§ LORD TREFGARNEMy 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:
- (a) How many charter flights out of Great Britain by foreign carriers have been authorised for the 1969 inclusive tour season;
- (b) How many applications for such flights are under consideration;
- (c) What is their policy in respect of such applications, bearing in mind the degree of unemployment among pilots and others in the independent airline industry.]
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, the answer to the first part of the Question is none, as yet, and 1,875 to the second part of the Question. Permission for nearly all of these applications is likely to be granted. Her Majesty's Government's policy reflects the fact that the United Kingdom is among the countries that have accepted Recommendation No. 2 of the Fifth Session of the European Civil Aviation Conference, which calls for liberal treatment on a reciprocal basis to be accorded to inclusive tour charter flights.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that helpful reply. Would he not agree, however, that the present state of the independent air industry is such that for this year, at least, consideration ought to be given to restricting the number of applications that are granted for these flights?
§ LORD BESWICKNo, my Lords, I do not agree with the noble Lord. If 142 he is really interested, as I know he is, in the wellbeing of the independent companies in this country he should bear in mind that although the figure I gave him was 1,875 applications expected to be granted to foreign carriers, applications for similar flights by British carriers being passed to authorities abroad for the same period total 20,922 for the coming season, and it is expected that the greater majority of these will be permitted under the same mutual agreement.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy Lords, while accepting the point that many more flights will be carried out by British operators, is it not the case that the vast majority of the passengers—indeed perhaps all the passengers—will be British subjects?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, the noble Lord is asking about traffic originating from here, and therefore that is the question I am answering. He will know that we have to have mutually agreeable arrangements with foreign countries, but the liberal policy to which we are now committed is indeed giving much more employment to the independent companies than would a more nationalistic policy.