Search and Rescue Helicopters (Hansard, 21 February 1990)

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discretion is given to the co-ordinating centre at RAF Pitreavie to disregard the restriction on night-time flying search and rescue operations from RAF Leuchars.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The operating procedures of the rescue co-ordination centre at RAF Pitreavie state that the RAF Leuchars flight will operate at night only if the rescue operation in question began during daylight hours, or in the event of a major disaster.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to review the current restriction on night-flying operations on search and rescue helicopters operating from RAF Leuchars.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
No.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) at what time on Monday 12 February the request from Ninewells hospital, Dundee, for the assistance of a search and rescue helicopter, was received by the co-ordinating centre at RAF Pitreavie;
(2) why a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Leuchars was not scrambled on Monday 12 February in response to the request for assistance from Ninewells hospital, Dundee.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
At 7.42 pm on Monday 12 February 1990, the rescue co-ordination centre at RAF Pitreavie received a request for a helicopter to airlift a man suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning from Ninewells hospital in Dundee to a specialist medical unit in Aberdeen. By this time of day RAF Leuchers had ceased operations. The duty controller informed the hospital that any helicopter would have to come from one of three bases; RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Boulmer or HMS Gannett. The request for assistance was therefore withdrawn and the patient was transferred by road.