Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department met representatives of (i) George Best Airport and (ii) the Northern Ireland Assembly to discuss the potential effect on jobs in Northern Ireland of airport expansion in South East England.

My Hon Friend, Robert Goodwill, Minister of State for Transport until July 2016, met with Brian Ambrose from George Best Airport on Thursday 25 February 2016 and my Rt Hon Friend, Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport until July 2016, met with Brian Ambrose on Friday 17 June 2016. As usual for meetings with aviation stakeholders, the meetings covered a number of issues, including airport capacity.

The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015 and is considering all of the evidence very carefully before reaching a view on its preferred scheme.