§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I beg to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider their decision to permit a second television mast to be erected near Rhoose airport, in view of the fact that, rising approximately 1,150 feet above sea level, the mast will be an undoubted hazard to aerial navigation and will be a considerable deterrent to the use of the airport by civil aircraft.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (THE EARL OF MUNSTER)My Lords, the decision of my right honourable friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government to give planning permission for the erection of this mast was taken after full consideration of all the facts and representations, including the report of a local inquiry into the proposal which was held on the 7th March. 1022 All the Departments concerned were consulted, in particular the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and the General Post Office.
The site of the mast, at St. Hilary Down, near Cowbridge, is not in the safety area of Cardiff (Rhoose) Airport, according to the standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and my right honourable friend was satisfied, therefore, that no objection to the mast could be sustained on grounds of danger to aircraft using the airport. It was appreciated that there was anxiety on the part of pilots concerned with airline operations at the airport, notwithstanding that the mast was acceptable on technical grounds, and alternative proposals which had been put forward by objectors at the inquiry were carefully examined The conclusion was reached that there was no practicable alternative to the St. Hilary site.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, are the Government saying that in the whole of Wales there is no place to put a television mast except alongside an airport? Because if they are, it is nonsense.
§ THE EARL OF MUNSTERMy Lords, I have never said that. The whole object of this mast is to give television reception to the people in the area of Cardiff and South Wales generally.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I understand that this is another of the evil results of independent television, to which attention has been drawn in your Lordships' House. I still ask: is this the only site in South Wales that can be utilised for a television mast? Why must the Government put this mast alongside an airport?
§ THE EARL OF MUNSTERMy Lords, if the noble Lord will study my reply, he will see that it is not alongside the airport; it is, in fact, some distance away and conforms to all the regulations of the international organisation. As I said, the purpose of this television mast is to supply the people of Cardiff and in South Wales with a television programme. I am certain that there are many places in other parts of Wales where a television mast could be erected, but whether it would serve the purpose of South Wales is another matter.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, as the Minister has said, this is a hazard which will have a deterrent effect on the use of the airport and will mean that the users will be put to extra expense. This is the Welsh Television Authority, and I again ask: is there no place in South Wales, except quite near to the airport—it is only a mile or so away—where this television mast could be put?
§ THE EARL OF MUNSTERMy Lords, I have replied to the noble Lord twice, and this time I will give him an emphatic answer: it is in the negative; there is no other place.