Putney MP Calls For Investigation By Parliamentary Ombudsman

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regarding the" Sham" Heathrow Consultation

Justine Greening MP has written to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abrahams, to ask her to investigate the conduct of the Government’s recent consultation on Heathrow expansion. Miss Greening has asked Ms Abrahams to particularly investigate the decision made to remove all international flights from the calculation of carbon emissions that would result from an expanded Heathrow.

Miss Greening has also asked Ms Abrahams to examine the fact that thousands of Putney, Roehampton and Southfields residents were excluded from the consultation because they were not sent the consultation document by the Department for Transport. Justine said,

“I am calling on Ms Abrahams to investigate the discrepancies in the consultation document because I believe that the environmental impact assessments presented to the public in the document are fundamentally flawed.”

Miss Greening’s comments follow an article in the Sunday Times in which a Department for Transport official admitted that the environmental statistics had been “reverse engineered” to fit the outcome that the Government wanted.

Sunday Times article 9th March 2008 Evening Standard Article 10th March 2008 and comment BBC Article 11th March 2008

Justine said, “The way this consultation has been carried out can only further corrode the trust the British people have in this Government. It is shocking that the Government are willing to risk the health and quality of life of millions of people in London by manipulating environmental data in this way. It is particularly galling to Putney, Roehampton and Southfields residents many of whom never even received the document in the first place. I hope the Ombudsman will intervene in this situation and compel the Government to provide the correct data so that the public can make a proper, informed decision on Heathrow Expansion.”

March 12, 2008