§ 2.36 p.m.
§ Lord KILMANYMy 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 the cost benefit study at Edinburgh Airport for a new runway or of an extension to the present one has been completed and whether a timetable for this and other improvements has now been agreed.]
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, the cost benefit study to which the noble Lord refers has been completed and is now being examined. The Government hope to be able to make an announcement about this and related matters affecting the future of Turnhouse at an early date.
§ Lord KILMANYMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I say that it is difficult not to be disappointed with it? Is the noble Lord not aware that quite recently the Chairman of B.E.A. gave a warning that, unless something is done quickly, Turn-house will soon be able to provide only a second-class service? The tenor of the noble Lord's reply scarcely gave the House to believe that the matter is being tackled with the urgency that it requires.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I understand the noble Lord's disappointment and I should have liked to give him a date by which the decision could be announced, but I am sorry that I am not able to do so. I know he will understand that there are quite a number of alternatives to weigh up here. It is not a straightforward decision to take.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, can the noble Lord say what percentage return is looked for from this cost benefit examination to justify proceeding, bearing in mind that 7 per cent. is now thought to be sufficient for a Scottish road programme?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I think that in this case we are looking at factors which are not easily measurable, such as return to the area generally. That is the sort of problem which is making it a little more difficult to decide.
Lord STRATHEDEN and CAMPBELLMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the problems of this airfield give any grounds for the rumour, which appeared in the Press, about an entirely new airfield to supplant the listing one?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I am not quite sure about that. I want to give the noble Lord the right answer. The fact of the matter is that there is the possibility of an alternative. That has been put up, as the noble Lord probably knows, and it is another of the complicated issues. But it is fair to say to the noble Lord, and to the noble Earl who asked about the benefits to be derived, that if the Edinburgh Corporation had shown their enthusiasm for the extension to the extent of proffering rather more money a decision could have been taken earlier.