§ 3.8 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, separately from the review being undertaken by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade of the way aviation security is organised and financed in the United Kingdom and the subsequent report, they are now able to make a statement on the methods used by other countries to finance security charges.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Trefgarne)My Lords, the Government do not propose to make a statement on the methods used by other countries to finance security charges before the review being undertaken by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade is complete. But in the course of that review he will have regard both to the financing of security charges and to the organisation of airport security in other countries.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, in my Question I did say:
separately from the review being undertaken by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade",and I am wondering whether the Minister is able to look at that again, because as usual he has not answered my Question. Anticipating that this might be the case, is he aware that I have found out the facts for myself? Does he know that in the EEC, in Australia, in the United States of America and in Canada standards are set by the Governments through the national security agencies of their countries, and that airlines are expected to maintain these standards?Furthermore, is the Minister aware that the United Kingdom is the only country in the world which has a Government levy to finance security charges? No other country has an Aviation Security Fund. Finally, can the Minister tell me whether he is maintaining 1468 that these facts are not available on the files of the department, or whether the department is determined that an answer shall not be given to the Question that I have asked?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the noble Baroness is most mistaken in the last assertion which she put to your Lordships. I am aware of course that in general the arrangements that we have in this country for financing our aviation security are not those which are followed in other countries. Not all countries, however, choose to make this a charge upon the taxpayer, which I think the noble Baroness has in mind. In the United States, for example, the charge falls upon the airlines themselves. As for the statement which the noble Baroness is asking for, we have no intention, as I said, of making a statement in the way that the noble Baroness asks, but these matters will certainly be taken into account by my honourable friend in the review of which she is aware.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, obviously I accept what the noble Lord says, but it seems most extraordinary. Obviously the files of the department are quite inadequate. May I ask him whether he is aware that, in our Companion to the Standing Orders of the House, it is stated:
The essential purpose of Starred Questions and supplementaries is to elicit information from the Government"?Does he really consider that I have been treated fairly by the department over the past two years and again today in the questions that I have put, which I would submit are reasonable questions and which have obviously been researched? Is it not right that it is the duty of a Minister to provide answers to such questions?
§ Lord TrefgarneI must say, my Lords, that I somewhat resent the suggestion that the answers I give to the noble Baroness do not comply with the Companion to the Standing Orders. Not only do I reply to the noble Baroness often once, twice, or even three times a week, but I, and my successor at the Department of Trade, correspond with the noble Baroness almost equally frequently, and I am surprised that she is still in ignorance of the position.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, but I never get anywhere from any of the answers, either written or spoken.
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, in that case perhaps I may refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to her in correspondence on 23rd March.