HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc158-60W
Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to ensure that proposals for the expansion of airports in the south east take into account the findings of his Department"s multi-modal studies for the eastern region. [116323]

Mr. Jamieson

Recommendations on the multi-modal studies in the East of England will be submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, shortly after the airports consultation closes on 30 June.

This will allow consideration of these recommendations before final decisions on airport capacity issues are taken. These will be set out in the air transport White Paper which we plan to publish later this year.

Mr. David Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses he has received on his consultative document on the future of air transport in the United Kingdom; and when he expects to publish conclusions following the end of the consulting process. [116175]

Mr. Jamieson

We have already received over 100,000 responses to the consultation from across the UK, and we expect to receive many more by 30 June. We shall take careful account of the responses, together with the appraisals we have published, in deciding on the policies to be set out in the White Paper.

Consultation on "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" ends on 30 June. The Government plan to issue a White Paper by the end of the year which will provide a strategic policy framework for future airport development.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which airports were excluded from the consultation on additional capacity and for what reasons. [116304]

Mr. Jamieson

Studies supporting the on-going "Future Development of Air Transport" national consultation considered a wide range of possible airport development options at existing airports and potential new sites. Options were selected using the appraisal criteria established for the process. Reports relating to this process have been published.

Runway options for Gatwick airport, which had not been included in the July consultation, were subsequently presented in a second edition of the South East consultation document, published in February, following a High Court judgment in November 2002.

It is open to consultees to submit alternative ideas for consideration.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether an assessment of the(a) environmental and (b) health impact of the expansion of an existing airport will be undertaken before that airport is identified for expansion in any forthcoming White Paper following the current consultation. [116305]

Mr. Jamieson

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 22 May 2003,Official Report, column 938W. A full range of environmental impacts have been examined and will be taken into account before decisions are reached.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to ensure that the review of airport capacity across the UK takes into account the economic development goals of each region. [116307]

Mr. Jamieson

The compatibility of airport development options with published regional strategies was considered in the studies informing "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" consultation.

This analysis will be further informed by responses to the consultation. All responses will be considered carefully before final decisions are taken. These will be set out in the air transport White Paper which we plan to publish later this year.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account will be taken of the recent downturn in the airline industry when considering future policy on airport capacity. [116308]

Mr. Jamieson

Future policy on the provision of airport capacity will be informed by our published forecasts of demand for air transport services. These forecasts are long-term in nature and necessarily consider the aviation industry in the round. Some parts of the industry have been adversely affected recently by a downturn in global demand. Other sectors, such as the no-frills carriers, have performed well over the same period. Demand will always be subject to short-term fluctuations, but overall we remain confident that our forecasts for the next 30 years are robust.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the cost of the extra infrastructure to meet the volume of road and rail traffic generated by his proposals for the expansion of airport capacity in the South East; [116309]

(2) what research has been carried out into the capabilities to cope with increased volumes of traffic of existing road and rail infrastructure serving each airport identified for expansion in the current review of airport capacity. [116306]

Mr. Jamieson

The South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS) included a costed appraisal of the road and rail infrastructure that would be needed for different airport development options. This included an assessment of the type and scale of improvements that might be required on the strategic network.

The results are summarised for each of the options in "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East (second edition)" main consultation document. Further details are contained in the SERAS stage two appraisal findings report and supporting documents. Copies of all reports are available in the House Libraries.