§ 18. Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can give the number of cases of claims by Territorial officers, non-commissioned officers and men for accidents in Royal Air Force flights and the number which have been refused owing to the signing of the certificate of indemnity?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo such claims have been made.
§ 19. Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will give the number of cases of injury to Regular and Territorial personnel which have occurred in flights of Royal Air Force machines for which the certificate has been signed and for which it has not been signed for the latest available period?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERSince 1930 there have been six cases of injury, three of them being fatal, to Army personnel while flying in Royal Air Force aircraft. They all occurred overseas and two of the killed were an officer and a native soldier of a Colonial defence force. AR the personnal were on duty and in no case had a certificate of indemnity been signed.
§ 20. Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will consider dispensing with the certificate in the case of serving officers, noncommissioned officers, and men of the Regular and Territorial Army?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe Commanding Officer's certificate that the officer or soldier is on duty is dispensed with in joint exercises in which aircraft are co-operating with troops where it is clear that the personnel are required to go into the air on military duty. I do not think it would be practicable to dispense with the certificate in other cases.
§ Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEHas my right hon. Friend taken into consideration the question of the effect of the certificate on recruiting for the Territorial Army and the feeling aroused in the ranks of the Territorial Army by their having to sign a certificate when they are actually on service?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI think my hon. and gallant Friend slightly misunderstands the position, or I have not made it clear. When an officer or man is on duty he receives a certificate from his Commanding Officer that he is on duty and that it is proper for him to be flying, and then of course he is covered. If he is flying quite irrespective of his duty, the Regulations provide that he should sign a certificate of indemnity like any one else.
§ Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEIs it to be supposed that aircraft of the Royal Air 312 Force can go up when they are not on duty? Is it to be supposed that any flights can be joy-riding, where a certificate is not required? Otherwise would it not be the case that all flights would be flights on duty?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERAir Force airmen flying machines are flying in the course of their duty. The question here is, I understand, about Territorial officers or men flying in Royal Air Force machines. If they are flying on duty, they are completely covered. If they are not flying on duty they have to sign a certificate of indemnity like any one else.