Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what process he plans to put in place to identify and recruit the lead commissioner for the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise.
Answered by John Hayes
The process to appoint the lead commissioner for the Independent Commission on Civil aviation noise will be in line with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to establish the proposed Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government consulted on proposals for an Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise as part of its UK Airspace Policy consultation. We intend to respond to the consultation in the autumn, outlining the timetable for the Commission’s establishment.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to prevent the deliberate use of drones to disrupt transport.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government takes the safety risks of drones to transport very seriously. We have already taken action on the misuse of drones by improving enforcement of the law, resulting in several successful drone prosecutions. Following consultation, the Government announced in July that it will introduce a registration scheme to increase the accountability of users, explore the potential of raising penalties for current offences and review the powers available to law enforcement agencies to enforce the law.
In addition, the flying of drones near sensitive sites is already prohibited. Government has been undertaking a programme of work aimed at improving our defences against drones, with a focus on sensitive and important locations and events. This includes exploration of technological options to detect and counter drones, with trials and demonstrations taking place in order to examine the applicability of various technological options to do so.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total economic benefit to each region from expansion at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government’s latest estimate, published on 2 February, was that a new runway at Heathrow will deliver benefits to passengers and the wider UK economy of up to £61 billion.
Regions across the country should benefit from new destinations, extra seats and increased frequency of service created by increased capacity at Heathrow.
As part of the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) the government was clear that further work was underway to update the evidence base, including revised aviation demand forecasts. The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 7 September that there is a need to conduct a short period of further consultation to allow this updated evidence to be taken into account.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to introduce proposals for (a) mandatory registration of drones and (b) safety courses for owners of drones.
Answered by John Hayes
Following our public consultation on drones, we announced in July our intention to introduce a registration scheme and mandatory competency testing for all users of drones weighing 250g or more. In doing so, we will increase the accountability of these users and improve their awareness of the rules and regulations, helping to reduce the misuse of drones and protect public safety, security and privacy. Furthermore, anyone using a drone of 250g and above will receive, at minimum, online training on how to fly safely and then be required to pass a short knowledge test in order to prove they have understood the rules.
We are currently considering legislative vehicles to deliver these measures and what further steps may need to be taken.
We will be working with the Civil Aviation Authority and industry partners to develop the detailed standards and requirements for these two policies, to ensure effective and robust systems are put in place, and intend to provide an update soon.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to require the registration of drones.
Answered by John Hayes
Following our public consultation on drones, we announced in July our intention to introduce a registration scheme and mandatory competency testing for all users of drones weighing 250g or more. In doing so, we will increase the accountability of these users and improve their awareness of the rules and regulations, helping to reduce the misuse of drones and protect public safety, security and privacy. Furthermore, anyone using a drone of 250g and above will receive, at minimum, online training on how to fly safely and then be required to pass a short knowledge test in order to prove they have understood the rules.
We are currently considering legislative vehicles to deliver these measures and what further steps may need to be taken.
We will be working with the Civil Aviation Authority and industry partners to develop the detailed standards and requirements for these two policies, to ensure effective and robust systems are put in place, and intend to provide an update soon.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic benefits to the UK of the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government’s latest estimate, published on 2 February, was that a new runway at Heathrow will deliver benefits to passengers and the wider UK economy of up to £61 billion.
Regions across the country should benefit from new destinations, extra seats and increased frequency of service created by increased capacity at Heathrow. Heathrow expansion is also expected to deliver tens of thousands of additional local jobs by 2030, and while it is not possible to precisely quantify the impacts on regional jobs and GDP, expanding airport capacity in the South East will support economic growth in the UK’s regions.
Nevertheless, as part of the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) the government was clear that further work was underway to update the evidence base, including revised aviation demand forecasts. The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 7 September that there is a need to conduct a short period of further consultation to allow this updated evidence to be taken into account.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of improvements to surface access infrastructure to meet the requirements of a third runway at Heathrow airport.
Answered by John Hayes
Heathrow Airport Limited have committed to meet the costs of any surface access proposals that are essential to deliver airport expansion including works on the M25, the A4 and the A3044.
Where proposed surface access projects have wider beneficiaries, such as the Western Rail and Southern Rail proposals, the Government will consider funding a proportion based on benefits for airport users and other beneficiaries in line with our Aviation Policy Framework.
The Airports Commission estimated that the potential costs of the surface access provision for a northwest runway were around £5bn but recognised that the finalised details, and therefore costs, would be determined as part of the statutory planning process.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic benefits to regions outside of London and the south east of England of an expansion of Heathrow airport over the next three decades.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department has undertaken an economic assessment of the impact of a new runway at Heathrow at a national level, taking account of all areas of the UK.
Regions across the country should benefit from new destinations, extra seats and increased frequency of service created by increased capacity at Heathrow. Enhanced access to international connectivity will be important in supporting regional economic growth. In addition, for regions where domestic air connections to London remain crucial, such as Scotland, expansion will create space for increased frequencies and new links.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of an expansion of Heathrow Airport on trends in the level of road freight traffic to that airport.
Answered by John Hayes
In July 2015, the Airports Commission published alongside its Final Report a surface access freight impact study, which considered the effect of an expansion of Heathrow airport on goods vehicle demand growth. This study can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/437276/surface-access-freight-impacts-study.pdf .
As part of the surface access requirements in the draft Airports National Policy Statement, Government has specified that any application for development consent should set out mitigation measures to minimise and mitigate the effect of expansion on existing surface access arrangements.