Airports: Heathrow Third Runway Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Airports: Heathrow Third Runway

Lord Barnett Excerpts
Tuesday 17th June 2014

(10 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Newby Portrait Lord Newby
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My Lords, I am not going to speculate on what might happen in any scenario, but one of the key points which I think lies behind the noble Lord’s question is that having an aviation hub in the UK is extremely important for the economy. The aviation sector employs tens of thousands of people and the Government believe that maintaining that hub status is very important.

Lord Barnett Portrait Lord Barnett (Lab)
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Would the Government care to give us a case for delaying the decision—or is it the Lib Dems’ fault?

Lord Newby Portrait Lord Newby
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I am tempted to say that I sometimes think that everything is the Lib Dems’ fault. However, this is an extremely important decision. It is a difficult decision, and it is very important that it is taken after the fullest possible consideration of all the factors.