§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the responses the Government has received to The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland consultation document. [121925]
§ Mr. McNultyWe have received approximately 300 responses to the consultation concerning Northern Ireland and about 140,000 responses from across the2W UK. We will analyse all responses carefully and set out our conclusions in the Air Transport White Paper later this year.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken to implement the principle enunciated in the 1998 Transport White Paper that aviation should meet the external, including environmental, costs it imposes. [122775]
§ Mr. McNultyFollowing the announcement made in the 2002 Pre-Budget Report, the Government has issued a discussion document and held a series of workshops with stakeholders to consider the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that aviation meets its external costs, including environmental costs. The Government will set out its views in the forthcoming Air Transport White Paper. The Government strongly supports further action at the international level to tackle the contribution of aircraft emissions to climate change, and we are working within ICAO and the EU to achieve this. At the local level differential charges related to aircraft noise already exists at BAA's London airports.