RTE P45
At the risk of causing thread creep (a terrible habit of mine), what do you mean by "the en-route section of Manchester can't provide EAT's"?
I refer you to MATS pt 1 sect 3, ch 1, page6, para 9.2.2
"Area control shall clear arriving aircraft to the holding facility if the flight is remaining within class A to F airspace, give instructions to hold if necessary and include an expected approach time in the clearance"
G W-H
(Not having a dig, just seeking clarification)