§ 2.39 p.m.
§ LORD BRABAZON OF TARAMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are now able to say what conclusions were reached as a result of the study which they have had made into the relative safety of aviation kerosene (paraffin) and wide-cut gasoline (J.P.4) for air transport services, and what action they intend to take on it.]
§ LORD DENHAMYes, my Lords. The Report of the Working Party that was set up to make these studies is being 169 published to-day, and copies are available in the Printed Paper Office. The Working Party concluded that statistical evidence based on accident analysis does not show conclusively that either fuel was significantly safer than the other, partly because the number of relevant accidents is small and partly because, among this number, circumstances varied so much that accurate comparisons were seldom practicable. However, when it examined the physical properties of the two fuels, the Working Party concluded that aviation kerosene is, on balance, safer than J.P.4, mainly because the likelihood of ignition and the rate of flame spread are less. The use of kereosene should, therefore, give occupants of a crashed aircraft, who have survived an impact, a better chance of escaping before any subsequent fire makes escape or rescue impossible. A high proportion of accidents occur in the landing and take-off phases when the degree of fire risk may largely determine the chance of survival.
It is, of course, necessary to preserve a sense of proportion in this matter. In the past about 90 per cent. of air transport fatalities have been caused by impact injuries so that any margin for improvement would have been within only the remaining 10 per cent. or so. The risk inherent in using J.P.4. is comparable with that of using petrol, which has always been used in piston-engined aircraft, and will continue to be so. Nevertheless, my right honourable friend the Minister of Aviation accepts the conclusion of the Report that the use of kerosene should afford a better chance of survival than J.P.4. He is bringing the conclusions of the Report to the notice of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
§ LORD BRABAZON OF TARAMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord very much for his promise of the Report, which I shall read with interest. May I ask him whether it is not a satisfactory thing that the aircraft on the British Register operated by British European Airways and the British Overseas Airways Corporation all use kerosene?
§ LORD DENHAMYes, my Lords, very satisfactory. Only on a few occasions would they use J.P.4, and that is when they operate through aerodromes overseas where only J.P.4 is available.