§ 2.48 p.m.
§ LORD FORBESMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is the intention to provide a second runway at Turn house Airport or resite the Airport for Edinburgh.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS AND FOR THE COLONIES (LORD BESWICK)My Lords, Her Majesty's Government consider that the existing two runways at Turnhouse are adequate for the present traffic. A new runway will be required in the long term as traffic increases, and the Edinburgh Corporation have been told that when the time comes the Government will make a contribution towards the cost.
§ LORD FORBESMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I ask whether he considers it an insult to Scotland that its capital city has such a poor airport?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, the answer is, No.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that within the last three or four years the number of passengers using Edinburgh Airport has more than doubled, and does he not think, as my noble friend says, that it is disgraceful that the capital city should have such inadequate runways that in certain kinds of weather all the passengers have to be taken 100 miles by bus?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, if noble Lords were to ask me, as an airline operator, as I once was, whether a second main runway would be desirable, I would say, Yes: this is accepted. But if noble Lords opposite are going to start bandying about words like "insulting" and "disgraceful", I do not agree with them. The facts are that the annual charges of constructing a second main runway would be about £200,000. If you assess the cost of bringing in the additional passengers who are now diverted, it would mean an additional charge of between £30 and £40 for each passenger who is now diverted. The economics of this just do not make sense, but I accept the fact that a second main runway is needed. As the noble Earl probably knows, my right honourable friend is meeting the Edinburgh Corporation in about a month's time, I think, to discuss the possibility of the Corporation's taking over the airport. The question of the timing of this second main runway will be one of the subjects which I have no doubt will be considered.
§ BARONESS HORSBRUGHMy Lords, would the noble Lord say whether he has considered that there would be a great many more passengers for Turnhouse, but as they have been told, or have learnt from their friends, that they may be diverted they go by some other means?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I will tell the noble Baroness that I took the precaution of finding out what the charge per head would be, if the number of passengers increased in the way one would estimate. I find that even if the traffic increases by the average increase one might expect by 1975, the average cost per passenger will still be between £12 and £19 per head. Even that would rule out the expenditure of these sums of money as an economic proposition. I will just make one further point, if I may, and I say this to friends of Edinburgh and 59 friends of Scotland. This kind of propaganda, to the effect that the present airport is an insult or a disgrace, and the suggestion that services are being diverted, are not conducive to encouraging the growth of traffic which is required.
§ LORD FERRIERMy Lords, as one who has been diverted twice, and very frightened once, within the last six months, might I ask the noble Lord whether he would look into this matter again? On the question of economics, I would imagine that in one year the economy of Scotland has suffered at least £200,000 damage in terms of inconvenience and interference with the economic life of people.
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, certainly we will look into it again. But if the noble Lord was diverted twice I should like some further information about this, because five out of six diversions are due to the weather and not to a cross-wind on the runway. The sea mist is the principal trouble there, and I am afraid we have no control over that at the present time.
§ LORD FERRIERMy Lords, the occasion on which I was frightened was when there was a strong wind, and we had two shots at landing before we went on to Glasgow.
LORD INGLEWOODMy Lords, before the noble Lord decides to spend large sums of money on the improvement of any existing airport, would he bear in mind that we have no air services in the North-West of England, and therefore we cannot even enjoy the luxury of being diverted?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I imagine, therefore, that the noble Lord enjoys the luxury of a little privacy.
§ LORD BALERNOMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether there is any other major airport in Great Britain which has only one major runway?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I cannot say off hand. But, again, I would advise noble Lords, and the noble Baroness, not to emphasise the shortcomings of Edinburgh. It is an adequate runway to a beautiful city, which it is a pity to discourage people from visiting.
THE EARL OF HADDINGTONMy Lords, if the noble Lord had been diverted to Glasgow as often as I have when going from London to Edinburgh, I think he would look into the matter very closely indeed.