§ 2.28 p.m.
§ LORD BALFOUR OF INCHRYEMy 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, before they decided on the realignment of the proposed runways at Stansted Airport, the Guild of Air Pilots and the British Air Line Pilots Association were consulted or given an opportunity of expressing misgivings on possible difficulties and dangers of operation from an increased liability of a cross-wind component as compared to the alignment of the runway on the original plan.]
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, the Government have not yet finally decided on 772 the alignment of the runways at Stansted, and will not do so until consultations now taking place with local authorities and other bodies are concluded. The pilots' associations were not consulted before these proposals were put to the local authorities but they now have an opportunity of making their views known. The Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators are in fact now in correspondence with the President of the Board of Trade on this matter.
§ LORD BALFOUR OF INCHRYEMy Lords, in view of the fact that these very representative and authoritative bodies have felt it necessary to make their views known in the public Press, would it not have been better for Her Majesty's Government to have consulted with them before going as far as they have gone? And is this not typical of the lack of consultation which has characterised the whole of this deplorable Stansted decision?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I think there is some misunderstanding here. In the first place, the two pilots' associations have not made their views known in the Press. One of them—and I should have thought the more authoritative of them—has not made any representations at all. As for the letter to which the noble Lord is referring, that which appeared in The Times, I must say that the criticism would have been valid if the assumptions had been accurate. The writer of the letter appeared to assume that the new runways would be North-South, which they are not, and that the prevailing strong winds would be West-East, which they are not; otherwise his criticism would have been acceptable.
§ LORD BALFOUR OF INCHRYEMy Lords, pursuing this matter a little further, while I do not contest the merits or demerits of their misgivings, surely to have to write a letter to The Times as the Guild of Air Pilots did, protesting about the supposed possible dangers, illustrates a lack of willingness on the part of the Government to take into consultation all bodies at the earliest possible stage. Had consultation taken place much earlier, might not things have been different at Stansted?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I really think that the noble Lord is being unfair in this particular instance. As he 773 and I know, both the Guild and the Air Line Pilots' Association make most valuable and acceptable contributions on all matters concerned with air safety, and they are consulted on these matters. But in this particular case, and on this particular point, there was no question of safety involved. Moreover, the announcement about the possibility of realigning these runways was made public, and Press conferences were held, for the precise purpose of giving people who were interested, an opportunity of making their views known.