HC Deb 12 January 1993 vol 216 cc753-5
5. Mr. Canavan

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received about his Department's participation in mountain rescue work; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

My Department has received a number of representations about its participation in mountain rescue work. The open government document, "The Future Provision of Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Helicopters", gives full details of the services that are made available by my Department for mountain rescue work. A copy is in the Library of the House.

Mr. Canavan

Is the Minister aware that heavy demand over the Christmas and new year period exposed the inadequacy of the existing helicopter emergency service? For example, a fortnight ago the Killin mountain rescue team took four hours to carry an injured man off a treacherous mountainside because all the helicopters were otherwise engaged. As the decision to withdraw the helicopter emergency service from Leuchars from April was taken without any meaningful consultation with bodies such as the Scottish Sports Council and the Mountain Rescue Committee for Scotland, will the Minister act now to ensure meaningful consultations with a view to reversing the closure decision and to replacing the Wessex flight at Leuchars with Sea Kings? Otherwise, there is a real danger that lives will be lost.

Mr. Hamilton

I cannot comment on the particular case of a mountain rescue team taking four hours to bring someone down, but, in such circumstances, the weather is invariably so bad that mountain rescue teams are the only people who can get to the beleagured person. We should not fool ourselves—nor should the hon. Gentleman—that helicopters can operate in all weathers, because they cannot. The point of mountain rescue teams is that they can operate in virtually any weather whereas helicopters cannot always reach the necessary areas.

While making changes to the search and rescue operation, we are fulfilling the civil requirement of being able to get anywhere from the base within an hour and that will be adequately carried out by the Sea Kings from Lossiemouth.

Mr. Menzies Campbell

Will the Minister take the opportunity to commend the efforts of the mountain rescue team at RAF Leuchars which, in the past 24 hours, has been engaged in such tasks as rescuing stranded motorists and ensuring that meals on wheels are delivered to those who need them? Does he realise that such efforts create a very warm relationship between the Royal Air Force and the community and that that relationship is likely to be prejudiced by the withdrawal of search and rescue facilities from RAF Leuchars because it is well known that the quality of cover will be reduced in Fife and that lives may be put at risk? There is still time for the Government to think again and to accept that the best way in which to proceed is to replace the Wessex with the Sea King at RAF Leuchars.

Mr. Hamilton

To answer the first part of the hon. and learned Gentleman's question, I certainly commend the mountain rescue team at Leuchars and I am glad that it will continue to carry out its job there. I have already commented on helicopters—mountain rescue teams need them to take up their advance parties, but they move independently with the bulk of their people and are not dependent on helicopters for their work. I accept the hon. and learned Gentleman's point about the recent very bad weather—about 60 cars were identified by the helicopters from Leuchars—but the Sea Kings from Lossiemouth will cover most of that area. As the hon. and learned Gentleman acknowledged, they are much better helicopters and can fly in much worse weather.

Mr. Martlew

Does the Minister accept that his decision last October to close four RAF bases involved in search and rescue will mean an extra response time in coastal areas and in the mountains? It is not good enough for the Minister to say that we shall continue to meet the civil criteria, because his decision last October will mean that lives will be lost. Will he decide today to reverse the closures and satisfy the need for rescue teams in coastal and mountain areas because we are frightened that, if he does not, lives will be lost?

Mr. Hamilton

Our search and rescue capability is set up for military needs and we have found that we can reduce the military requirement and still remain well within the civil requirement. It must be true that if one doubled the number of search and rescue bases and cut response time to half an hour, the number of people who suffered as a result would probably fall, but that would involve enormous costs. The civil requirement means getting a helicopter there within an hour and we are still able to fulfil that civil requirement.