§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what risk assessment has been made of the simultaneous use of the Kew and St. Margaret's western approaches at Heathrow. [58501]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe KEW and St. Margaret's western approaches are used simultaneously only rarely when the scheduled demand of aircraft waiting to land at Heathrow exceeds the capacity of the designated landing runway. This procedure conforms with the International 113W Civil Aviation Organisation's standard operating procedures and requires the maintenance of standard separation criteria between landing traffic. It does not, therefore, require special risk assessment.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to ensure that no area is disproportionately affected by overflying aircraft landing at Heathrow. [58496]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonLanding aircraft need to make their final approach aligned with the runway, which limits the scope for varying their final approach track. The Aircraft Noise Monitoring Advisory Committee (ANMAC), which advises the DETR on aircraft noise at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, is currently investigating the feasibility of setting noise limits for arriving aircraft and other possible means of ameliorating arrivals noise. ANMAC has also established a working group which is looking at the causes of variability in the noise levels of landing aircraft.
In the second stage consultation paper on night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, to be issued shortly, we will be inviting views on various options for changes to the preferential use of Heathrow's runways at night.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment the Government have made of the safety impact of recent steps to reduce horizontal distances between planes on landing at Heathrow. [58494]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonSafety concerns are paramount to both the Government and to our aviation safety advisers, the Safety Regulation Group (SRG) of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). SRG approved stringent procedures for using reduced horizontal spacing for arriving aircraft at Heathrow in January 1998 after exhaustive trials had confirmed that safety was in no way compromised. Reduced separation can be implemented only in daylight hours; for certain types of aircraft; when there is an arrivals backlog; and is subject to prevailing weather conditions. SRG will continue to monitor the use of these procedures to ensure that the safe operation of the airport is maintained.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will establish an independent monitoring body to measure aircraft noise at Heathrow. [58497]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonWe have no plans to do so. Aircraft noise is already measured satisfactorily by Heathrow Airport Limited to check compliance with the take-off noise limits set by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and to detect infringements. The integrated aircraft noise and track-keeping (NTK) system installed by BAA plc. in 1993 is used for this purpose. Data from the system are also used by the Department of Operational Research and Analysis of the CAA/NATS in producing the annual historical aircraft noise exposure contours published by the DETR, and for study purposes.
Aircraft noise around Heathrow is monitored by the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC) and has been the subject of technical studies by DORA on behalf of the Aircraft Noise Monitoring Advisory 114W Committee (ANMAC), which advises my Department. Both include representatives of local government, local interest groups and the aviation industry.