Mr Michael Trend: The House will know from earlier debates my concern that Heathrow, while being a great asset to the country as a whole and to the south-east in particular, should be a good and responsible neighbour to those communities that surround it. Both west London and east Berkshire suffer greatly from the airport's environmental pollution, especially in terms of noise. The Government are consulting on...
Mr Michael Trend: I agree entirely—I favour a total ban on night flights. There is a balance of misery between people on my side and the hon. Lady's side of the airport, and both constituencies experience noise problems because we are so close to it, but it would be dangerous and difficult for my constituents if the balance were upset. A switch in night flight preferences would throw the balance out most...
Mr Michael Trend: If any hon. Member had stood up in the House 10 years ago and said that NATO would enlarge its membership into central and eastern Europe in the next decade, he or she would have been regarded as unhinged. We have heard much today about how the enlargement of NATO is an historic development—which it is—on a scale that is still hard to grasp. My hon. Friend the Member for...
Mr Michael Trend: I happily confirm that that is what my right hon. Friend and I meant. The road along which Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have travelled towards NATO ran through Greenham Common, but, as my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) reminded us, that road ran within the perimeter fence of Greenham Common, not outside it. It gives all Opposition Members enormous satisfaction to...
Mr Michael Trend: My right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) is sorry to be unable to be here today, but he is travelling abroad. From time to time, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Defence have been unavoidably absent from the House for the same reason, and we quite understand when that happens.
Mr Michael Trend: In their half-time presidency report, the Government described one of their key achievements as a seminar of government press officers agreeing to disseminate more information about the EU via the internet. Will the Minister now reveal how this bold and striking achievement is progressing? Does the database include, for example, unhelpful comments such as those made in the Daily Express on 13...
Mr Michael Trend: I am sorry to learn that the Foreign Secretary is sharing Council resolutions with the world before sharing them with his own Ministers. Does that mean that there will definitely not be a full-time report on the flop of this presidency. as there was a ludicrous half-time report, that shows what a wasted exercise it has been? Can the Minister confirm the report in The Times yesterday that no...
Mr Michael Trend: I am delighted that President Mandela is coming to the country: he is a hugely distinguished international politician. I merely sought to make the point that it was unlikely that he would not take advantage of a photo opportunity with the Prime Minister. I cannot help feeling that there may just be a slight amount of contrivance in this matter—but, as I have said, we shall be delighted to...
Mr Michael Trend: I join those who paid tribute to Cardiff, especially the hon. Members for Swansea, East (Mr. Anderson) and for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Mr. Williams) and the right hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley), and I congratulate Cardiff on hosting this important event at the weekend and next week. This evening's speeches have covered a wide variety of areas; I want to concentrate particularly...
Mr Michael Trend: I thank the Minister for his statement and join him in commending the work of the Royal Air Force and members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in evacuating British citizens from Eritrea. Like the Minister, I thank the honorary consul, Mr. Stephen Burges, who took up his post only on Monday. He has played an important role in evacuating civilians from that country. It demonstrates once...
Mr Michael Trend: I am grateful to the hon. Member for Putney (Mr. Colman) for allowing me to add briefly to his remarks. I agree that landing rather than take-off is now the significant problem. Unlike those living in west London, those who live in my constituency to the west of the airport have no alternation of runways. When the misery occurs, it is constant rather than infrequent. The hon. Gentleman put...
Mr Michael Trend: Does that include take-offs?
Mr Michael Trend: I said that much had changed since 1952 when the understanding was reached, and I am delighted to hear my hon. Friend confirm that there was no proper agreement. If it is now possible to land aircraft over Cranford, why—with the change in technology associated with take-offs—can take-offs not also be considered for the area?
Mr Michael Trend: The House will know that parliamentary private secretaries are restricted in what they may speak about in the Chamber in relation to matters covered by their Departments. Until recently, I had the honour of being PPS to my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) when he was Secretary of State for Transport. I am delighted that he has gone on to become our party chairman...
Mr Michael Trend: But Maastricht was not.
Mr Michael Trend: We have done better than that.
Mr Michael Trend: indicated assent.
Mr Michael Trend: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Mr Michael Trend: I am intrigued that the hon. Gentleman has a copy of the central office briefing—he has the advantage of me. When he quoted from it some seconds. ago, I thought that he was about to say that the Government had fought off the industry, but then he thought the better of it and quoted a different passage. Although I do not have the brief, my guess is that it probably pointed out that the...
Mr Michael Trend: Perhaps my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) was trying to raise this point. Has the hon. Gentleman met anyone who was unaware of the dangers of smoking?
