient that this I should be in a pre-digested form, so that we can understand it. It will be sufficient, I take it, to give us the arguments for and against what I believe is known as the tangential as opposed to the triangular system. I believe there is a movement away from the tangential into the triangular system, but as far as the document sufficiently sets out what are the pros and the cons, and the reasoning on which the decision was based, I think that would be convenient. Will it also be convenient at the same time to state who are the outside experts? He said that not only departmental officers, but various outside experts had been called in to advise, and it was upon the combined opinion that the decision was based. It is always interesting to know who the outside experts are.
§ LORD WINSTERMy instructions concerning the précis cover that point, for and against the tangential system. I will take into consideration the further point as to whether the names will be published.