§ Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what review he carried out of the night restrictions which currently apply at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe current night restrictions were set in 1988 for a five year period. They end this year and if the current regime is not extended or replaced there will be no night restrictions. I have therefore carried out a wide-ranging review.
I have taken the opportunity to include Stansted in the review so that local people there should have the same level of protection against aircraft noise at night as people living around the other two airports.
The proposals maintain the policy of continuing to protect local communities from excessive exposure to aircraft noise at night without imposing unnecessary restrictions on the airline industry.
The aviation industry makes an important contribution to the economy of the south-east and to the United Kingdom as a whole. It is important for us to make reasonable provision for this—otherwise airlines and airports abroad will seize the business and the prosperity that goes with it. Equally, it is important that those who live around our airports should be able to enjoy a good night's sleep.
Our proposals for a new regime of night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are set out in a consultation paper, issued today. The proposals seek to give more flexibility to airlines but have been designed expressly to favour movements by the quieter types.
We are asking for comments on the proposals to be with us by Friday 30 April.