To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish guidance on the setting up of airport transport forums, announced in the New Deal for Transport White Paper; and if he will make a statement. [79994]

The Government's White Paper on the Future of Transport "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone" (Cm 3950) indicated that all airports in England with scheduled services should establish Airport Transport Forums and prepare Airport Surface Access Strategies to feed into Local Transport Plans. The Forums should have three specific objectives:

to draw up and agree challenging short and long-term targets for increasing the proportion of journeys to the airport made by public transport;

to devise a strategy for achieving those targets, including green transport plans to cover commuting and business travel for all employees based at airports; and

to oversee implementation of the strategy.

Draft guidance on the setting up of Airport Transport Forums and on the scope, content and handling of Airport Surface Access Strategies has been published today as a consultation documents, and copies have been placed in the House Libraries. We propose that those airports which have 1,000 or more scheduled passenger air transport movements per annum should be required to set up Forums. It has been agreed that the requirements to set up Forums, and the guidance, will apply to Wales as well as to England. Separate guidance will be published in respect of Scotland.A separate good practice guide with illustrations of surface access improvements which have been implemented at airports is in preparation and will be published alongside the final guidance note later in the Spring.