Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Brian H. Donohoe Excerpts
Thursday 23rd June 2011

(12 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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We have a commitment to bringing in lorry road user charging to level the playing field. It is important, however, that we do not penalise our own truckers with whatever scheme we bring in. We are in ongoing negotiations with the Treasury and we are committed to introducing a scheme in this Parliament.

Brian H. Donohoe Portrait Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)
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The Secretary of State will no doubt have seen the reports in yesterday’s newspapers about Willie Walsh of British Airways having suggested that as a consequence of the fact that a third runway will not be built in the south-east at Heathrow, he will increase BA’s business in Madrid. Is that not rather ironic?

Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Philip Hammond
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I am pleased to see that British Airways, along with BAA, now accepts the finality of the coalition Government’s decision that we will not allow the building of a third runway at Heathrow airport. However, that is not the end of the matter. We have to provide for aviation growth in the south-east of England, and in the UK as a whole, in order to meet the needs of a growing economy in future. That is why we have launched a scoping document and will bring forward a new sustainable aviation policy by the end of next year.