Transport

Lord Grayling Excerpts

Thursday 12th July 2018 Ministerial Corrections

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

I have a wonderful piece of transport infrastructure in my constituency called Blackpool airport. Will the Secretary of State tell me what steps will be taken to ensure that with a third runway at Heathrow, we will see improved connectivity to my part of the north-west?

[Chris Grayling]

This is why I am committed to saying that the 15% of slots set aside for regional connections are set in stone. We are not going to see those suddenly disappear from 15% to 10% to 5%, with routes diverted elsewhere. The expansion of Heathrow is a really important part of delivering improvements right around the United Kingdom, and I am committed to making sure that happens.

[Official Report, 5 July 2018, Vol. 644, c. 476.]

Letter of correction from Chris Grayling:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Fylde (Mark Menzies).

The correct response should have been:

[Chris Grayling]

As per my previous response to the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury), I am committed to saying that around 15% of slots set aside for regional connections are set in stone. We are not going to see those suddenly disappear from 15% to 10% to 5%, with routes diverted elsewhere. The expansion of Heathrow is a really important part of delivering improvements right around the United Kingdom, and I am committed to making sure that happens.