§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
If they will announce the 1993–94 supplementary credit approvals for public airport companies and local authority airports.
The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)Supplementary credit approvals totalling £12 million will be available for public airport companies and local authority airports for 1993–94. These credit approvals, together with other resources which public airport companies expect at the stage to invest, will assist the airports concerned to provide facilities which they estimate could cost some £83 million in 1993–94.
We have today agreed to supplementary credit approvals totalling £4 million at this stage. The projects concerned include the continuation of work on the south apron and taxiway and on the new control tower and fire station at Coventry Airport, runway resurfacing at Exeter Airport and lighting schemes at Biggin Hill Airport. Formal supplementary credit approvals for these and other projects will be issued to the local authorities shortly.
The £12 million supplementary credit approval provision for local authority airports, used in conjunction with airports' internal resources, will ensure that safety and security schemes can proceed. We look to the private sector to play the major role in financing significant airport expansion.