Low-flying Aircraft (Central London)

HC Deb 22 April 1971 vol 815 cc433-5W

55. Dr. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the identity, type, and operating company of the aircraft that flew low over central London at 00.01 hours on Monday, 19th

munity that we would wish to respect our commitment to maintain Australia's quota under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement until the end of 1974. Thereafter we have asked that the Australian sugar quota to our market should be phased out gradually over the remainder of the transitional period.

Mr. Deakins

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if United Kingdom steel prices will have to be raised to the European Economic Community levels in the event of the United Kingdom becoming a European Economic Community member; and what effect such increases will have on the competitive performance of United Kingdom exports using steel.

Mr. Ridley

No. Subject to the requirements of the Treaty of Paris the level of prices is a matter for the individual producer's own commercial judgment.

Mr. Deakins

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the number of cars, refrigerators, telephones, television sets and washing machines, respectively, per 1,000 of the United Kingdom population, together with the comparable figures for each member country of the European Economic Community.

Mr. Ridley

The information is not available for refrigerators and washing machines; for the other products, the latest data are as follows:

April, 1971; what was its altitude; what were the reasons for its exceptional noise level; what its sound emission was recorded as being; how it compared with the mean noisiness of aircraft over London; and why it was directed in such a way as to cause this amount of disturbance.

Mr. Noble

A B.E.A. Trident on flight number 5425 crossed central London at a height of 2,500 feet about midnight on 18th-19th April on approach to Heathrow where it landed at 00.06. Noise levels of aircraft on approach are not regularly monitored so comparisons are impossible, but nothing in the way the aircraft was directed should have caused abnormal disturbance.