Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the PwC report prepared for the Airports Commission entitled 2. Economy: Wider impact assessment, published in November 2014, whether he has had discussions with PwC on the modelling methodology used in that report.

I have not had any discussions with PwC in relation to the reports referred to. The Department has had discussions with PwC on the modelling methodology used in the report prepared for the Airports Commission entitled 1. Strategic Fit: GDP/GVA Impacts, of June 2015 – the follow up study to 2. Economy: Wider impact assessment, published in November 2014.

As a result, in reaching our view on the preferred scheme, we have considered analysis underpinned by established appraisal methodologies rather than the techniques adopted by PWC and reported in the strategic case of the Airport Commission’s final report. These established methodologies were used by the Airports Commission to produce the economic case in their final report, which also underpins the Department’s Further Review and Sensitivities report.