§ The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Healey)The 2002 pre-Budget report announced that the Government would discuss with stakeholders the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that the aviation industry is encouraged to take account of, and where appropriate reduce, its contribution to global warming, local air and noise pollution.
To take this process forward, the Government will shortly be issuing invitations to all key representative stakeholders to attend discussion sessions. The stakeholders will include umbrella organisations covering the following broad areas:
- Industry and business (including airlines, airport operators, manufacturers, tourism bodies and union representatives)
- National environmental groups
- Public bodies
- The expert community
To provide background and support to these discussions, the Government are today publishing a discussion paper, Aviation and the environment: using economic instruments. This document, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House, covers:
The Government's objectives for aviation. The Government believe that aviation should aim to maximise its significant social and economic benefits and minimise its environmental impacts.The Government's approach to using economic instruments in general, following the Government's environmental tax principles set out in Tax and the environment: using economic instruments, published alongside the 2002 pre-Budget report.The Government's estimates of aviation's environmental costs, including its impacts on climate change, local air quality and noise.The document also contains a list of questions which the Government would like stakeholders to consider in more detail at the discussions.
The discussions with stakeholders, as well as the document being published today, will help to inform policy on the future development of air transport in the UK on which the Government are consulting through a series of documents issued last summer and, additionally, through a second edition of the South East consultation document published on 27 February. The Government will set out their views in their air transport White Paper later this year.