Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Keeley Excerpts

Thursday 2nd July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Maclean]

I will take this opportunity to thank my hon. Friend for his valuable contribution in driving forward this vital agenda. We are a world leader in technology, innovation and R&D and, as he will know, we have invested £121 million in UK hydrogen technology to make sure that it plays a key part in our green recovery and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. He is also right that this has the potential to drive a fantastic flourishing and see levelling up across our whole country. We are working to include hydrogen and ensure that it plays a key part in the green recovery and our levelling-up ambitions.

[Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) (Lab)]

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the terms and conditions of workers in the aviation sector are protected during the covid-19 pandemic.

[James Murray (Ealing North) (Lab/Co-op)]

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the terms and conditions of workers in the aviation sector are protected during the covid-19 pandemic.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Kelly Tolhurst)]

The Government remain committed to an open dialogue with the sector as we work towards our shared ambition of getting aviation up and running again. We encourage the industry and unions to engage constructively with each other.

[Barbara Keeley [V]]

British Airways is proposing to lay off 12,000 staff and is using this pandemic as cover to put its remaining 30,000 staff on inferior contracts. Using a global health crisis to force through such changes is a national disgrace, yet British Airways still enjoys preferential treatment as our flag carrier, with a dominant position on slots at Heathrow. If it fails to treat its staff properly, surely it is time to review whether it is fit to be our national carrier and time to reallocate those slots.

[Kelly Tolhurst]

All redundancies or any threat to jobs in this unprecedented pandemic is incredibly worrying for all workers, and my sympathies are with all those affected at this time. I have spoken to Willie Walsh and encouraged BA and the unions to engage constructively with each other. Employees should be treated fairly and in the spirit of partnership and we are working with the aviation sector on a restart and recovery plan. Of course, we will be looking at all regulations at our disposal.