§ 1. Mr. Parmjit Dhanda (Gloucester)If he will make a statement on flights over Gloucester by military aircraft from RAF Fairford. [76685]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)Military aircraft using RAF Fairford would not normally fly over Gloucester.
§ Mr. DhandaI thank my right hon. Friend for his reassurance on that matter. He may be aware of correspondence that I received from the Under-Secretary of State for Defence on 29 August that said that the military flights over Gloucester spotted by some of my constituents may have been connected to the royal international air tattoo held between 19 and 21 July this year. Will my right hon. Friend prevail on the authorities at RAF Fairford, RAF Brize Norton and 2 other air bases to ensure that hon. Members are informed when there is a possibility of flights over their constituencies as a result of air shows or tattoos?
§ Mr. IngramMy hon. Friend makes a good point, and I am sorry if such notification was not given on that occasion. It is not always RAF Fairford that is affected; Brize Norton can also be involved, as he rightly said. I assure him that we shall seek to notify hon. Members in the circumstances that he set out.
§ Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath)The Minister will be aware that many of the aircraft that participate in the RAF Fairford tattoo also take part in the Farnborough air show, which employs many of my constituents—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.