My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Ruth Kelly) has made the following Ministerial Statement.

My department, in conjunction with the Home Office, has today begun a consultation on aspects of the Transport Security Bill designed to deliver more effective policing and security planning arrangements at airports.

The consultation sets out a new security planning process that:

requires the majority of airports in the UK to agree a local airport security plan with their key stakeholders, based upon an agreed threat and risk analysis; and

allows any policing element of this plan to be charged to the airport operator.

As a consequence, the activities of the police, aviation industry and control authorities will be better co-ordinated to enhance and strengthen security planning. The process of security planning will provide a greater level of understanding to all security stakeholders at an airport as to why they are carrying out certain functions and what resources are required. It is also important that we create a level playing field whereby all airport operators pay for any dedicated police presence required at their airports.

Given the importance of strong policing and security planning in the current climate, we are using the opportunity of introducing a Transport Security Bill into Parliament next Session to deliver these objectives as well as including provisions to combat terrorist acts at sea.

It is important to note that airports already provide a secure environment for the travelling public and industry staff. We now want to ensure that security is addressed at individual airports in a structured way, and that the role of the police in preventing criminal activity is clearly determined.

Today’s proposals have developed from the findings of the independent review of airport policing that was presented to the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Transport in July 2006. The Department for Transport and Home Office, working jointly, have developed the measures in close consultation with senior representatives from industry and the police.

Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.