HC Deb 05 July 1967 vol 749 cc1796-7
9. Mr. Costain

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why it is necessary when civil aircraft are hired by his Department for the transportation of Service personnel, to have the seats taken out and re-installed facing backwards; and what is the cost of this operation.

The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Merlyn Rees)

Experience tends to confirm that the support given to the passenger by a well-designed and securely-anchored backward-facing seat would give an extra margin of safety in certain types of aircraft accident. My Department accordingly expresses a strong preference for backward-facing seats when inviting tenders for long-term air trooping contracts. For a long-term contract the extra costs are a matter of pence per seat per flight.

Mr. Costain

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask him to explain why, if the safety factor is regarded as so important by the Department, all civil aircraft do not have the same facilities? Why should there be one type of safety for Service personnel and another for civilians?

Mr. Rees

Civilian aircraft are not the responsibility of my right hon. Friend. What we are sure of in the R.A.F. as the customer is that this is what we want, and this is what we ask for.