Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Gatwick Expansion
Dithering Claim Over Airport Bid
10th February 2016 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Observer Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk

Farrell's London - image of a two-runway Gatwick

An image showing how the expanded Gatwick Airport would look

The Government has denied “dithering” over the long’ awaited decision on airport expansion in the South East.

Transport minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon insisted at question time that it was important for ministers to consider environmental issues like air pollution before making a decision.

But Labour’s Lord Harris of Haringey said the Airports Commission had been set up by the previous coalition Government “as a means of keeping this Particular ball in the air because the government was not prepared to make a decision”.

He told peers: “The ball has now been kicked firmly into the long grass and every so often the Transport Secretary kicks it further away from a decision.

“If the Government really believe that this is an urgent and important decision to increase airport capacity, how much longer is it going to dither over this issue because they do not want to make a political decision?”

Lord Ahmad said the Government had been clear that it needs further time to consider environmental issues such as air pollution.

“This is not about keeping things up in the air. On the contrary, it is about getting those things in the air down on the ground,” he added.

Lord Ahmad said the Government announced in December that it accepted the commission’s case for new runway capacity in the South East, as well as the three shortlisted schemes involving Gatwick or Heathrow.

Challenged by Peers to consider other regional airports like Birmingham, he laid the Government would not be looking at any other options.

Tory former Cabinet minister and ex-pilot Lord Tebbit said major international airlines could not be compelled to fly into airports they did not wish to go to.

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