HC Deb 01 November 1989 vol 159 cc192-3W
Mrs. Maureen Hicks

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what strategy the Government have for tackling air traffic congestion in Europe.

Mr. Parkinson

The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority have reviewed the provision of air traffic control in Europe. We consider that in addition to initiatives taken in the last year, western European states should now work urgently towards the integration of their air traffic control systems. In order to achieve this, states would need to enter into a specific commitment to integrate their system to an agreed timetable and to bring about the necessary changes to the institutional framework.

We envisage that the integrated system would be operated from a series of area control centres which have compatible systems and equipment and would be connected by a common communications network. Some changes of air space boundaries might be agreed, but we would expect most control centres to continue to be operated by national authorities. The system would function irrespective of state boundaries, which would become transparent to airspace users. Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, would be given an enhanced role in developing a single integration plan and in helping national authorities to expedite its implementation.

£ thousand
Increases
Current End year flexibility1 Revised
Class and vote cash limit Capital Running costs Other cash limit
VIII, 1 1,282,912 22,832 — 265,000 1,370,744
2 234,213 2,000 686 31,970 238,869
4 128,883 1,913 602 — 131,398
5 218,706 — — 41 218,707
1 Take up in full of entitlements announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 July 1989 (Official Report, columns 258–62).
2 Increases of £25 million towards preparation and supervision of new construction as part of the expanded roads programme described in the Roads for Prosperity White Paper (Cm. 693) and £40 million to meet faster than expected progress in schemes in the current roads programme.
3 Additional running costs provision to cover work on the expanded roads programme.
4 Token. Increased payments and recoveries in respect of traffic control systems.

All these increases will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

The running costs limit of the Department of Transport has been increased by £3,258,000 from £284,873,000 to £288,131,000 as a consequence of the running costs increases referred to above.