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Civil Aviation Bill

I want to make some progress, given that other colleagues want to speak in the debate. In Committee, the Minister said of environmental requirements:"““Such requirements should come with the sanction of Parliament and Ministers, rather than being delegated to the CAA in its capacity as economic regulator.””––[Official Report, Civil Aviation Public Bill Committee, 28 February 2012; c. 137.]" It is our view, however, that the CAA should have an environmental duty, given the new powers and duties that it is taking on. Why is no such duty being proposed? We would have put an environmental duty in the Bill. The initial drafting included an environmental duty, although I am not sure whether the hon. Member for Cambridge would have supported that one. In March 2009, the Secretary of State for Transport—then Geoff Hoon—brought together the Pilling and Cave recommendations in a parliamentary statement. He said:"““I want economic regulation to be targeted, flexible and efficient. I am therefore proposing the introduction of a licence-based scheme of regulation similar to that which exists in other regulated sectors.””—[Official Report, 9 March 2009; Vol. 489, c. 5WS.]" In the other regulated sectors, the statutory duties for the Office of Rail Regulation, for example, include"““to have regard to the effect on the environment of activities connected to the provision of railway services””." For Ofgem, they include"““to have regard to the effect on the environment of activities connected to the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity””—" and it is the same for Ofgas and Ofwat. These regulators have environmental duties.