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Civil Aviation Bill

As I said, London is one of the most well connected cities in the world and arguably the most well connected. It has five or, depending on one's definition, six successful international airports that serve our economy very well. We need this debate to be based on evidence, not on the propaganda that one reads on BAA posters. As I said, that matter is not, strictly speaking, germane to the motion, so before I try your patience, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will turn to amendments 1 and 2 tabled by the hon. Member for Blackley and Broughton. His intention is that ““effectiveness”” should be construed as spending wisely. Imposing such an obligation on the CAA could pull it into an inappropriate management role over regulated airports. I am sure that that is not his intention, given that he is rigorous in opposing disproportionate regulation. My concern is that it is one thing to specify an output that is required, but quite another to specify the manner in which the operator should meet that obligation. The Bill gives the CAA the power to ensure that airports with substantial market power do not impose unreasonable charges on their customers or exploit them. The amendment might oblige the CAA to start telling an airport how to run its business in the most effective way. That outcome would be disproportionate. The current wording in clause 1(3) is broadly understood by the stakeholders who are affected by the regime. Inserting the word ““effectiveness”” at this stage might undermine the clarity of the duties to which the CAA is subject, when clarity is one of the most important goals in the Bill. My hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Chris Heaton-Harris) is a staunch defender of the air freight industry, and it is always a pleasure to hear his contributions. I repeat the comments that I made in Committee about my admiration for the efficiency and success of that industry in the UK, and I reassure him again that in exercising its information powers in relation to the freight industry, the CAA is obliged to take a proportionate approach. The degree of intervention required in a business-to-business market may be less than is appropriate in the consumer market, and I am sure the CAA will take that on board in ensuring that it takes a proportionate approach. I am sure that Ofcom and the CAA will take care to avoid regulatory overlap. We do not believe that there is a significant danger of that, but there are ways to deal with such risks if they emerge in future, for example through memorandums of understanding. My hon. Friend also asked whether I would be happy to meet representatives of the air freight industry, and I would be delighted to do so. I hope that the Opposition will not press the new clause and amendments, but if they do, I must ask the House to vote against them.