Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport for the West Midlands region.

Answered by Anthony Browne

No recent assessment has been made of the merits of a third runway at Heathrow Airport for the regions.

Heathrow expansion remains a private sector project and it is for the scheme promoter to decide when it submits a development consent order as part of the statutory planning process.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: This includes obligations in respect of Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion.

Found: He is Chairman of the Arora Group’s Heathrow Expansion Advisory Board and has also been Chairman of

Found: (2020) 65 Jacobs, 'Operation Efficiency: Phasing and Facilities Review' (2015 ) 66 Heathrow, 'Heathrow

Found: expansion.

Found: He is Chairman of the Arora Group’s Heathrow Expansion Advisory Board and has also been Chairman of

Found: Regards Top Lines • The decision to allow Heathrow expansion was

Found: .2) Copies of any reviews or updated assessments of either (a) the Scottish Government's support for Heathrow

Found: expansion was taken by the Westminster Government and Parliament

Found: expansion.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Transport Scotland paper, Aviation Statement and Key Priorities, did not include a reference to the memorandum of understanding that it signed with Heathrow Airport in support of the building of a third runway.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity

The Aviation Statement focusses on new actions where the Scottish Government can make a meaningful contribution to growing Scotland’s direct international connectivity, securing lifeline services in the Highlands and Islands and contributing to decarbonising aviation. The Memorandum of Understanding with Heathrow airport is designed to ensure that any expansion of Heathrow approved by any UK Government results in significant job creation and investment opportunities in Scotland. As this has not changed, and as Heathrow expansion is not approved or underway, even though the new UK Government may support it, there was no need to include it in the Aviation Statement.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the UK Climate Change Committee’s 2023 report to the UK Parliament that the continued development of airport capacity expansion proposals is currently incompatible with the UK’s Net Zero target, whether it will reconsider its continued support for the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, as set out in its memorandum of understanding with the airport, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the report's recommendation that a UK-wide capacity framework should be developed by the Department for Transport in cooperation with the devolved governments, and be operational by no later than the end of 2024.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity

The decision to allow Heathrow expansion was taken by the Westminster Government and UK Parliament. The Scottish Government’s Memorandum of Understanding with Heathrow Airport ensures that Scotland will benefit from this major infrastructure project, which will bring significant job creation and investment opportunities to Scotland.

The UK Government response to the Climate Change Committee recommendation on airport capacity expansion provides its reasoning as to why it considers a UK-wide airport capacity management framework is not required.