Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is the Government's policy to support a second runway at Birmingham Airport; and if he will make a statement.

The Airports National Policy Statement sets out the need for additional airport capacity in the South East by 2030 and why Government believes that need is best met by a new Northwest runway at Heathrow Airport. Government will publish an Aviation Strategy Green Paper later this year in order to consult on a future framework for sustainable aviation growth across the UK beyond 2030.

As the Secretary of State set out in his oral statement on 5 June, any new operational runway at Heathrow is still a number of years away. This is why Government supports airports beyond Heathrow making best use of their existing runways. However, we recognise that the development of airports can have positive and negative effects. The Government considers that any proposals should be judged on their individual merits by the relevant planning authority, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental.