§ Baroness Burton of Coventry asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they can now announce the date on which they expect to receive the report from the Civil Aviation Authority, delayed from July 1989, on the adequacy of United Kingdom airport capacity in the period to 2005.
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority has said that he will be advising my right honourable friend this July.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, is the Minister aware that I, too, have read the press release from the CAA? I wonder whether he can help us a little further in the matter. Does he recall that a year ago the chairman of the CAA wrote to The Times newspaper stressing the urgency of reaching a solution in such matters, but that subsequently he requested a delay of 12 months? Can the Minister tell the House whether the Government anticipate the report being received at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of July?
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, the Government are capable of anticipating all sorts of things. However, on this matter I cannot go any further than I have already done. The chairman of the CAA has said that he will be advising my right honourable friend this July. I have no further information.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, the Minister has not gone anywhere at all, never mind making any progress, in the matter. Is he aware that I am asking him for specific information? Is it not possible for the Government, who asked for the report to be produced in the first place, to request that it be made available early in July so that the House may have an opportunity to look at it before the long Summer Recess and before a delay of some four months takes place?
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, I am sorry that the noble Baroness did not find my Answer to be satisfactory. Of course, I am becoming rather used to that situation. However, I at least gave a factual reply to her Question. The Government fully recognise the importance of the subject. That is why it is important to ensure that the report is properly completed. The noble Baroness will no doubt take as early an opportunity as possible to debate the CAA's recommendations.
§ Lord UnderhillMy Lords, is it not the case that IATA published on 10th April a policy document 104 based on a two-year review of the problem of European air congestion? Although I have not had an opportunity to read the document—I hope to be able to do so shortly—I should like to ask whether it would not be a foolish policy to consider the CAA's report and not consider the recommendations of the policy document of IATA at the same time. To do anything else would seem to me to be rather foolish.
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, I can tell the noble Lord, Lord Underhill, that the Department of Transport has received the IATA report which it is in the process of considering. I shall certainly pass on his suggestion to my right honourable friend.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, I should tell the Minister that I have read a summary of the report. Is he able to tell the noble Lord, Lord Underhill, that it is not the slightest use always recommending a delay until something else is done? Is he aware that the last time I asked this question the noble Lord again recommended a delay until some other action was taken? Finally, do the Government not understand that most people believe that there is no real desire in the Government's mind to make progress on these matters and that nothing he says will change that opinion?
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, I shall certainly pass on the noble Baroness's remarks to the noble Lord, Lord Underhill. I shall be interested to hear what he has to say in reply. However, I must tell the noble Baroness that the department is at present considering separately ways to take forward the recommendations at a working level when they are received. There is no doubting the fact that the report will not lie dormant. It will be acted upon as soon as it is received.
§ Lord UnderhillMy Lords, will the noble Viscount pass on to the noble Baroness my own view that although we do not want delay, on the other hand we do not want to find that a decision has been taken on a CAA report when the recommendations of the IATA policy document may have far-reaching consequences on that report? Surely that is an important matter.
§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, I agree.