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Civil Aviation Bill

Following on the point made by my noble friend Lord Berkeley, I want to ask the Minister whether his department, in drawing up these proposals, gave any thought to the suggestion that the existing British Transport Police Authority should have responsibility for policing airports. The duties of that body have recently been extended, particularly in the aftermath of terrorist incidents in London. It is a widely respected body which does an excellent job on the railway and, increasingly, away from it. Rather than have a series of deals with individual chiefs of police based on each local airport, a national approach, undertaken by the British Transport Police Authority, would be a more appropriate and cost-effective solution.