Airports: Heathrow

Lord Stoddart of Swindon Excerpts

Monday 31st March 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Kramer]

My Lords, as the House will know, the Davies commission is looking precisely at the capacity issue in the south-east and will recommend what it considers to be the best way to respond to it. That report will come in 2015. The Government of the day will then decide how to respond to the report. Given the quality and quantity of the work, it would be wrong to pre-empt that decision.

[Lord Stoddart of Swindon (Ind Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate the Government on their decision to extend Crossrail to Reading after much representation by the local authority, residents and indeed Members of Parliament. Will the Minister confirm that that will provide after 2019 a direct link to Heathrow, which will serve well not only Reading but the many other places that can be reached from Reading? I declare an interest as I live there.

[Baroness Kramer]

The link from the west is crucially important. More was said again today in the announcement about Network Rail and we are always delighted to hear congratulations.