HC Deb 21 July 2004 vol 424 cc55-8WS
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Tony McNulty)

I announced on 15 January 2004,Official Report, columns 44–46WS that, following consultation last year, we had decided to continue the present night restrictions regime at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted until the end of the summer season 2005 (30 October 2005). This was to allow us time to consider comments received in response to the question about the appropriate review cycle in the consultation paper "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East", and the wider policy context, before we consult on a new night restrictions regime for those airports, to take effect from 30 October 2005.

We intend to carry out the consultation on the new regime in two stages: we are publishing the consultation paper on stage one today. The consultation paper is rather different from previous consultations on night restrictions for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The paper sets out the general background to the whole of the consultation and our intention that the next regime should apply for six years, to the end of the summer season 2011. By that time the 5th Terminal at Heathrow will have been in operation for about three years and the opening date for a 2nd runway at Stansted (if planning permission is granted) should be known.

The consultation paper also includes: a statement of our broad aims for the night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and an invitation to suggest environmental objectives and specific noise abatement objectives for each of those airports; detailed proposals relating to the classification of aircraft, the main focus of this first stage of the consultation, further background information and extended preliminary consultation on some other aspects of the night restrictions regime; and an explanation of how and when we shall carry out assessments to comply with Directive 2002/30 of the European Parliament and of the Council (implemented into UK law by The Aerodromes (Noise Restrictions) (Rules and Procedures) Regulations 2003—SI No.1742 of 2003) and also a Regulatory Impact Assessment.

The issues relating to the way aircraft are classified for night restrictions purposes need to be resolved in stage one so that the effects of different options for the length of the night quota period, the size of the noise quotas and movement limits and the ratios between them, can each be assessed properly in stage two.

At present, aircraft are classified according to the Quota Count (QC) system that was specially designed for the night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and introduced in 1993. The QC classification system is based on aircraft noise certification data (determined in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and we propose to retain it.

The consultation paper on the one year extension to present restrictions referred to the findings of a technical review' which used data collected in normal operating circumstances to verify the QC classification of aircraft types. The results show that most aircraft currently operating at night at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted have operational noise levels that accord with their present classification. To the extent that the study highlights differences between observed operational noise and ICAO standards, the differences have been brought to the attention of the international technical 1Quota Count Validation Study: Noise Measurement and Analysis: ERCD Report 0205. experts currently examining ICAO noise certification requirements. We believe in and support the international system of noise certification. We are pressing for the certification requirements to be updated, to reflect modern operating procedures and conditions, and to be made more rigorous.

Article 4(4) of Directive 2002–30 and Regulation 5(3) of SI No. 1742 preclude the use of any system of noise classification other than that based on ICAO noise certification data. It follows that, although the UK (and other Member States) may choose how to use ICAO data in imposing operating restrictions, it has no discretion to substitute measurements of operational noise as an alternative to the noise certification data. That would have the effect of decoupling the classification of the aircraft concerned from their noise certification data. We are, therefore, not consulting on this issue.

If we retain the QC system it is still possible to modify or extend it provided the classification remains based on noise certification data. Changes arising from earlier commitments and technical studies that we are considering taking forward are: whether to remove the weight limit on jet aircraft able to qualify as exempt but, at the same time, to introduce a new QC/0.25 band; whether to retain the minus 9 EPNdB adjustment for arrivals which takes account of the difference between the noise impacts of arrivals and departures; whether to prohibit QC/4 aircraft from being scheduled or from operating in the present night quota period.

These are the key issues for this first stage of the consultation. They are explained in more detail in section 7 of the consultation paper.

The consultation paper also contains information to meet the new regulatory requirements established by Directive 2002/30/EC and SI 2003 No 1742, including data that will be used in stage two as the basis against which to compare the effects of proposed changes to the night restrictions regime. The data will also feed into the draft Regulatory Impact Assessment that we shall provide at stage two. All consultees are invited to include in their responses to this first stage of the consultation any data that they wish to have taken into account when we produce those draft assessments for stage two.

The consultation will close on 29 October. Copies of the consultation paper are available in the House Library. All responses will be taken into account and reflected as appropriate in the stage 2 consultation paper and related assessments.

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