§ 2.36 p.m.
§ Lord O'NEILL of the MAINEMy 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 they are aware that the new TriStar service to Belfast is still unsatisfactory.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I am aware of the difficulties experienced by passengers following the introduction of the TriStar on to the London—Belfast route. I understand that the greater part of the problem is at Heathrow and that urgent action is in hand to ease this situation.
§ Lord O'NEILL of the MAINEMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that the service is even worse than I forecast in this House two months ago? The earliest I have been is one hour late; the latest I have been is four hours late; and there was one alarming day when the automatic brake came on as we were travelling at 70 mph down the runway. Do the Government appreciate that on a route where security is, quite rightly, extremely strict, this is not a suitable 'plane for running that service?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, any change in technology, of which this is one, brings with it problems. The traffic volume between London and Belfast is very large, and it was an obvious choice for a wide-bodied jet with a medium-range capability. In the long term, I am certain that this new and successful aeroplane will serve Northern Ireland very well.
§ Lord O'NEILL of the MAINEMy Lords, I wonder whether the Minister is further aware of this fact. It may give my Scottish colleagues great pleasure to know that the reason for the introduction of the TriStar on the Belfast route was to supply sufficient Tridents for the shuttle service to Glasgow. Nevertheless, the forecast by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board is that, shuttle or no shuttle, the fare from London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast next autumn will be £60 return.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, that is another question. If the noble Lord would put down a Question about the economics of the flight, I will try to answer it.
§ Lord NUGENT of GUILDFORDMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I recently had a comfortable flight to Belfast in a TriStar? But perhaps I was not discriminated against on privilege grounds, as I am not an ex-Prime Minister.
Viscount GOSCHENMy Lords, is it not a fact that the TriStar, travelling at the speed which my noble friend said, is capable of stopping by the reverse thrust, anyhow, without the use of the brakes?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, that is a technical question on which the noble Viscount is more expert than I am.