HL Deb 13 July 1976 vol 373 cc147-50

2.51 p.m.

Baroness BURTON of COVENTRY

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 whether they are aware that the Civil Aviation Authority has decided, for the time being, not to put forward the scheme they envisaged for dealing with the problem of airline overbooking and whether, therefore, there will be an opportunity to debate the scheme put forward by the airlines.

Lord ORAM

My Lords, the Authority have kept the Government fully informed on this matter. The scheme now being operated voluntarily is very much on the lines which my noble friend the Leader of the House, in the debate on 3rd February, indicated that the Government wished to see followed. The House discussed the question at length on that occasion. For this reason, and because the details of the scheme are a matter for the Authority, I do not believe that it is appropriate to spend time on a further debate. I am, however, arranging for a summary of the compensation scheme to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and I will try to answer any further questions that your Lordships may wish to ask.

Baroness BURTON of COVENTRY

My Lords, arising out of that reply, and in view of the remarkable lack of publicity about the scheme, I wonder whether my noble friend the Minister could enlighten us on two further points. Can he tell us how the general public is to know about the scheme? Is it anticipated that leaflets or pamphlets will be given to travellers when they book, or when they check in at the airport? If my noble friend could answer this second question, of which I have not given him prior notice, it would be most helpful: Is he aware that The Times on 3rd July last, in summarising the Scheme, said: Passengers will be eligible for compensation provided they have booked or confirmed their booking in the United Kingdom, and are denied carriage on the flight because of over-bookings"? Can my noble friend say whether that will apply to people who have booked return flights in the United Kingdom on British airlines?

Lord ORAM

My Lords, on the first point, about publicity, the Authority has informed the Press of the scheme, and it requires the airlines to publicise the arrangements and to make the position clear to passengers. How they will do that, with regard to leaflets and so on, we shall see. I am sure that agents will be keen to help their customers by indicating which airlines offer this protection.

My noble friend Lady Burton of Coventry says that she did not give me notice of her second point, but I watch the correspondence columns of The Times. She wrote a letter to The Times asking this question. If my noble friend will look at the summary, which will be in the Library, she will see that the first sentence reads: Passengers who are booked to travel on a flight taking off from any point in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man are entitled to compensation. I think my noble friend will find that that is the answer to her question. The scheme is well described in the summary to which I have referred.

Baroness BURTON of COVENTRY

My Lords, I am sorry; I am most appreciative of what the noble Lord has said, but that is not an answer to my question. I asked him whether people who had booked return flights in the United Kingdom by British airlines would come under this scheme—in other words, what about return flights?

Lord SLATER

My Lords, am I not right in assuming from the reply given to my noble friend Lady Burton of Coventry by my noble friend the Minister with regard to publicity, that airlines operating throughout the world have some form of public relations department responsible for publicity in regard to the services they are seeking to give? What more publicity could one have, apart from what comes over the radio, or even on television, or the newspapers, than what is being given at the moment?

Lord ORAM

My Lords, my noble friend Lord Slater is quite right. Of course the airlines have extensive publicity arrangements. I have little doubt they will be taking up this point and putting the information across.

Lord DERWENT

My Lords, surely the return flight would be covered, because although the return flight starts from somewhere else, the whole flight starts from this country?

Lord ORAM

My Lords, that is an interesting interpretation, but I stick to mine.

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, before the Government enforce the implementation of this scheme, will they bear in mind the inevitable inflationary effects that will follow? Can the noble Lord the Minister state the percentage increase in airline costs that will arise under this operation?

Lord ORAM

My Lords, not without notice.

Lord AIREDALE

My Lords, would not the interpretation of the noble Lord, Lord Derwent, produce a result which is fair, and that of the noble Lord the Minister produce a result which is unfair?

Several noble Lords

Answer!

Lord MACKIE of BENSHIE

My Lords, perhaps the noble Lord the Minister could tell us whether there is any political significance in the fact that the Government will guarantee to take people out of the country, but will not guarantee to bring them back?

Lord ORAM

My Lords, there is no political significance in that. If I may now refer to the supplementary question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Airedale, I think that when he examines the scheme, as he will be able to, he will find that it is a scheme which is fair.