To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether (a) BAA, (b) Department for Transport officials, (c) Department of Transport Ministers and (d) other non-departmental staff were involved in the production of Putting noise on the map, airport maps relating to Heathrow airport published on 18 December 2007; and if he will make a statement; (176957)

[holding answer 7 January 2008]: The noise maps published on 18 December were produced by the operators of non-designated airports and by the Civil Aviation Authority for airports designated under section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. They were approved by DEFRA to ensure compliance with the Environmental Noise Directive. No DEFRA staff contributed to the Project for Sustainable Development of Heathrow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings his Department had with the Department for Transport on the outcome of the Putting noise on the map airport noise maps published by his Department on 18 January 2007, prior to the Government's launch of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow public consultation; and if he will make a statement. (176960)

[holding answer 7 January 2008]: The Department for Transport is represented on the DEFRA Programme Board that oversees the implementation of the European Environmental Noise Directive (END) 2002/49 EC in England. The Programme Board meets regularly to monitor progress with noise mapping for major roads, rail, airports and major agglomerations.

The consultation document on Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport drew attention to the requirements of the END directive for major airports to produce strategic noise maps. Given that Heathrow is a designated airport under section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, the noise map for Heathrow was produced by the Civil Aviation Authority not the airport operator.