Orders of the Day — Aircraft Noise Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 29 March 1968.

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Photo of Mr William Worsley Mr William Worsley , Chelsea 12:00, 29 March 1968

I apologise for being drawn too far into that question, Mr. Speaker. The point I wish briefly to make is that one of the considerations which will be in my mind when we come to decide on the Bill is the degree of urgency which the Minister can promise in the inquiry into the third airport. As I have said, the Government have wide powers, including the choice of a third airport. There will be no unanimity in the House wherever the site is settled, but were it to be chosen in an area where aircraft noise was less of a menace, my constituents and the constituents of a hundred hon. Members who now suffer under the glide path would be gradually relieved of their suffering as that airport developed. With respect, Mr. Speaker, therefore, although I do not press the point further, after what you have said, I feel that the question of a third airport for London is a relevant consideration in the problem of aircraft noise.

In moving the Second Reading, the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, West referred to the Conference on Aircraft Noise in November, 1966. I have the Report here. On a day when the Government must be feeling a bit "groggy", it is only kind to say something nice about them. They deserve the fullest credit for summoning that conference. As the hon. Gentleman said, it was the first conference of its kind, a pioneer conference. I have some questions to ask about it, because my attitude to the Bill depends, to put it bluntly, on what the Government say they will do under their existing powers. This is the critical question, before we consider whether they need more powers, or whether the citizen should have more.

The conference underlined that the key to the problem—indeed, the only way to solve it—lay in international agreement. In one of its less contentious Clauses, the Bill provides for a six-monthly report on this aspect of the matter. I am not sure that I go as far as that, but the Clause at least underlines the essential point that, unless we have international agreement, we cannot solve the problem of aircraft noise.

International air traffic is intensely, and properly, competitive. Our share of it—it is worth recalling that London is the biggest airport in the world in terms of international flights—is a vital national interest. Too strict controls at a national level could merely drive away the traffic, to great national loss. At page 45 of the Report, it is said: What is certain is that in the competitive world of air transport undoubtedly an operator cannot afford to pay any significant penalty in quieter aircraft unless his competitors do the same". One cannot overstate the need for dealing with this problem internationally.

As its chief positive recommendation, the Conference urged a project for international noise certification of aircraft. The recommendation was in strong terms. One of its Committees, in a report accepted by the main Conference, said—this is page 3— … It was of the utmost importance to introduce as soon as possible a system of noise certification of aircraft, including the specification of appropriate operating procedures. —a very strongly worded recommendation.

To me, much the most important question which I have to ask, on the answer to which my attitude to the Bill will largely depend, is this: what progress is being made on international noise certification? To quote the Report again: It now lies within our power to ensure that future jets will be substantially quieter than those operating at present". It is within our power to have quieter aircraft. Are we about to see a system of noise certification? If we have such a system, will it cover aircraft now in use? Aircraft last a long time. Those which are pestering us at the moment will be with us for many years. Even more, will such a system cover those aircraft now in the pipeline, as the phrase goes—the Jumbo jets, the airbuses and the supersonics, especially the Concorde?

The Conference was very alarming about supersonic aircraft. After the observations which I have already quoted, it made three reservations, the first being—this is page 45— The first one concerns supersonic transport aircraft. These require very large engine powers and cannot use the lower exhaust velocities appropriate to subsonic aircraft. In spite of certain compensating advantages, such as variable power plant geometry and a very high rate of climb, it should be recognised that these aircraft present a special problem, especially as regards lateral noise at take-off. These aircraft will not be flying for some time. A system of noise certification which did not cover them might be of use to our children but not much use to us. A very important question is whether noise certification will apply to aircraft already in the design stage and so on.

Secondly, I want to speak about the question of the glide path into London Airport. At present, aircraft approach Heathrow on a three degree glide path and get on to it from below. This is why, although my constituency is eight miles from Heathrow, aircraft are over it at between 2,000 and 3,000 ft. elevation.

Incidentally, by observation, one cannot help feeling that the variation in actual height is very great. One is told by experts that one cannot judge the height of an aircraft from the ground, and I do not claim to do so. But anyone who looks at aircraft flying over London feels that they vary considerably in height. If that is the case, some aircraft are flying needlessly low. Is it possible to have height checks?