HC Deb 02 March 1938 vol 332 cc1097-8
65. Captain Harold Balfour

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether instructions issued to pilots of air-liners by air-traffic control officers as to height and position to be kept when flying in controlled areas during Q.B.1 conditions are requests in the interests of safety or have the authority of law behind them, with penalties for proved infringement or non-compliance?

Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead

The instructions referred to are in the nature of advice in the interests of safety.

Captain Balfour

Are not the traffic officers appointed and paid by the Air Ministry, who are responsible for the safe guiding of aircraft, without authority behind them to enforce their orders upon pilots flying air-liners into the airports?

Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead

The question of making some amendments in the present procedure is at present under consideration.

Captain Balfour

In view of the fact that this state of affairs has been in existence for some time, can the hon. and gallant Member say how long this matter will be under consideration before we have some proposals brought forward to amend the Air Navigation Act and give those officers the necessary authority?

Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead

I could not name a specified time.

Mr. Bellenger

Is the hon. and gallant Member now in a position to inform the House what the initials "Q.B.I." stand for?

Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead

I know what the initials "Q.B.I." stand for, and when I have answered questions in which they appear I have always known. As hon. Members will see if they look at the OFFICIAL REPORT, on a former occasion I was asked what was the derivation of the initials "Q.B.I." which is quite a different matter from asking what "Q.B.I." stands for. I think that officially the initials "Q.B.I." have no particular derivation, but I understand that unofficially there is a derivation in which "Q" stands for "quite" and "I" for "impossible."

Mr. Montague

Although we may know what "Q.B.I." means, will the hon. and gallant Member explain what "Q.B.I" means?

Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead

I charitably predicted that the hon. Member who put down this question had merely made a mistake.