As previously announced in a statement to Parliament on 8 July, the Department for Transport (DfT) has today begun a consultation on how airport development at Heathrow might affect different demographic groups living near to the airport. The Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) forms part of the Impact Assessment underpinning the ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’ consultation document and seeks to establish the impact of airport development on different groups in terms of race, disability, age and social deprivation. Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “Aviation contributes over £11bn to the economy and Heathrow alone supports over 100,000 jobs. While Heathrow is vital to the UK’s economy, we have always made clear that expansion will only go ahead if strict local environmental conditions on air quality and noise can be met and improvements made to public transport access to the airport.The EqIA will ensure we fully understand how airport development might affect different groups around Heathrow by reason of their race, disability, age or level of income.”

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15 September 2008
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