§ 2.40 p.m.
§ Lord MOLSONMy 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 (in view of the developments carried out at Stansted in breach of undertakings given at the time of the passing of the Order in 1968 under the Town and Country Planning Act), they will now undertake that no further developments will be carried out at that airport under the General Development Order, thereby avoiding the need for a further public inquiry.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I am not aware that there has been any breach of undertakings in respect of Stansted, but I can assure the noble Lord that there will be no extension of the airport without full consultation with those concerned.
§ Lord MOLSONMy Lords, without pursuing the matter of what I have suggested was a breach of undertakings by the Authority, may I ask the Minister whether and when there is likely to be a Statement by the Government about any further airport developments which may be necessary as a result of the cancellation of the Maplin scheme?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I understand that there have already been consultations with no fewer than 125 local authorities and amenity groups. The results of those consultations have been studied and, within the next few months, options will be sent to the local authorities concerned, after which there will be further consultation.
§ Lord MOLSONMy Lords, I do not think the noble Lord has quite understood what I was trying to get at. When shall we know the expected increase or reduction in the amount of air traffic involved? As a result of the cancellation of the Maplin project, in what way is it intended to cope with this situation?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, if the noble Lord is referring to Stansted, the figures are rather interesting. In 1971 500,000 passengers went through Stansted. The figure last year went down to 205,000.
§ Lord LEATHERLANDMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that the people of North Essex are very suspicious of the surreptitious developments which have been taking place at Stansted? When will he be able to make an open statement about the Government's real intentions with regard to that area?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, having had something to do with this matter on both sides of the House over the last seven or eight years, I do not need to be told by my noble friend that the local authority of which he is aware is of a suspicious nature. And I will not accept that any statement I have made has not been open. May I correct the figures I gave just now to the noble Lord, Lord Molson. In 1971 there were 550,000 passengers moving through Stansted; in 1974 the figure was 204,000. So he can see that there is scope for considerable development before the figure reached in 1971 is reached again.
§ Lord SLATERMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that, if my memory serves me correctly, this is a project that can be said to have been one of the "babies" produced by the Opposition when they were in Government? Does he not find himself in an embarrassing position in having to answer now such questions as have been tabled in regard 5 to this project, in view of the fact that the Opposition gave birth to it?
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, the facts are not quite like that, but I appreciate the helpful nature of my noble friend's question.