HL Deb 05 November 1969 vol 305 cc334-5
THE EARL OF KINNOULL

My 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 how soon legislation will be introduced to give effect to the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into Civil Air Transport.]

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, as the noble Lord will appreciate, it will first be necessary to state the Government's policy arising from the Edwards Committee recommendations, and this will be done by a White Paper to be published in the very near future.

THE EARL OF KINNOULL

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that rather vague answer, may I ask him whether he is aware that as long ago as May 2 his right honourable friend anticipated that the Government would be producing their White Paper during the summer? Can he not be a little more precise and say whether it will be by Christmas time? Can he also say whether we are to presume that since no legislation was mentioned in the gracious Speech no Bill will be introduced this Session?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I accept what the noble Lord says about the need to get on with this matter. I should have liked to give him an actual date for the publication of the White Paper. I cannot do so, for certain reasons, but I think it may be a matter of days rather than weeks. So far as the gracious Speech is concerned, I think that if the noble Earl looks at it again he will find that there is a reference.