HC Deb 06 February 1958 vol 581 cc1343-5
30. Mr. Warbey

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the past three years the Suffolk County Fire Service has been called out to deal with crashed United States aircraft.

Mr. R. A. Butler

I am informed that the crashes of United States aircraft in Suffolk to which the County Fire Brigade was called totalled six in 1955, five in 1956 and one in 1957. The Brigade may also have been called to some crashes outside the county, but records of these calls are not available.

Mr. Warbey

As these figures relate to only one of the Eastern Counties, should they not be taken seriously? Has the Home Secretary's attention been called to a report in The Times of 27th January, in which a senior official of The Suffolk County Fire Brigade is quoted as saying that the Suffolk Fire Service has …had a good deal of experience, unfortunately, of crashed aircraft—only too frequently American"? Is it not very essential that all necessary steps should be taken and all instructions given to deal with the dangers that arise from aircraft that may be returning from training or special operations—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."]—which may, according to the information which the acting Prime Minister gave the House on Tuesday, be returning from special operational flights carrying nuclear weapons?

Mr. Butler

I can give only the information that I have obtained. Only two of the crashed aircraft were bombers, and both of those crashed in 1956.

Mr. Fell

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it not a little strange that a Question of this nature should, first of all, be asked, and, secondly, answered? I should have thought that had one asked the straight Question how many United States Air Force aircraft—bombers or otherwise—had crashed in an area of England over a given time the Answer would have been that it would have been against public interest and public security to give an answer. But now we have a position where the Answer has, in fact, been extracted by putting down a Question in this way.

Mr. Speaker

The Question was really one about the Suffolk County Fire Service, and not the one that the hon. Member is postulating.

Mr. Butler

The hon. Member has said that this Answer has been extracted. I am responsible for the fire services of England, and I am perfectly entitled to give the information to the House, all of which appeared in the local Press at the time, and is well known in the whole country. I understand fully my hon. Friend's desire to preserve secrets, and I undertake to him that we shall preserve State secrets, but this information was, in fact, already known.

Mr. Fell

Further to that point of order. The point is that my right hon. Friend has, in fact, answered this Question very fully, as he was asked to do. Though, in this case, the figures may have been published in the Press already, is not he creating a precedent under which all sorts of information could be extracted?

Mr. Speaker

That is not, in any sense, a point of order, but an argument against the Minister answering the Question, which has nothing to do with me.

Sir F. Medlicott

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the fire services of East Anglia are glad and proud to be able to render services, either to the citizens of the United States of America or to any others who may be in our midst, and in need of help?

Mr. Warbey

Further to that point of order—

Mr. Speaker

If it is further to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Yarmouth (Mr. Fell), I have already said that that was not a point of order at all.