Question
Q8. In bad weather—and sometimes we do have it in the Hebrides—one in six landings at the isle of Barra airport and 40% at Stornaway airport are turned away due to the lack of low-visibility radar, known as EGNOS. The European geostationary navigation overlay service is available to pilots at the touch of a button, but the Tories switched it off during Brexit. My constituents rely on flights not for holidays, but for health—for chemotherapy and for ordinary appointments that they should have at home. The Prime Minister has a summit with European leaders next month, so will he put EGNOS on the radar and on his agenda so that, at the very least, my constituents can get to their hospital appointments?
Answer
My hon. Friend is reinforcing the point I was making earlier that the Brexit arrangements that the Conservatives left were clearly not good enough, including for his constituency. We are reviewing the potential benefits of restoring access to this important system. The relevant Minister will have heard my hon. Friend’s case today in this House and will be happy to discuss it with him.25% point-scoring
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply only partly addressed the question, which asked whether the Prime Minister would raise restoring access to EGNOS at the European summit. It said restoring access is under review, but it did not say whether the Prime Minister would raise the issue, and the 'under review' wording commits to no concrete action. The rest of the reply referred the matter to the relevant Minister or made political points that did not bear on the question, so the asker would likely need to follow up for a specific answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Prime Minister put EGNOS (low-visibility radar and navigation support for airports such as Barra and Stornaway) on the agenda for his upcoming summit with European leaders? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | Statement 3 engages with EGNOS by saying restoring access is under review, but it never says whether the PM will raise it at the European summit, and the 'reviewing' language commits to no concrete action. Statement 4 only refers the matter to the relevant Minister, and statement 2 is political point-scoring that doesn't bear on the item. |