§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the research being done or commissioned by his Department into pollution caused by expanding air travel in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the European Union and (c) worldwide.
§ Mr. NorrisMy Department is supporting collaborative European research into the effect of aircraft emissions of oxides of nitrogen upon processes such as global warming and ozone depletion. Further joint projects to develop this work and examine other pollutants are being considered. Results are being fed into the major international scientific assessments under the auspices of the intergovernmental panel on climate change and the United Nations environment programme. In turn, these assessments inform deliberations within the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which is the appropriate body for setting emission standards for aircraft worldwide.