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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1428W—continued
Airports: Security
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which airports operate (a) a one-bag rule and (b) a two-bag rule; and what steps she is taking to standardise practice. [194543]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State announced that the one bag restriction imposed on UK airports would be lifted once individual airports had demonstrated sufficient screening capacity whilst also maintaining our security standards. Currently 31 airports are approved to allow each passenger to take more than one cabin bag through security at UK airports, but airports and airlines may retain cabin bag limits regardless of the restriction being lifted. We are actively encouraging the remaining airports to seek removal of the restriction and expect more airports to follow shortly.
The 31 airports where the restriction has been lifted fully are Aberdeen, Benbecula, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Farnborough, Gatwick, George Best Belfast City, Glasgow, Gloucestershire, Guernsey, Heathrow, Humberside, Inverness, Islay, Isle of Man, Kirkwall, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Plymouth, Prestwick, Southampton, Southend, Stansted, Stornoway, Sumburgh and Wick.
Aviation
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flights there were (a) into and (b) out of UK airports in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007; and what estimate she has made of the projected total number of flights (A) into and (B) out of UK airports in (1) 2008, (2) 2009, (3) 2010 and (4) 2011. [200055]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of flights into or out of UK airports in 2006 and 2007 is shown in the following table. The split of flights between arrivals and departures is almost exactly equal.
| Outturn aircraft arrivals and departures at UK airports | |
| Thousand per annum | |
| Flights into and out of UK airports | |
| Note: Coverage of airports is as in CAA Airport Statistics table 5.1 and Transport Statistics Great Britain table 2.2 Source: DfT analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data | |
The coverage of air transport movements (ATMs) in the DfT aviation forecasting model, along with the methodology and forecast results, is set out in ‘UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts’ (2007), available at:
This differs slightly from the coverage of the figures reported above, due to the forecasting model's base year data not including the smallest airports, domestic charter, and positional flights. The difference amounts to around an extra 67,000 flights per annum in 2007 in the CAA data.
The central forecast for flights into and out of UK airports from 2008 to 2011 is shown in the following table. Forecasts of aircraft flights split between arrivals and departures are not available. For the purposes of forecasting aviation CO2 emissions, departures and arrivals are assumed to be split evenly, as per the outturn CAA data.
| Forecast aircraft arrivals and departures at UK airports | |
| Thousand per annum | |
| Flights into and out of UK airports | |
Aviation: Costs
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the real terms cost of travelling by air was in each year since 1997, taking 1997 as the baseline. [195927]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic and international flights.
| Average UK one-way air fare, 1997 prices | |
| £ | |
| Average air fare | |
| Notes: 1. ‘Fare’ includes all taxes and charges. 2. Covers domestic and international scheduled flights, but excludes transfer and charter passengers. 3. Domestic component based on a sample of routes where sufficient data available. Source: DfT analysis of CAA and IPS data. | |
Aviation: Exhaust Emissions
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the UK volume of carbon dioxide emissions from aviation in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007; and what estimate she has made of the projected volume of carbon dioxide emissions from aviation in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011. [200056]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport published forecasts of UK aviation carbon dioxide emissions in November 2007 in ‘UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts’. This can be viewed at:
Outturn UK aviation carbon dioxide emissions for 2006 were published in January this year by Defra and can be viewed at:
These data show that UK aviation accounted for 37.9 MtCO2 in 2006. Outturn emissions data for 2007 will not be available until early 2009.
Outturn emissions are calculated from aviation bunker fuel consumption data, which are closely related to fuel
used on departing flights. To ensure consistency with historic reported totals, and to avoid double-counting carbon dioxide emissions, DfT's forecasts reflect emissions from all domestic and international flights departing from UK airports. DfT forecasts for 2007-11 are shown in the following table:
| UK Aviation emissions of carbon dioxide | |
| (MtCO 2 ) | |
Aviation: Fuels
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate she has made of the effect on forecast unconstrained demand for airport capacity in 2030 as shown in the Future of Air Travel Progress Report of using the most recent cost of aviation fuel instead of the assumed figure of $42 per barrel; [198185]
(2) what estimate she has made of the effect on forecast unconstrained demand for airport capacity in 2030 as shown in the Future of Air Travel Progress Report of including the recent change in Air Passenger Duty. [198186]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The results of updating the forecasts of air passenger demand in ‘The Future of Air Transport Progress Report’ (2006) with the latest data, including the 2007 increase in Air Passenger Duty, were reported in ‘UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts’ (November 2007), which is available at:
Table 2.9 (p. 37) shows the central forecast is for unconstrained air passenger demand to grow from 228 million passengers per annum (mppa) in 2005 to 495mppa in 2030.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the effect on forecast unconstrained demand for airport capacity in 2030 as shown in the Future of Air Travel Progress Report of assuming that the cost of aviation fuel will rise until 2030 at half the rate that it has risen in the last four years. [198188]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The latest forecasts of UK air passenger demand were reported in ‘UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts' (November 2007), which is available at:
Table 2.10 (p.41) reports the effect of a set of sensitivity tests, whereby key inputs are varied within reasonable bounds, on demand. This includes varying the oil price projection in line with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's oil price range.
The impact of assuming that the cost of aviation fuel continues to rise until 2030, but at half the rate that it has risen in the last four years, is not available.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent price of aviation fuel in (a) dollars per barrel and in (b) pence per litre was, ignoring any hedging arrangements. [198191]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Aviation fuel price data are not officially collected. However, information on aviation fuel prices is available from sources such as:
Based on daily wholesale prices reported by Platts, the price of aviation jet fuel in March 2008 averaged $133 per barrel, or 42 pence per litre.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average proportion of airline costs fuel represents, calculated on the same basis as the figure given in the Future of Air Transport White Paper. [198251]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Table 2.3 of CAA's ‘Airline Financial Statistics 2006-07' reports a breakdown of operating revenues and expenses for major UK airlines. This is available at:
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=80&;pagetype=88&sglid=13&fld=2006_2007
The data show that aircraft fuel and oil accounted for £4.0 billion (26 per cent.) of the £15.6 billion total operating expenses incurred by major UK airlines in 2006.
Biofuels: Asthma
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to commission research on the effects of biofuels on asthma. [199557]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have commissioned and published various pieces of research into the effects of biofuels on air quality. These include an evaluation of the impacts of vegetable oil fuel on the emissions of two light duty diesel vehicles available at:
and an evaluation of the potential impact of bioethanol on emissions of a wide range of air pollutants available at:
The Government have not commissioned any research specifically on the effects of biofuels on asthma, but a recent Department of Health call for research on the health effects of air pollution included a call for studies on the health effects of biofuels, as transport fuels or for domestic heating. In addition, the Department of Health provides programme funding to the social medicine and health services research unit at Imperial college which conducts epidemiological studies on asthma, including on air pollution.
Bridges: River Wear
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations she has received from Sunderland council on proposals to build a new bridge over the River Wear between Claxheugh and Castletown. [199709]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I met with the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington, East (Mr. Kemp) along with a delegation from Sunderland city council on 23 October 2007 to discuss a number of issues including the proposed Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor major local transport scheme. In addition, my officials met with officers at Sunderland city council on 4 April 2008 to discuss a number of issues relating to the business case for the proposed scheme.
Subject to officials receiving a response from the council on a number of outstanding matters, I hope to shortly be in a position to consider whether or not to grant initial programme entry for the scheme.
Bus Services: Halifax
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department allocated to Halifax local authority for spending on bus services in each of the last five years. [198813]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Halifax is in the area covered by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (WYPTA) and the Department's support for bus services is allocated to WYPTA rather than to individual local authorities in the area.
In the last five years a total of £4.9 million was allocated to WYPTA in rural bus subsidy grant. In the same period WYPTA also received £5 million in funding from the Department's urban and rural bus challenge and Kickstart schemes. Four of the projects, totalling £2.4 million, supported under these schemes involve services in Calderdale district which includes Halifax.
Bus companies operating in and around Halifax also receive bus service operators grant from the Department. This is a payment equivalent to about 80 per cent. of the fuel duty operators incur in providing local bus services. However, as BSOG is a payment direct to operators, statistics are not kept of payments by local authority or geographical area.
Local authorities may also use funding from the Government's unhypothecated revenue support grant (formula grant) to support local bus services.
Bus Services: Nationalisation
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals to bring local bus services back into public ownership. [198814]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have looked at various times at the issue of bus regulation, starting with the 1998 White Paper which led to the Transport Act 2000. There was also last year's review which has led to the proposals in the Local Transport Bill giving, among other things, more scope for local authority involvement in bus services.
On each occasion in the past, we concluded that constructive partnership between a largely private sector industry and local authorities is a better way forward than wholesale re-regulation in delivering the services needed by passengers. Indeed, we feel that the private sector strengths in management, innovation and investment are central to the future of the industry.
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