Request for unbiased information on Airport Commission's report
1 June 2016
Rt Hon Andrew Tyrie MP, Chairman of the Treasury Committee, has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ask him to provide unbiased information to support the economic case set out in the Airports Commission's report without delay.
- Letter from the Chairman to the Chancellor, 25 January 2016
- Letter from the Chancellor to the Chairman, 29 January 2016 (PDF 622 KB)
- Letter from the Chairman to the Chancellor, 12 February 2016
- Letter from the Chairman to the Chancellor, 1 June 2016
Chair's comments
Commenting on the correspondence, Mr Tyrie said:
"It is generally agreed that Britain needs more airport capacity. But the public cannot have full confidence in the Government's decision to expand it until the Airport Commission's economic case is laid out in full. It has not been so far.
The Davies review recommends a third runway at Heathrow, but it does not fully set out the comparative risks of each of the proposals. This may or may not be the right decision. On the basis of the evidence available, it is difficult to tell.
The work required to answer the questions that I have asked will not create any further delay to the Government's final decision. The analytical work should already have been done. This information can and should be provided immediately. In any case, I have been asking for this information for six months.
The Transport Select Committee was correct last week to say that the decision is long overdue. This is a crucial decision for the future of the British economy. It should be led from the Treasury. The Chancellor should now ensure that these questions are answered, and without delay."