§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the changes in the fiscal rules that will apply to public corporations with particular reference to local authority airport companies. [47035]
§ Mr. DarlingThe Minister for Transport will be consulting shortly on the Government's plans for allowing financially sound local authority airports greater commercial flexibility, as announced in the Economic and 507W Fiscal Strategy Report (Cm 3798). The consultations will cover both the detailed criteria for selecting those airports that will benefit and the operation of the new regime.
The Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report also announced plans to give certain, largely self-funding, public corporations more flexibility to manage their spending between years, within agreed limits on external finance. Additional flexibilities may be available for some of these bodies in the light of the conclusions of reviews currently under way.