Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Baroness Bray of Coln

Thursday 27th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

I am aware of the relevance of the A63, having sat in a traffic queue on it not so long ago. The Highways Agency budget for the current spending review period has been allocated to schemes that have been approved to proceed, so there will be no more funding available during the funding review period. However, that scheme is value for money and I expect it to go forward in a future spending review period.

[Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton) (Con)]

5. What assessment he has made of the effects of the ending of the west London extension of the congestion charge zone.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Baroness Bray of Coln

Thursday 17th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

As the right hon. Gentleman knows, both parties in the coalition campaigned before the general election on a clear commitment to scrap the third runway at Heathrow. However, we are not anti-aviation and, earlier this week, I set up a working group to consider aviation in the south-east and to work with all the stakeholders, including representatives of business, the airlines and people who work at the airport to ascertain how we can make aviation in the south-east work better within the constraints of existing runway capacity.

[Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton) (Con)]

The people of Ealing Central and Acton were delighted by the decision to scrap the third runway. Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the third runway had gone ahead, it would have imposed intolerable extra blight on those who live in west London?

[Mr Hammond]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. When considering airport expansion, we must look at not only the economic benefits but the local environmental burdens and the impact on this Government’s and the previous Government’s commitments to CO₂ reduction.