Davies Commission Report

Debate between Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and Lord Gordon of Strathblane

Wednesday 1st July 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I thank my noble friend for his comments. I agree with him about the importance of ensuring that whatever decision the Government take in moving forward on what has been a very extensive report reflects the importance of UK plc and regional connectivity. We will certainly review that, and it will be part and parcel of our decision-making on the way forward when we return to this issue in the autumn.

[Lord Gordon of Strathblane (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree that the only way to ensure regional connectivity is to regard airline slots as the national asset that they are and not leave them to airlines to cut regional services and instead introduce more lucrative long-distance services? More capacity will not improve regional connectivity unless it is destination specific.