Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a third runway at Heathrow on the ability of the Government to meet the 2050 emissions reductions required under the Climate Change Act 2008.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
As noted in the Revised Draft Airports National Policy Statement, the Government agrees with the Airports Commission’s assessment that a new runway at Heathrow could be delivered within the UK’s climate change obligations.
The Updated Appraisal Report, published alongside the Revised Draft Airports National Policy Statement in October 2017, presents updated carbon scenarios using latest passenger forecasts.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he or the Civil Aviation Authority have received from the operators of Heathrow Airport on the effect of expansion at Heathrow on the company's Regulated Asset Base.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Secretary of State for Transport and the CAA regularly meet with Heathrow Airport Limited to discuss a number of issues, including the preference for expansion via a new Northwest Runway at Heathrow Airport.
The period of further consultation on the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement has now closed, and the Department will consider all responses made to both periods of consultations before deciding on next steps.
The CAA has also started the process to define the shape and nature of a regulatory settlement, including examining the potential impacts of any expansion. It has done so through a series of public consultations, the latest CAP1610 is currently out for comment.
Lastly, The Airports Commission considered the effects of expansion on Heathrow’s Regulatory Asset Base as part of its assessment of financeability. The Government subsequently validated that work.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the financial value of new runway capacity at (a) Heathrow and (b) elsewhere to the UK economy.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
As part of its work, the independent Airports Commission shortlisted three schemes for airport expansion, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick, following analysis of more than fifty proposals to meet the UK’s long term capacity needs.
On 25 October 2016, the Government announced that it accepted the Commission’s recommendation for a new north-west runway at Heathrow Airport as its preferred option to deliver airport expansion in the south-east by 2030.
The Department has undertaken an economic assessment of the impact of a new runway at Heathrow at a national level, taking account of changes in connectivity across the UK and beyond, which shows significant economic benefits of up to £74 billion. The same assessments are included for the Heathrow Extended Northern Runway and Gatwick Second Runway schemes in the Updated Appraisal Report published alongside the Revised Draft Airports National Policy Statement in October 2017.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussion he has had with the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) Department for International Trade on the route network operated at Heathrow and any changes to that network to be made as result of that airport's expansion.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
There has been no recent discussion between the Secretary of State for Transport and either the FCO or the DIT on this topic. The revised draft Airports National Policy Statement sets out that the government expects an expanded Heathrow Airport to include at least fourteen domestic routes, compared to the eight routes currently in operation and to support the development of long haul routes to and from the UK, especially to emerging and developing markets.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures his Department assesses are required to keep aviation emissions to 37.5MegaTonnes as modelled in the 4th and 5th carbon budgets.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government remains open to considering all feasible measures to ensure that the aviation sector contributes fairly to UK emissions reductions, and is committed to meeting its emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act.
There are a range of measures available to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, including biofuels, airspace reform and improvements in technology.
As mentioned in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government will set out its strategic approach to the aviation sector in a series of consultations leading to the publication of a new Aviation Strategy for the UK.
The Strategy will consider what the best approach and combination of policy measures are to ensure we effectively address carbon emissions from aviation.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a third runway at Heathrow Airport on (a) noise and (b) air quality in West London.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Appraisal of Sustainability that accompanies the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement provides a strategic level assessment of the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of expansion, including on noise and air quality.
Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the noise and air quality impacts of the scheme, and put forward an appropriate package of mitigation measures.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of expansion at Heathrow Airport on (a) passenger numbers on the Piccadilly Line and (b) congestion on the (i) strategic and (ii) local road network.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Airports Commission undertook a range of detailed assessments to support its Final Report published in July 2015. The analysis included a detailed assessment of transport network impacts for each of the Commission’s three short-listed options.
Copies of the Commission’s Surface Access: Dynamic Modelling Report, it’s Local and Strategic Roads Modelling Study for the Heathrow Airport North West Runway Proposals, and the Commission’s Freight Impact Study were published alongside its Final Report, and are available online from the Commission website.
As part of the surface access requirements in the draft Airports National Policy Statement, Government has specified that any applicant for development consent should set out the mitigation measures that it considers are required to minimise and mitigate the effect of expansion on existing surface access arrangements.