Contents
SASIG 2013/14 Meeting Dates
Regional News
Government News
House of Commons Statement
House of Commons Questions
House of Lords
SASIG 2013/14 Meeting Dates
28 June 2013
25 October 2013
7 March 2014
Meetings are held at 11am, Local Government House, Smith Square, SW1P 3HZ, with lunch provided afterwards, location map.
Regional News
12 Mar – South Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses believes a relaunched Sheffield City Airport could ‘work in tandem’ with Robin Hood Airport to serve the county. Regional chairman, Gordon Millward, said: “Robin Hood Airport has focused its operations on holiday charters and has a growing potential as a freight centre.
13 March – Rushcliffe councillors Rod Jones and Karrar Khan want council leader Neil Clarke to make the case to bring a high-speed rail station to East Midlands Parkway, instead of the proposed new station at Toton Sidings. East Midlands Parkway provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham. It is also the closest station to East Midlands Airport, around 4 miles away. The motion was discussed at a full council meeting of Rushcliffe Borough Council, but it was suggested that the case should be made for a station “near” to East Midlands Parkway – and only when HS2 gets signed off.
14 March – Increased services to Malaga and Alicante have been scheduled from Cardiff airport by Vueling ahead of the Easter weekend. Flights have been added to both destinations from March 23. The Spanish budget carrier will serve Alicante and Malaga on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with Wednesday flights to Malaga during the summer peak months of August and September. Flights from Cardiff to Barcelona will operate on Fridays and Sundays starting on March 28. Palma will be served three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from June 20.
14 Mar – Stockport Council said nearly 9,000 people responded to the public consultation into the proposed A6 to Manchester Airport relief road. The first phase of consultation ran between 22 October 2012 and 25 January 2013 and included questions asking for an overall opinion of the scheme as well as views on a number of junction options to help determine a preferred scheme. Responses to the questionnaire found that 69% were in favour or strongly in favour of the scheme, 13% were not in favour and 18% of respondents did not express a view. A second phase of consultation is scheduled for spring.
15 Mar – Norwich City Council planners have approved a new engine testing facility building on the eastern part of the airfield. Airport managers have been working with KLM UK Engineering, who have repaired and maintained engines there for 35 years, to get the new test facility. Campaigners against the scheme say they are disappointed the committee has given approval as they wanted a judicial review of the unit.
18 Mar – Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has added an extra 12 flights a week to five of its summer sun routes from Southampton airport on services to Alicante, Malaga, Faro, Palma Mallorca and Nice between July 8th and 22nd September, 2013.
Industry News
14 Mar – Virgin Atlantic has won the 2013 Sustainable Biofuels Award in the Sustainable Aviation sector. The award win follows Virgin Atlantic’s work towards the development of a world-first low carbon aviation fuel that is set to achieve 50-60 per cent carbon reductions compared to the standard fossil fuel alternative.
Government News
13 March 2013 – The Mayor of London has confirmed the criteria that he will be using to provide the fairest possible evaluation of the multiple proposals for solving the UK’s aviation capacity crisis in the southeast of England. The six criteria cover: Economic impact, airport infrastructure, airspace, surface access, environmental impact, and deliverability. They are the result of an open consultation with the public and members of the aviation, business and political communities. The Mayor proposes to announce in the coming weeks the short-list of sites he will be commissioning feasibility studies on.
House of Commons Statement
Air Passenger Duty
14 March 2013 – Nigel Dodds, Democratic Unionist Party, Belfast North: On 1 November 2012, the House debated air passenger duty, unanimously agreeing a motion calling for a “comprehensive” review of that punitive tax: the UK’s is the highest of any country in Europe and for many it is having devastating consequences for tourism, families going on holiday and so on. What progress has been made in response to the motion passed unanimously in this House?
Andrew Lansley, Leader of the House of Commons: I can just tell the right hon. Gentleman that these matters are under active consideration by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor and others in relation to the Budget statement.
House of Commons Questions
Goldsmith – Crossrail line extension – Stansted Airport
7 March 2013
Zac Goldsmith, Conservative, Richmond Park: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 460, on Stansted airport, if he intends to discuss with the new owners of Stansted airport the extension of Crossrail to Stansted.
Simon Burns, Transport Minister: Under devolution, the Mayor is responsible for transport in London and for deciding how to spend Transport for London’s budget, including on projects such as Crossrail. However, I have no doubt that the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Patrick McLoughlin, Transport Secretary) would be happy to discuss any relevant transport issues that the new owners of Stansted airport might raise when they next meet.
Jamieson – Air Passenger Duty – Caribbean
11 March 2013
Cathy Jamieson, Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken in respect of the commitment made at the UK-Caribbean Forum held in January 2012 to mitigate the effects of air passenger duty on the Caribbean region.
Mark Simmonds, Foreign Office Minister (Africa and the United Nations): To date there is a lack of firm evidence directly linking air passenger duty (APD) to any decline in the tourist industry in the Caribbean. But we have maintained a dialogue with the Caribbean on this issue and last November facilitated a meeting between the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Conservative, Brogrove). The CTO delegation, which included Tourism Ministers from Jamaica and Barbados, used the opportunity to inform the Treasury of the Caribbean’s concerns about APD.
Jamieson – Air Passenger Duty banding – United States
11 March 2013
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of re-banding Caribbean countries into the same band of air passenger duty as south Florida.
Sajid Javid, Economic Secretary to the Treasury: Re-banding Caribbean countries into the same band of APD as south Florida destinations in the US would require a change to the banding structure of APD as a whole. Changes to the banding structure of APD, including a revenue neutral move to a two band system, were considered as part of the consultation launched at Budget 2011 .The Government’s response, published on 6 December 2011, can be found online here: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm
Morris – Air Passenger Duty – Tourism market
11 March 2013
David Morris, Conservative, Morecambe and Lunesdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of air passenger duty on the tourism market.
Sajid Javid: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer) keeps all taxes under review and considers their effects on a range of sectors in the round. The Government has limited the rise in air passenger duty (APD) to inflation over the period 2010-11 to 2012-13. Budget 2012 set out rates from April 2013, which will also only rise in line with inflation, ensuring that level of APD will again remain constant in real terms.
Halfon – Crossrail line extension – Stansted Airport
11 March 2013
Robert Halfon, Conservative, Harlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail and Transport for London about extending the proposed route for Crossrail 2 to (a) Harlow and (b) Stansted Airport, (2) what role his Department has played in developing the proposed route for Crossrail 2.
Stephen Hammond, Transport Minister: The Government has made no decision in relation to Crossrail 2, and the scheme is currently unfunded. Under devolution, the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for transport in London, including the current route options for Crossrail 2. The Department continues to work with Network Rail and the rail industry on its long-term planning process which is considering future rail services to Stansted and other major airports.
Jamieson – Air Passenger Duty – Meetings with industry
11 March 2013
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 648W, on air passenger duty, what meetings he has had with representatives of the travel industry, airlines and airports in which air passenger duty was discussed in the last 12 months.
Mr Simon Burns, Transport Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 685W. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Patrick McLoughlin, Transport Secretary), has had no meetings with representatives of the travel industry, airlines and airports which were called specifically to discuss air passenger duty. The full list of meetings that he and other Ministers have had with aviation stakeholders is available at: http://www.data.gov.uk. Decisions on taxation, including air passenger duty, are taken by the Chancellor.
Jamieson – Air Passenger Duty – Meetings with Ministers
11 March 2013
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 685W, on air passenger duty, if he will provide a list of meetings he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other Ministers in the Treasury in which air passenger duty was discussed in the last 12 months.
Mr Simon Burns, Transport Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 685W. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Patrick McLoughlin, Transport Secretary) meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer as part of his day to day business, during which a wide range of issues are discussed. Decisions on taxation, including air passenger duty, are taken by the Chancellor.
Abrahams – Subsidies for biofuels
13 March 2013
Debbie Abrahams, PPS to Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, Labour, Oldham East and Saddleworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to provide subsidies for bioliquids.
John Hayes, Energy and Climate Change Minister, Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings: Bioliquids are currently supported in the renewables obligation (RO). To date the vast majority of bioliquids used to generate electricity under the RO have been derived from wastes or residues. Bioliquids can be highly sustainable and generate useful renewable energy, and we consider it is right to continue to support electricity generated using these fuels under the RO.
The RO includes sustainability criteria that bioliquids must meet in order to be eligible for support. Following the recent banding review a 4% cap is being introduced on the proportion of their renewables obligation that suppliers can meet using renewables obligation certificates issued for electricity generated from bioliquids. The UK will continue to support measures to improve the sustainability criteria at a European level.
14 March 2013
Graham Stringer, Labour, Blackley and Broughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 612W, on air pollution, what the sources are of the rising emissions he identifies of (a) ammonia, (b) arsenic and (c) hydrofluorocarbons in recent years.
Richard Benyon, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister: The increase in emission of ammonia between 2010 and 2011 has principally come from the increasing use of anaerobic digestion and increases in emissions from fertiliser use. The increase in emissions of arsenic between 2010 and 2011 arises mainly from increases in the combustion of coal and the production of metals between these years. Rising emissions of hydrofluorocarbons have come from sources such as losses from refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and emissions from industrial aerosols and metered dose inhalers.
House of Lords
7 March 2013
Lord Bradshaw, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for transport: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Attlee on 13 February (Official Report, col. 655), what assessment they have made of whether the Civil Aviation Authority could play a role in the Heathrow Air Transport Movement Demand and Capacity Balancing Group in agreeing contingency plans to deal with forecast disruption to travel via Heathrow Airport.
Earl Attlee, Spokesperson for Transport: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have no role in determining the composition of the Heathrow Airport Demand and Capacity Balancing Group. This is a matter for the aviation industry. The Civil Aviation Act 2012 received Royal Assent in December 2012 and will allow the Civil Aviation Authority, from April 2014, to place obligations within airport operators’ licences to develop operational resilience strategies, which could include adverse weather, in conjunction with all airport service providers.
The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc.