Clause 11 - Financial assistance: air transport services
Transport (Wales) Bill
4:30 pm
Lembit Öpik (Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Affairs; Montgomeryshire, Liberal Democrat)
On Second Reading, the hon. Member for Leominster said that he kept an open mind about the viability and attractiveness of a regional air network in Wales. It seems that he has made up his mind and that he is so in favour of a regional air network that he is willing to allow the Assembly to give financial assistance to services and facilities related to such a network, even if those services and facilities would exist without financial assistance. I may have misunderstood what the hon. Gentleman is attempting to do by proposing to delete the subsection, and I would value it if he could clarify that. As far as I can see, cutting subsection (2) would make it easier for the Assembly to provide financial assistance to profit-making services.