HC Deb 16 May 1956 vol 552 cc1977-8
13. Mr. de Freitas

asked the Secretary of State for Air when he will make a statement on the York aircraft which crashed in Malta last February, killing 44 members of the Royal Air Force.

Mr. Soames

It will not be possible to make a statement until the report of the public inquiry is available.

Mr. de Freitas

What have the Government been doing about this? It is many months since this accident. Have the Government any influence whatsoever over the Maltese Government? Why has there been this delay? Has there not been yet another fatal York accident since then? Have the Government sat back and done nothing?

Mr. Soames

I cannot accept that there has been undue delay. There is a difference between a Service court of inquiry and a civil court of inquiry. So far as the civil court is concerned, the technical investigation is done before the inquiry sits, as opposed to a Service court of inquiry, which does not wait for such an investigation. This investigation takes time, and as far as this is concerned Malta is no different from this country. Wherever a public inquiry is set up it always takes longer.

Mr. de Freitas

Since the investigation has taken so long, while accepting what the hon. Gentleman has said, may I ask whether he will ask the Maltese Government to speed up this inquiry?

Mr. Soames

It has already been decided that the inquiry will start o 28th May, as the hon. Gentleman was told on 2nd May.