§ Mr. Colvinasked the Minister for Trade what steps he is taking to encourage a relaxation of the regulatory burden with respect to international air freight rates.
§ Mr. SproatIn continuing pursuit of the Government's policy of liberalisation in aviation matters, I am pleased to be able to tell my hon. Friend that after extensive consultation with the industry and user representatives, the Civil Aviation Authority has decided that the time has come to withdraw from the detailed regulation of scheduled air freight rates. Charter rates are already deregulated in the United Kingdom, and air freight rates in the important United Kingdom-United States of America market are also virtually deregulated under an agreement between the two countries. Nearly all rates on all intra-Europe routes will be deregulated. On other routes the CAA will implement extensive deregulation, in that it will no longer examine every freight rate proposed by airlines, which can run to hundreds or even thousands each year, but will instead concentrate its main attention on those few remaining areas where the authority believes that the airlines may be in a position to exploit a monopoly position to overcharge United Kingdom exporters. These measures of liberalisation will lighten the regulatory110W burden on the United Kingdom aviation industry and at the same time ensure that the reasonable interests of the users of air freight services are protected.