Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans for overseas travel on departmental business on 25-28 June, 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
It has been the policy of successive governments not to publicise itemised details of Ministers' forthcoming travel plans.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) domestic and (b) international routes have ceased operating at regional airports since 2015.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Between 2015 and 2017 a) 18 domestic passenger routes and b) 51 international passenger routes have ceased operating at regional airports. These figures are based on scheduled flights departing from regional airports that operate at least weekly. With regard to domestic passenger routes, in the same period 18 routes have been created.
The proposed Airports National Policy Statement sets out an expectation that expansion at Heathrow will deliver an additional six domestic routes. Separately, the Secretary of State has set out a clear ambition that about 15% of slots made available from a new runway will be used for domestic routes.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the amendments to the May 2018 guidance in the WebTAG aviation module to include the benefits to non-UK residents who are international to international transfer passengers passing through UK airports in the economic benefits of (a) Heathrow Airport Limited north west runway, the preferred scheme in the Airports National Policy Statement and (b) the Gatwick Airport non-preferred scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The case for the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme does not rely on the monetised benefits accruing to international transfer (I-to-I) passengers. In the Government’s reports, benefits are clearly separated into those accruing to UK, non-UK and I-to-I passengers for all three schemes. This shows that the Northwest Runway scheme delivers greater benefits to UK residents soonest – it is not overtaken until the 2060s – and it does so without including the full economic benefits expected from this scheme. By maintaining the UK’s hub status through attracting I-to-Is, the Northwest Runway scheme delivers the best outcome for the UK’s connectivity, which in turn should deliver the biggest boost for the UK’s economy by facilitating more freight, trade and productivity growth.
In producing its analysis the Government has followed appraisal guidance wherever appropriate in line with standard advice that the guidance should be used proportionately and not prescriptively. While the Government recognises the aim to separate impacts according to whether they accrue to UK or to non-UK residents, this is not always possible. In the case of aviation, it is particularly difficult to disaggregate costs by residency. The Government’s assessment therefore presents all effects to all actors, regardless of residency, to allow a consistent comparison between costs and benefits. The amendment to the Department’s appraisal guidance provides further clarity on how to deal with this issue and is consistent with the Government’s analysis to date.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has been allocated by route in each financial year since 2013-14; and how much of such funding has been allocated for expenditure in each year from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Funding paid or allocated through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund for each financial year from 2013-14 to 2021-22 is shown in the attached table.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to extend the Public Service Obligation designated route between Newquay Airport and London Gatwick beyond its expiry in October 2018.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Cornwall County Council are currently running an Invitation to Tender for the Newquay to London Public Service Obligation air service to operate from 28th October 2018. The Department will consider Cornwall Council’s preferred bid and any request for funding in due course.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what maximum time limit the Government is able to issue a Public Service Obligation air route for; and whether that time limit can be extended.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Article 16(9) of Regulation 1008/2008 states that a member state may limit access to a route to one air carrier for a period of up to 4 years, before it must be reviewed. This can be extended to up to 5 years if the route serves an outermost region.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Airports National Policy Statement, published on 5 June 2018, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of additional domestic connections and (b) annual cost to the public purse of subsidising a ring-fenced (i) five per cent (ii) 10 per cent and (iii) 15 percent of the newly created slots.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The proposed Airports National Policy Statement sets out an expectation that expansion at Heathrow will deliver an additional six domestic routes. Separately, the Secretary of State has set out a clear ambition that about 15% of slots made available from a new runway will be used for domestic routes. The Department expects that the majority of these routes will be commercially viable, as many are today, with support from Heathrow Airport. This support includes discounted charges for domestic passengers, and a £10 million Route Connectivity Fund.
The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). PSOs provide the opportunity to offer exclusive rights to airlines to operate a route. Where this does not deliver the required level of connectivity, the Government may also offer subsidies to an airline to operate the route, which includes exemption from Air Passenger Duty.
The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy towards the end of this year, and the extent to which subsidies will be required can only be determined subject to market conditions nearer to the time of new capacity becoming operational.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the statement, this will include a highly valued scheduled night flight ban of six and a half hours between 11pm and 7am in the Revised draft Airports National Policy Statement published on 24 October 2017 was amended to read, this is expected to include a highly valued scheduled night flight ban of six and a half hours between 11pm and 7am in the Airports National Policy Statement, published on 5 June 2018.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The reason for making this amendment to the proposed Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) is to ensure Chapter 3 of the document, which sets out why the Government has stated its preference for the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme, is consistent with Chapter 5, which focuses on the potential effects of the scheme, including noise.
The Government has always been clear that should the proposed Airports NPS be designated, consideration of any ban, including timings, would be subject to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Balanced Approach to noise management, including consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders.
The Government would anticipate there to be runway alternation at night. This means that some communities would experience additional periods of noise relief between 23:00 and 07:00, potentially up to eight hours including any ban, subject to consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what means the Government plans to hold Heathrow Airport to account in the event that new air routes are not secured through the Airports National Policy Statement in line with paragraph 3.34 of that statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Airports National Policy Statement is clear that the Government requires Heathrow Airport Limited to work with its airlines to protect existing routes and deliver at least six new connections. This will be examined as part of any Development Consent Order application.
In parallel, the Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations. This will include the ring-fencing of appropriately timed slots. The Government’s commitments on domestic connectivity will be detailed in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy which is due to be published towards the end of this year.
Asked by: Justine Greening (Independent - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates (a) his Ministerial team and (b) officials of his Department have met with representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited as a result of the process to develop the Airports National Policy Statement since 2015.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Work to develop the proposed Airports National Policy Statement has been conducted by the Airport Capacity Programme in the Department for Transport. Neither officials nor ministers at HM Treasury have met representatives of Heathrow Airport Limited as part of this work.
Meetings with Heathrow Airport Limited on other topics have been conducted in accordance with the Department for Transport’s Statement of Approach, which is available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-approach-for-the-revised-draft-airports-national-policy-statement