Iain Stewart
Main Page: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)Department Debates - View all Iain Stewart's debates with the Department for Transport
(13 years ago)
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Mr Donohoe
Sorry; I will always get that wrong. I see the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard) in his place this afternoon. He has taken the lead on the case regarding High Speed 2, which is part of the overall package that we have to consider today.
More than any other industry, aviation operates in a global marketplace and needs global solutions to avoid market distortions that would prejudice against UK industry. In that respect, it would be dangerous for the UK to add or continue with unilateral actions that would serve only further to drive UK industries abroad, along with the financial and skills benefits they are associated with.
About 15,000 jobs a year are at stake unless the UK finds way to increase aviation capacity in the south-east. The management at Gatwick airport has argued in a submission to the Department for Transport that that is of great importance to its airport, as well as to the whole country. The UK stands to lose between £20 billion and £47 billion of benefits over 30 to 50 years unless the Government reconsider the current stance of no expansion.
Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman and his family on the safe arrival of Rosie. He mentions airport capacity in the south-east. With the advent of a high-speed rail network, which he also mentioned, what is termed the south-east could be expanded to include airports such as Birmingham, which has considerable spare capacity. Should we not look at the whole of the southern part of the United Kingdom, rather than just what is narrowly defined as the south-east?
Mr Donohoe
I will return to that point, because I have included in my speech the effect of that and the question of the whole package.