§ 48. Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to relieve air congestion.
127W
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for the provision of air traffic control services in the United Kingdom. The Government have approved a substantial increase in the authority's investment programme for air traffic control systems; the authority plans to spend some £600 million over the next 10 years. In addition, the authority has increased the recruitment of air traffic controllers from 80 in 1988 to 200 last year; this figure is planned to rise to 240 a year from 1991 onwards.
Internationally, the Government have launched several initiatives to promote harmonisation and progressive integration of European air traffic control systems in order to increase airspace capacity.