Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the construction of a third runway at Heathrow will require the closure of the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant; and of the corresponding impact this would have on the 12 councils that use this plant.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environment Agency (EA) has not yet made a detailed assessment of the effect of proposals to expand Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) is currently working on its detailed proposal and once this is submitted the EA will assess it. The EA will be responding to the first phase of HAL’s public consultation which was launched on 17 January 2018. The EA will not be able to assess the detailed proposals until HAL submit their application for a Development Consent Order, which they expect to do by the end of 2019.
Defra is aware of the potential effects of Heathrow’s expansion on local waste management and is monitoring the development.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects on residents (a) during and (b) after the construction of a third runway at Heathrow on the (i) physical and (ii) mental health of those residents living (a) near that airport and (b) under the proposed new flightpath.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Alongside the publication of the Draft Airports National Policy Statement on 2 February 2017, the Department also published an Appraisal of Sustainability and Health Impact Analysis. The Department’s assessment of the potential impacts of a new runway at Heathrow on health are set out in those documents.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on air quality of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without impacting on the UK’s compliance with air quality limit values, given the measures set out in the Government’s air quality plan, and with a suitable package of mitigation measures taken forward by the promoter.
Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations.
In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on air quality of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without impacting on the UK’s compliance with air quality limit values, given the measures set out in the Government’s air quality plan, and with a suitable package of mitigation measures taken forward by the promoter.
Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations.
In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of supply chain jobs in the UK supported by (a) High Speed 2, (b) Heathrow expansion, (c) Hinkley Point nuclear power station and (d) Crossrail 2.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The contracts announced in July for Phase One of High Speed 2 will support 16,000 jobs in Britain and will create opportunities for thousands of SMEs. In total, construction of the full HS2 route to the north-west and Yorkshire will create up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships. Another 3,000 people will operate HS2 and it is estimated that growth around new HS2 stations will create another 100,000 jobs.
With regard to Heathrow airport, the final report of the Airports Commission stated that “expansion could generate 59-77,000 additional direct, indirect and induced jobs.”
HM Treasury has made no recent estimate of the number of supply chain jobs in the UK supported by Hinkley Point C nuclear power station or the Crossrail 2 proposal. Such estimates are often undertaken by schemes’ promoters.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the authorities at Heathrow Airport on ensuring that construction of the proposed third runway leaves an employment and skills legacy for the UK.
Answered by John Hayes
Heathrow Airport Limited has made a public commitment to double the number of apprenticeships to 10,000 by the time a new runway is operational. This commitment was also set out in the Statement of Principles, agreed between the Secretary of State for Transport and Heathrow Airport Limited, published in October 2016.
Additionally Heathrow Airport recently announced the development of the Heathrow Skills Task Force. Chaired by the Rt Hon, the Lord Blunkett, to identify the skills and training required to support both expansion at the airport and ensure that construction leaves a national skills legacy for future infrastructure projects.
The Government will shortly publish a draft Airports National Policy Statement for public consultation and scrutiny by Parliament setting out the planning framework for any future Development Consent Order (DCO) for additional airport capacity in the South East.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the financial viability of a third runway at Heathrow Airport of the finding of Transport for London in its report of March 2016, entitled Landing the Right Airport of March 2016, that upgrades to surface access will cost £15 billion to £20 billion.
Answered by John Hayes
We do not accept the estimates of potential costs for surface access provision set out by Transport for London. It is not clear on what basis they were derived and appear to go far beyond work which might be necessary to support the construction of a new northwest runway at Heathrow Airport.
The specific surface access arrangements will need to be determined between Government and the airport promoter as part of the necessary statutory planning process.
The surface access plan is expected to include schemes which are already underway and which benefit the airport, such as Crossrail, which are already funded; schemes which are needed solely for the airport to expand, which Heathrow Airport will fund, and schemes which benefit the airport and the wider public, where funding will be considered separately.
Asked by: Grant Shapps (Conservative - Welwyn Hatfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the date at which physical work to construct the extensions of Heathrow Airport will commence.
Answered by John Hayes
The start date for construction of the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme will depend on a number of factors, including timings of the Government designating an Airports National Policy Statement and, assuming its application is successful, Heathrow Airport being granted development consent. The Government expects the Heathrow Northwest Runway to be operational by around 2026, and no later than the 2030 timetable set out by the Airports Commission for needing a new runway in the South East.
Asked by: Grant Shapps (Conservative - Welwyn Hatfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the likelihood of judicial review delaying the Heathrow Airport construction timetable.
Answered by John Hayes
A third runway at Heathrow is expected to become operational by around 2026 subject to the Government’s consultation on a draft National Policy Statement and the planning process. We are confident that our process for decision-making is robust and will strongly defend any challenges with a view to maintaining this timetable.
Asked by: Tania Mathias (Conservative - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on waiving stamp duty for private residents choosing to relocate away from Heathrow Airport after the construction of a third runway.
Answered by John Hayes
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussion with the Chancellor about waiving stamp duty. These costs will not fall to local residents as Heathrow Airport Ltd has committed to pay the stamp duty costs for residents in both the compulsory and voluntary purchase zones.