Cable launches debate on Heathrow expansion
February 5, 2007 12:00 AM
On Tuesday Vincent Cable (Lib Dem MP for Twickenham) will introduce a debate in parliament, with the aviation minister, attacking the government's policy of pressing ahead with a third runway and ending runway alternation to enable more flights. He will be speaking in support of the 2M group of 12 local councils including Richmond which published a report last week on the expected new noise patterns if a third runway is built. The government is expected to announce that it is going ahead at the end of March/early April.
Vincent Cable said:
"The government seems likely to want to press ahead with proposals which would increase flights from 480,000 p.a. to 700,000 p.a. the impact on noise disturbance, localised - NOx - pollution and carbon emissions would be very serious. Indeed, after the recent warnings about the rapid growth in the contribution made to global warming, I find it difficult to believe that the government is quite so gung ho about expansion.
"There is, of occurs, a strong economic case but I have discovered from questions to ministers that a remarkably large number of passengers are transit passengers who make little or no contribution to the British economy. A more fundamental point is that a lot of short haul flights to provincial cities or Scotland or across the channel would be unnecessary if rail travel were more accessible and less congested".
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats