Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the likelihood of the planning inquiries phase of Heathrow Airport expansion being (a) extended and (b) delayed.

Following designation of an Airports National Policy Statement, Heathrow Airport would need to submit a development consent application to the Planning Inspectorate. Under the Planning Act 2008, the examining authority should complete its examination within six months and report to the Secretary of State within a further three months, and the Secretary of State should then decide whether to grant development consent within three months.