HC Deb 14 July 1987 vol 119 cc961-3
4. Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received on the question of low-flying aircraft since the beginning of June.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Roger Freeman)

Between I June and 7 July 1987 the Ministry of Defence received 542 inquiries or complaints about military aircraft flying. This compares with 683 for the same period in 1986.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

If the number of pilots has not increased since 1979, why has the number of low-flying sorties increased from 71,000 in 1979 to 156,000 this year? Could the answer lie in the Robson report, which suggests that morale among military pilots is collapsing and that 57 per cent. of pilots who fulfilled eight years of training have now left the service? Could it be that the Ministry is now having to train pilots far more to ensure that it has fully-trained pilots to replace those who have left? Is that why the Lake District is being plagued by low-flying exercises?

Mr. Freeman

No, Sir. Morale in the Royal Air Force is excellent. The premature voluntary retirement rates for pilots are decreasing and are substantially lower in absolute terms than they were when the Labour Government were last in power. We need more sorties because we have introduced the Tornado aircraft into service. Clearly, pilots need to be trained to use them. However, it would seem that the number of low-flying sorties needed has now reached a plateau.

Mr. Jopling

I recognise that low-flying exercises are both militarily necessary and dangerous, but there have been reports that the recent tragic accident over Keswick in the constituency of the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) was caused by a head-on collision. Will the Minister set up an inquiry to establish whether it is really necessary for aircraft to fly in opposite directions in these essential but dangerous exercises?

Mr. Freeman

I can tell my right hon. Friend that the accident trend is definitely down, and that 1986 was the best year—[Interruption.] I am coming on to answer the question. As I said, 1986 was the best year for the lowest number of aircraft accidents. As regards the tragic accident in Cumbria, I have to await the board of inquiry report, but I shall bear in mind what my right hon. Friend has said.

Mrs. Margaret Ewing

Will the Minister and the House join me in ensuring that our sympathy is extended to the family of Flight Lieutenant Hill from RAF Lossiemouth in my constituency, who was the most recent victim of such an accident, which involved a Jaguar jet? Will he advise me what prior warning is now being given to those in the direct flight path of aircraft on such exercises in the light of the incident over Orkney last year when air traffic control at Kirkwall was not notified of such an exercise taking place? Will the Minister assure me that he will reject the blandishments of the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) to the effect that all such exercises should be directed over the Highlands and Islands of Scotland? The people in that area are just as vulnerable as people elsewhere.

Mr. Freeman

I am sure that the whole House will join the hon. Lady in paying tribute to the loyalty, skill and bravery of Royal Air Force pilots. The Ministry of Defence writes to hon. Members, representatives of the National Farmers Union and the press to warn them of low-flying exercises, but we cannot do that for each individual sortie.

Mr. Bill Walker

Does my hon. Friend agree that the reason why the Royal Air Force has to conduct such sorties is that in modern fighter pilot conditions and raiding environments with strike aircraft the only way to survive is to fly low and fast? It is essential that our pilots are capable of doing that in peacetime in case they are ever exposed to wartime conditions in which, if we were not prepared, the ghastly attrition rate would be far more than we could afford.

Mr. Freeman

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. Low-flying training is the price of freedom, which the RAF has to pay on our behalf in order to defend our skies. Low-flying exercises are necessary to train our pilots to fly underneath enemy radar, and in wartime they would have to fly considerably lower than 250 ft.

Mr. McNamara

I am sure that the Opposition welcome the Minister's statement that RAF pilots flying conventional aircraft are the price of freedom, as opposed to the Government's policy that the price of freedom is mass extermination. The Minister is reported to have said, while the House was in recess, that a certain attrition rate was to be expected in this type of training. What rate of attrition in terms of men, machines and cost is the RAF prepared to accept in this context, and is the Minister satisfied with the present training procedures?

Mr. Freeman

Yes, we are satisfied with the present safety procedures. Sadly, with military aircraft, the attrition rate will clearly be higher than with civil aircraft, but, as I have said, we have an excellent safety record. The trend is down and our record is admired by many other countries and air forces.