§ 3.7 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, in view of the Answer given by the Lord Trefgarne on 10th December (cols. 1431–32), the filing of discounted air fares with the Civil Aviation Authority makes the sale of discounted air tickets legal; and, if so, when were details of discounted air fares filed with the authority by British Airways and when was approval given to these fares by the Civil Aviation Authority and Her Majesty's Government.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Trefgarne)My Lords, 1396 the reduced fares offered by British Airways were filed with the Civil Aviation Authority on 31st December 1981 and approved by the authority on the same day. Fares which have been filed and approved are neither discounted nor illegal.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, that is a much clearer Answer than we have received before. While wishing every success to this process, may I ask the Minister whether he is aware that when British Airways finally filed on New Year's Eve, they filed really to get assent to be able to charge what fares they liked? In other words, the fares were anything between £1 and the economy fare. Would the Government feel able to approve such suggestions from other airlines?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, I could not give an undertaking of' approval of some proposal that is only in the mind of the noble Baroness and not in front of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State. However, the attitude of the Government towards fares in general—particularly on these routes—is well known and I doubt whether there would be any difficulty.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, may I ask the Minister, then, this question: With regard to the Question that I have down for next week, could that appear before his right honourable friend so that we might get an Answer on something of which he has previous knowledge?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, with the permission of the House and the noble Baroness, I will answer next week's Question next week.