GOVERNMENT POLICY ON THIRD RUNWAY AT HEATHROW AIRPORT

Early day motion 2344, tabled 27 October 2008 by John Grogan (Labour). Signed by 167 members.

That this House urges the Government to rethink its plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport and to give full consideration to alternative solutions; regrets the Government's heavy reliance on data supplied by the BAA in assessing the case for expansion and notes the likely forthcoming break up of BAA's ownership of three of London's airports following the investigation by the Competition Committee; believes that the consultation paper Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport was deeply flawed, as it paid insufficient regard to the costs of air and noise pollution in the surrounding areas and the commitment to curb carbon dioxide emissions to tackle climate change; regrets the fact that provisions to improve high speed rail lines from Heathrow to major cities have not been fully explored, along with the potential of other UK airports to handle more long haul flights; and urges the Government to initiate a consultation on a new national planning policy statement on the theme of airports and high speed rail.

Signatures by party: Labour 56, Liberal Democrat 52, Conservative 49, Independent 3, Scottish National Party 3, Independent Labour 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1, UKIP 1.