§ Commander Purseyasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty for what purposes and for how long the V.I.P. helicopter at Lee-on-Solent was loaned to Southern Television; what fee was paid for its use; and what action was taken to ensure that, in the event of an accident, no claim was made on public funds.
§ Mr. HayOn two occasions this year helicopters from Lee-on-Solent have carried Southern Television representatives.
Firstly, on 8th May a Whirlwind with a naval cameraman on board was flown to H.M. Submarine "Grampus" at sea to photograph a winching operation. There was a spare seat available in this helicopter and in the interests of publicity the spare seat was given to a Southern Television cameraman. There was no extra cost because the helicopter was on naval duty, and no charge was made. The Southern Television representative was given a ticket which made it quite clear that in the event of an accident no claim could be made on public funds.
Secondly, a representative of Southern Television engaged in filming the Portsmouth area for the programme 141W "Day by Day" was carried on a 40-minute flight in a Whirlwind on the 29th May. He was given the form of ticket which I have referred to above.
In accordance with normal practice, when publicity advantages accrue to the Royal Navy, no charge was made having regard also to the continuation flying training value for the pilot.