§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what programmes he is putting in place to ensure that all UK regional airports can benefit from EU public service obligation funding. [32804]
§ Mr. NorrisEC legislation allows member states to impose a public service obligation on a scheduled air service to an airport serving a peripheral or development region in its territory or on a thin route to any regional airport in its territory, where the route is considered vital for the economic development of the region and the availability of other forms of transport is limited. A subsidy may be paid where no operator is able to provide a commercial service which complies with the terms of the PSO.
In the UK, certain routes serving the western and northern islands of Scotland are regarded as lifeline routes. The operator of air services on these routes receives subsidy from the Scottish Office or local government. PSOs are progressively being imposed on the routes in line with EC legislation, and any subsidies 483W required will continue to be provided by the Scottish Office and the islands councils. At present, no PSOs have been imposed on mainland services.