HC Deb 08 December 2003 vol 415 cc203-4W
Mr. Peter Ainsworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will set out the basis on which alternative proposals for the development of runway capacity in the South East were selected for further appraisal; and if he will make a statement; [142794]

(2) if he will list the proposals which have been (a) submitted to and (b) appraised by, his Department as alternative runway development options since the publication of The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK, South East, Second Edition. [142797]

Mr. McNulty

All serious, worked-up proposals submitted to us that are alternatives to, or variants of. options set out in The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom, South East consultation document, have been appraised. These arethe Thames Reach proposal for a new airport in North Kent the Marinair proposal for an island airport in the Thames Estuary a proposal for a new airport on the Isle of Sheppey a proposal for a new airport at Goodwin Sands in East Kent a proposal to develop Redhill aerodrome the London Oxford proposal for a new airport near Abingdon in Oxfordshire

Mr. Peter Ainsworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to public funds to date has been of work undertaken on appraising alternative options to those set out in the consultation paper for runway development in the South East. [142795]

Mr. McNulty

We are not able at present to identify separately the costs of work in relation to appraisal of alternative options and all other work relating to the preparation of the White Paper.