§ Mr. William Rodgersasked the Minister of Aviation Supply whether, in view of his forthcoming discussions with the French Government on the price at which Concorde will be sold, he will indicate the best estimate available to him of the manufacturing costs of Concorde, excluding development costs, on a total production, respectively, of 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 aircraft.
§ Mr. CorfieldIt would be undesirable to give information of this kind in advance of commercial negotiations between the manufacturers and the airlines.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply how many complaints have been lodged from Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively, arising from the supersonic testing of Concorde over land.
§ Mr. David PriceMy Department had received up to 11th December 37 complaints from Scotland, 87 from Wales and 441 from Cornwall.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply how many supersonic flights have been made by Concorde over Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively.
§ Mr. David PriceTen flights have taken place along the west coast route. Nine of these passed over Scotland, nine over Wales and six over Cornwall.
380Wthe four weeks up to the week ending 9th December, 1970:
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply (1) how many claims have been lodged from damage allegedly caused by the supersonic testing of Concorde over Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, respectively;
(2) how many claims have so far been settled in respect of damage attributable to the supersonic testing of Concorde in Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively;
(3) how many claims have so far been rejected in respect of claimed compensation allegedly attributable to the supersonic testing of Concorde over Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall.
§ Mr. David PriceMy Department had received up to 11th December, 57 claims from Scotland. 118 from Wales and 157 from Cornwall. Of these 21, 10 and 38 respectively had been settled by the Claims Commission. 26 claims, 25 from Wales and one from Cornwall, had been rejected by the Claims Commission and three claims from Wales and two from Cornwall have been withdrawn.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply what is the total sum so far claimed in respect of damage allegedly attributable to the supersonic testing of Concorde over Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively.
§ Mr. David PriceA majority of claims for damage do not at the time they are made include an estimate of the cost of repairs. I am unable therefore to give a figure.
381W
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply what sums have so far been paid for damage caused by the supersonic test-flying of Concorde over Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively.
§ Mr. David PriceUp to 11th December, £1,381 10s. 8d. had been paid in settlement of claims for damage arising out of Concorde's supersonic test flights over these areas. This sum is divided as follows: Scotland: £419 17s. 1d.; Wales: £106 12s. 1d.; Cornwall: £855 1s. 6d.
§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of Aviation Supply how many claims are currently in dispute and involving what respective sums in connection with damage allegedly attributable to the supersonic testing of Concorde over Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall, respectively.
§ Mr. David Price36 claims from Scotland, 80 from Wales and 115 from Cornwall were still being investigated on 11th December. The majority of claims for damage do not at the time they are made include an estimate of the cost of repairs and I cannot therefore give a figure for the total amount claimed.
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Minister of Aviation Supply whether he will initiate discussions with the French Government to secure joint Anglo-French policy on what representations to make to the United States authorities about their instructions for the landing of Concorde at United States airports.
§ Mr. CorfieldNone of the authorities concerned has yet made any regulations affecting the operation of supersonic transports at U.S. airports. Both we and the French Government are, however, in close touch with each other and with the U.S. authorities on this question.