Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains Government policy to support the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, subject to the relevant planning and environmental requirements.

Government delivered its commitment to consult on the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) by the summer. The draft HENPS provides an updated policy framework against which any future proposal for Heathrow expansion would be assessed, including requirements relating to climate change, noise, air quality, surface access and community impacts.

The consultation on the draft HENPS closed on 1 September. We are carefully considering the responses, alongside the Transport Select Committee’s scrutiny of the draft HENPS, before setting out the Government’s response and next steps.