Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is Government policy to support the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport.

The Airports National Policy Statement was designated as government policy in June 2018 following a vote in the House of Commons.

It sets out that there is a need to increase airport capacity in the South East of England by 2030 by constructing one new runway and that this need is best met by the Northwest runway scheme at Heathrow airport.

The government is clear that expansion cannot come at any cost, and must be in the interest of the consumer. The Airports National Policy Statement includes strict environmental requirements which an applicant for development consent must demonstrate it can meet.

The Court of Appeal has granted permission to hear from appellants in October this year. This follows the High Court’s decision to dismiss all 26 grounds raised in the judicial review of the previous Secretary of State’s decision to designate the Airports National Policy Statement.