Air Passenger Duty

Stephen Gilbert Excerpts

Thursday 1st November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Paul Goggins]

The hon. Gentleman makes it clear that this is an issue not only for Manchester but for other airports and therefore the whole economy.

I am particularly concerned about the barrier that APD might pose to Manchester’s ambitious plans for an airport city—a plan that fits squarely with yesterday’s report by Lord Heseltine, which locates the focus for economic development absolutely in the city regions, the ambition, skill and energy of which are the drivers of that development. Manchester is at the forefront of that. The plans would result in major investment in manufacturing, office development, retail, leisure and an ambitious plan for a medipark that would mean major international investment in health and biotech industries. All that would be in the area around the airport and, crucially, would be facilitated by the presence of that international airport. It could become an economic hub drawing in investment from across the world, bringing high-value investment, much-needed jobs and links to destinations throughout the world.

The vision for the airport city has the Government’s full support. They have given it enterprise zone status, which brings with it rate relief and access to superfast broadband. It is utterly contradictory, however, to have that plan in place but then to impose on every business passenger passing through Manchester airport a tax on that business. It is like saying to an investor from north America, “We’re very grateful for your business, and by the way it’s going to cost you an extra £65 every time you want to visit that investment.” It is preposterous, and it is a barrier to the kind of economic growth that we need and want.

We cannot wish APD away. As the hon. Member for Witham said, it brings nearly £3 billion into the Treasury, which of course helps to pay for our schools and hospitals, but one way or another we must think our way out of this creatively. I support—I suspect that not all hon. Members would—a further investigation into regional APD variations, because they could encourage the use of spare capacity at some of our regional airports and facilitate the kind of economic development, such as our ambitions for airport city that I have described.

[Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay) (LD)]

The right hon. Gentleman is making precisely the point that I wanted to make. The way APD is implemented can harm the development of regional airports such as Newquay, so I hope that his idea has been heard by the Economic Secretary.

[Paul Goggins]

The Treasury has already considered the argument for regional variations, which has been made before, and I look forward to hearing what the Economic Secretary has to say. It seemed to park the idea after its review, but I hope that Ministers are prepared to reconsider it, particularly to encourage the use of spare capacity and to get behind the vision and drive for economic initiatives such as airport city.

We must recognise the need to accelerate the economic growth that can come from airports. With that growth would come higher tax returns. We have to get off this hook. The alternative is to keep overtaxing the aviation industry, which should be one of our best industries, and to watch it decline further and further under this burden we have placed on it, without facilitating economic development in and around our airports, which could put our constituents back to work and get our economy on the move again. I welcome this debate and hope that the Minister is listening, because this issue has to be addressed.