§ Mr. BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the NATS part-privatisation on the implementation date of the Swanwick Air Traffic Control System. [95695]
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§ Mr. MullinThe Public/Private Partnership for NATS will not have any impact on the target operational date for the Swanwick centre which is spring 2002. At present the development of the centre is proceeding well, and meeting its target milestones. It is likely that by the time the NATS PPP is established, the air traffic control system will be ready for operations, and training of controllers on the new system will be well underway.
The introduction into operation of the Swanwick centre is an integral part of NATS' plans for the future control of air traffic in the UK. The NATS PPP will therefore be obliged to complete the centre and bring it into operation.