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.

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.