HC Deb 28 March 2003 vol 402 c410W
Mr. David Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations there are as to the number of pieces, and sizes, of items of hand luggage which each passenger is entitled to take into the cabin of an aircraft. [105006]

Mr. Jamieson

Airline operators in the UK are required to follow the safety requirements set by the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure the safe storage of hand luggage during a flight. These require that all hand baggage be adequately and securely stowed, that it does not impede access to emergency equipment and that the maximum placarded weight in overhead bins is not exceeded.

It is the operator's responsibility to establish baggage handling procedures that comply with these requirements, including as appropriate, any restrictions on cabin luggage.

Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics are collected on incidences of ill-health in the British population as a result of infection caused by travelling by plane. [104488]

Mr. Jamieson

None. The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's report on Air Travel and Health in November 2000 concluded that the risk of transmission of infection due specifically to being in the aircraft cabin environment was no greater than elsewhere, at least in relation to major illnesses, provided circulation and filtration systems are working properly. Systematic records of the numbers of passengers where health has been allegedly affected by air travel are, therefore, not kept.