HC Deb 12 November 1947 vol 444 cc356-7
3. Mr. Geoffrey Cooper

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, if he will consider appointing an independent committee to investigate the conditions under which British Air Transport concerns are permitted to ply for hire and reward, with a view to ensuring that aircraft leaving this country, either under charter or on regular passenger air routes, do not reduce fuel margin's below an adequate minimum, with a view to avoiding a repetition of the Sky Queen incident in mid-Atlantic.

Mr. Lindgren

No, Sir. It is the responsibility of the person in charge of the aircraft to verify that the fuel carried is sufficient. The regulations are already under review with a view to making them more definite.

Mr. Cooper

Does the Parliamentary Secretary realise that British air transport concerns may please themselves almost entirely with regard to the ratio of petrol they carry as between fuel-load and pay-load, and does he not think that, in the interests of public safety, something should be done to establish a principle by which operators in this country and others would operate?

Mr. Lindgren

I could not accept the statement made by my hon. Friend. The responsibility for sufficiency of fuel lies with the captain of the aircraft.

Mr. Beswick

Could the Parliamentary Secretary say whether the crew of this aircraft had the necessary certificates of competence, and whether those certificates were checked at the English point of departure?

Mr. Lindgren

There is an investigation now going on in America with regard to this, and I should prefer to wait for the report of that inquiry before I reply to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Cooper

Does my hon. Friend think that it is an adequate safety precaution to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the pilot?

Mr. Lindgren

International discussions will take place at I.C.A.O. in September, 1948, as to whether we can secure a definition of "sufficiency" under two headings, one of which is in visual flying and the other in instrument flying conditions.

Air-Commodore Harvey

Does not the Minister agree that if the responsibility is not left in the hands of the captain of the aircraft, there is the probability that there will not be the degree of safety that exists today? Must not the pilot have the same responsibility as the captain of a ship?

Mr. Lindgren

That is among the representations which have been made to us.