Originally Posted by
Abrahn
Parliament can help in quite a lots of ways.
Firstly it can compel NATS management to tell the truth in public, which would otherwise be sadly lacking.
Secondly HMG holds a 49% share, and parliament could require that stake be exercised to improve things.
They could also commission their own report. And could come up with another number for the cost, one that might be less susceptible to manipulation by vested interests (or at least manipulated by different vested interests).
Or they could legislate to compulsorily acquire say 10% of each of the other shareholders' shares, thus leaving HMG as a 54.1% majority shareholder. Then require the Board (or a new Board if the current Directors seem reluctant) to immediately and comprehensively address the underlying issues.
Originally Posted by
Abrahn
Or they could modify the terms of the licence to require whatever they see fit.
They might even look at a company that makes huge profits and then comes begging for public subsidy and think, you know what, maybe they should reinvest some of that profit rather than beg from the public purse. Or they could propose a tax on NATS profit to subsidise the investment if NATS won't do it themselves.