Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits of a third runway at Heathrow for that area; and what steps his Department plans to take to improve the local infrastructure.

The Government has undertaken a comprehensive strategic assessment of the effects of Heathrow expansion on the area surrounding the airport as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability. This assessment included consideration of local economic impacts including a forecast that, with expansion, between 39,000 and 78,000 additional local jobs will be created by 2050. The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) expects that Heathrow Airport Limited’s (HAL) public pledge on apprenticeships will be met. By 2030 this is projected to double to 10,000 the number of apprenticeships available across the airport, its supply chain and airport related businesses.

Heathrow Airport already has good surface transport links to the rest of the UK. In the future, it will connect to Crossrail, link to HS2 at Old Oak Common and Transport for London has recently completed the procurement for new trains on the Piccadilly line which will increase to 15 trains per hour the number of trains serving the airport. Plans are being developed for further enhancements to rail access to the airport.