§ 3.12 p.m.
§ Baroness BURTON of COVENTRYMy 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 BARUK (Board of Airline Representatives in the United Kingdom) is asking its 1169 76 member airlines to display notices on airline counters warning passengers that airline flights may be overbooked and whether they will recommend similar action to all travel agents issuing air tickets.
Lord ORAMYes, my Lords. I am advised that at a meeting on 19th January, which I understand my noble friend attended, the Board of Airline Representatives in the United Kingdom agreed that a notice about over-booking should be printed and distributed not only to airline offices and to airport counters but also to travel agents. The Government welcome this initiative.
§ Baroness BURTON of COVENTRYMy Lords, that is an extraordinary reply. While I believe that my noble friend himself is glad that we have had this breakthrough, may I ask whether, on the publicity point, he recalls that since July 1976 I have been asking the Government to encourage such action and that, throughout, they accepted the opinion of the Civil Aviation Authority, which was against the adoption of such a procedure in this country? As BARUK told me on the particular date referred to that they thought the customer had a right to know, may we take it that the Government now share this viewpoint?
Lord ORAMMy Lords, this indeed has a long history, as your Lordships will recognise. I hoped that my noble friend would have used some other adjective than "extraordinary" when I announced that she had got what her Question really asks for. I think the exchanges that we have had on this question of publicity for the compensation scheme have concerned whose responsibility it is, and I have explained on many occasions that the responsibility is that of the airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority. Having in this respect reached a very satisfactory conclusion, I hope that my noble friend will acknowledge that.
§ Baroness BURTON of COVENTRYYes, my Lords; but is my noble friend aware that I have had no help at all from the Government, and that I have reached this myself by doing the work they should have done? In the general euphoria I forgot to ask my noble friend a question 1170 that I wanted to ask him. If I gave him a photostat of this notice which is to be issued by BARUK, which is very brief, would it be possible for it to be published in the Official Report together with this Question?
On another point, may I ask my noble friend whether he is aware that BARUK informed me that this could apply only to their own members; that is, the 76 airlines? It could not apply to the travel agents. So do I take it that the Government are lending their support in asking all agents who sell air tickets to show such notices on their counters?
Lord ORAMMy Lords, I have indicated that the Government welcome the fact that these notices are being distributed to travel agents, and obviously they are distributed so that they should be shown. So my noble friend can take it that we are urging travel agents to display them. On the question of whether a photostat of the notice can be included in the Official Report, I am afraid I am not expert in these matters. I will certainly find our whether an arrangement can be reached whereby that can be done.