VISCOUNT MERSEYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will convene a conference of interested parties at an early date on the urgent question of the provision of helicopter landing sites in the Central London area.]
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government are anxious to make progress with this important matter. There have already been useful discussions between the London County Council as planning authority, the British Transport Commission and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation who have also had the benefit of advice from British European Airways and other interests. As a result my right honourable friend has, with the full concurrence of the London County Council, decided to set up a technical committee, under the chairmanship of a senior official of the Ministry, to formulate requirements and advise on possible sites for helicopter stations in the London area. The committee will be composed of representatives of the London County Council, the British Transport Commission, British European Airways and the Ministry.
It will not be easy to reach conclusions while the technical and commercial possibilities of the helicopter and other vertical take-off aircraft have still to be fully demonstrated. These matters are being studied and progress is being made. The committee will meanwhile have to proceed on some broad assumptions about these problems. Her Majesty's Government appreciate the keen interest of the London County Council in this matter which can mean so much both to the development of civil aviation and to the future planning of London.
VISCOUNT MERSEYMy Lords, I should like to thank the noble Earl for his very full reply. As the matter is 846 urgent, can he say when this committee is likely to meet? And can he further say that the committee is well aware of the fact that, in a year or two, helicopters will be flying which will carry fifty or sixty people, and that the present small pilot scheme which is in operation at Battersea really bears no relation to what is required: that therefore planning has to be on a large scale?
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot answer the noble Viscount's first question. As to the second, I am sure that the representatives of the interests on this committee will be fully aware of the present and future development of helicopters.
§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEMy Lords, would not the question under discussion be greatly eased if helicopters were more silent; and are the Government encouraging, or even financing, experiments to this end?
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I would agree with the noble Lord that many things would be eased if ideal conditions could always prevail. I regret to say that I did not hear the second part of the noble Lord's question.
§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEI beg your Lordships' pardon. I asked whether the Government are encouraging, or even financing, experiments to make helicopters more silent.
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I am afraid that I do not know the answer to that question, but I know that experiments are being carried out by the private firms themselves.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I was going to ask the same question as the noble Lord, Lord Fraser of Lonsdale, has asked, because I think that this is absolutely vital to the whole consideration which the committee will give. Would the noble Earl inquire from the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether evidence on this question of noise will be given to the committee which is going to consider the matter of sites, because if the noise is to be no less than at present that is bound to affect the committee's whole consideration of this problem?
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I entirely agree and I will bring the noble Lord's concern to the attention of my right honourable friend.