Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has independently verified Heathrow Airport Limited’s projected cost of expansion.

The draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) makes clear that potential promoters should seek to minimise costs where possible. Given the long-term nature of the expansion programme and significant costs that will likely be involved, the Government will consider the affordability of any proposed expansion scheme as part of the Development Consent Order planning process.

Responsibility for scrutinising the efficiency of expansion costs, including those proposed by Heathrow Airport Limited, sits with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as the independent economic regulator. The Department continues to work closely with the CAA as it develops the regulatory framework for expansion and considers the appropriate arrangements for cost scrutiny and oversight.