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Civil Aviation Bill

I am grateful to the two noble Lords who have contributed to this debate—three, if I count the interjection of my noble friend Lord Clinton-Davis. We last made changes to the noise level limits in December 2000. A further review of departure noise limits was then carried out by the environmental research and consultancy department of the Civil Aviation Authority, overseen by the Department for Transport’s aircraft noise monitoring advisory committee, which includes representatives from the designated airports’ independent consultative committees. That review was published in March 2003. I do not therefore believe that this amendment would make any difference to the Government’s current practice in respect of keeping departure noise limits under review: that is the Secretary of State’s duty, and he fulfils it. Amendment No. 5 also refers to the UK aviation industry’s target. We welcomed that target and the release of the strategy upon which it was based, and we hope that the industry will manage to meet it. But it is a target adopted voluntarily by the industry. This amendment proposes that the Secretary of State should give that target statutory force and impose it. That seems a rather odd way for the Government to act. We continue to press for improvements in aviation technology, which was the burden of the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw. The reduction of noise at its source is one of the four strands of the ICAO’s balanced approach to dealing with aircraft noise. Members of the Committee will recognise that as aviation technology has improved, aircraft have become quieter. But older aircraft, although their environmental performance may not be as good as the most modern aircraft, meet ICAO technical standards and remain part of airlines’ fleets. The UK is obliged under its international agreements to allow those aircraft to continue to operate in the UK. As a country, we cannot arbitrarily and individually decide that certain aircraft are no longer able to enter this country when they meet ICAO technical standards. This Government and previous governments have accepted that it would not be compatible with our international obligations to set a daytime noise limit so low that a very large number of long-haul aircraft, certificated to ICAO standards and legally entitled to operate in the UK, would not be able to operate because we have reduced noise limits. Similarly, night-time and shoulder period departure noise limits must be broadly compatible with the night flying restrictions that we set under Section 73(3). Any new noise limit for departures that reduces or constrains access of aircraft to airports would be subject to Directive 2002/30, on noise-related operating restrictions, which we have incorporated into UK legislation by The Aerodromes (Noise Restrictions)(Rules and Procedures) Regulations 2003, so they are part of our obligations.