211. You have been telling me in your first answers that the approval was indefinite.
(Mr Everitt) That is my understanding.
212. This is a fairly fundamental thing, whether you can operate or not. It says here: "Air Navigation Order Article 88, approval for the provision of air traffic services." That is what you do, is it not?
(Mr Everitt) Indeed.
213. So this is the right piece of paper I have got. You have approval here subject to the conditions stated in the schedule and it has got a date on it and it says effective to 26 July. In your first answer to me on this subject you were saying it is indefinite. It plainly is not indefinite, is it?
(Mr Everitt) My understanding relates to the current approval we have. We have approval to operate an air traffic service as issued by the regulator.
214. I hope you do. My question was whether it is a permanent approval.
(Mr Everitt) Could I give you a note on that.17
215. Yes please, fine. I want to ask you about height capping. I understand this is a standard procedure in the industry. How much has height capping increased since Swanwick opened?
(Mr Everitt) I can give you a percentage but obviously, as we have boarded in and dealt with the situation this summer, there has been an increase in
height capping, yes, and that has been part of the management of the system as we have worked through the opening of Swanwick.
216. Could you give me a note-and perhaps you can answer it now and if you can that would be great-on how many journeys there have been which have been height capped since Swanwick opened?18
(Mr Everitt) I think that would be diffcult but I will do my best.
217. And also over the last three years at West Drayton prior to Swanwick opening how many journeys were height capped?
(Mr Everitt) I will do the best I can but we obviously do not measure each one. Mr Bacon: No further questions.
Chairman
218. Could you give us a note on the interest paid on each of the years since the start of PPP?19
(Mr Everitt) Certainly, very easily.
219. This retainer paid to CSFB; was it good value to pay them a monthly retainer irrespective of the work that they did?
(Ms Lomax) We think so, yes. They did a lot of work
220. But was it good idea to pay them a monthly retainer irrespective of the amount of work that they did?
(Ms Lomax) That is the way they are normally remunerated by their clients and they are not alone; most similar firms operate on exactly the same basis. Lawyers do not and that is why we dealt with Slaughter & May differently.
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17 Ev 31.
18 Ev 31, 35.
19 Ev 31.