HC Deb 21 January 1994 vol 235 cc928-32W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence between what hours the night low flying system is activated.

Mr. Hanley

The United Kingdom night low flying system is operational between the following hours each month:

Start Finish
January 16.30 07.30
February 17.30 07.00
March 18.30 06.00
April 19.30 04.30
May 20.30 03.30
June 21.00 03.00
July 21.00 03.30

Start Finish
August 20.00 04.00
September 18.30 05.00
October 17.30 06.00
November 16.30 07.00
December 16.00 07.30

All times are Greenwich mean time.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which portion of the flight by 29 Squadron Tornado F3s on 12 April 1993 the specified minimum authorised altitude applied; and who was responsible for issuing the authorisation.

Mr. Hanley

The specified minimum authorised altitude of 2,000 ft applied to the entire duration of the flight by 29 Squadron on 12 April 1993—apart from take-off and landing. Two thousand feet is the minimum altitude down to which all United Kingdom military aircraft can fly without specific authorisation, normally by either the squadron commander or one of his senior officers. On this occasion no such authorisation was given.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions are given to military aircrew concerning use of an air traffic control radar service when descending into the United Kingdom low flying system in visual meteorological conditions in unregulated airspace in the flight information region.

Mr. Hanley

No instructions are given to military aircrew concerning the use of such a service when descending to low level in visual meteorological conditions in unregulated airspace in the flight information region.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the arrangements for separation of low-flying military aircraft from offshore industry support helicopters during the hours of darkness, in the coastal areas around(a) the Humber estuary, (b) Morecambe bay, (c) north-east Norfolk and (d) the Aberdeen-Fraserburgh area.

Mr. Hanley

Details of civil helicopter activity in each of the areas specified are brought to the attention of aircrews in the United Kingdom military low flying handbook and on the night low flying chart. Separation from offshore industry support helicopters is achieved by military aircraft operating in separate height bands.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which date low flying area 10 was established in Suffolk; which unit is the controlling authority for the area; and what are the limits on entry of fast jets into the area.

Mr. Hanley

Low flying area 10 was established on 1 September 1993 and is controlled by Wattisham airfield. Fast jets wishing to operate in the area must seek permission from the controlling authority.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if aircrew are permitted to plan entries into particular areas in the night low flying system contrary to the sector-to-sector flow direction when no other aircraft have booked to fly in that area.

Mr. Hanley

The fixed wing region of the United Kingdom night low flying system is divided into a series of numbered night low flying areas, each of which is sub-divided by letter into night low flying sectors. Aircraft crossing from sector to sector must follow the flow direction specified in the regulations except that when an aircraft or formation has exclusive use of an entire NLFA, it may cross the sector boundaries within that area in either direction, but must still comply with the flow direction if crossing to an adjacent area.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum height for military aircraft transitting through the Leeming-Teesside gap at low level ; and on what date the current height limit was introduced.

Mr. Hanley

The minimum and maximum heights for fixed wing military aircraft transitting through the Leeming-Teesside gap are, respectively, 250 and 1000 ft. These limits have applied since the introduction of the present United Kingdom low flying system in 1979.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the requirement in the low flying regulations for military aircrew to make radio contact with Brough airfield prior to transitting the Hull-Brough gap, was changed to a requirement to contact Humberside airport.

Mr. Hanley

Military aircrew are strongly advised to call Humberside radar prior to transitting the Hull-Brough gap, but this is not a mandatory requirement. The change from Brough airfield to Humberside radar came into effect on 15 June 1992.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the transit areas established in the daytime low flying system are in force in the night low flying system.

Mr. Hanley

Yes. Transit areas apply equally to military aircraft operating during the day and at night.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what central records are held by his Department of the number of aircraft movements into each numbered low flying area in the night flying system.

Mr. Hanley

Central records are maintained on a monthly basis of the number of aircraft movements into each sector of the United Kingdom night low flying system.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the maximum permitted speeds and minimum permitted altitudes for Royal Air Force Vulcan aircraft, prior to their retiral from the strike/attack role, while operating in the United Kingdom low flying system(a) on the fixed tactical routes and (b) outside the tactical routes.

Mr. Hanley

RAF Vulcan aircraft were permitted to fly at an absolute maximum of 350 knots and a minimum height of 300 ft in the United Kingdom low flying system. The aircraft did not operate outside fixed tactical routes except when using designated range areas.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations and dates in the last five years on which No. 591 Signals Unit, Royal Air Force, has conducted covert monitoring of tactical radio frequencies used by aircraft operating in the United Kingdom low flying system; and on how many occasions this has included monitoring of the common low flying frequency.

Mr. Hanley

No. 591 Signals Unit has never been tasked to carry out covert monitoring of tactical radio frequencies used by aircraft operating in the United Kingdom low flying system.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if night low flying is permitted over(a) the Western Isles, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) the northern half of the Isle of Man; and what are the reasons for their exclusion from the system of numbered night low flying areas.

Mr. Hanley

With the exception of the Isle of Man, which is designated an avoidance area, aircraft are permitted to overfly the areas listed at low level at night. These areas are not included in the system of numbered night low flying areas because the amount of low flying carried out over them at night is not sufficient to justify their inclusion in the system of procedural deconfliction which exists elsewhere.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low-level flights in instrument meteorological conditions were undertaken by RAF Tornados from Canadian forces base Goose Bay(a) during daylight hours and (b) at night during each of the years 1991, 1992 and 1993.

Mr. Hanley

The records of sorties flown from Goose Bay do not differentiate between those sorties flown under visual flying rules and those flown under instrument meteorological conditions. The statistics requested are therefore unavailable.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the agreed annual number of low-flying

RAF(U) Goose Bay—breakdown of costs
Financial year
1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 to end October 1993
£ million £ million £ million £ million £ million £ million £ million £ million
Personnel 0.560 0.878 0.771 1.066 4.509 3.423 3.876 2.183
O & M + Capital 3.057 2.973 5.406 6.842 4.683 6.245 9.601 4.382
Total contribution payable to Canada 3.617 3.851 6.177 7.907 9.192 9.668 13.476 6.565
Dedicated costs
Buildings and Infrastructure 1.831 1.414 1.941 1.782 0.608 0.955 2.424 0.816
Facilities 0.530 0.561 1.195 1.123 0.942 0.951 1.439 0.843
Equipment 0.050 0.073 0.144 0.144 0.085 0.127 0.033 0.014
Aviation/Land Fuels 0.015 0.003 1.292 2.810 1.512 1.476 2.608 1.264
Total dedicated costs 2.395 2.051 4.573 5.859 3.146 3.508 6.503 2.936
Common costs
Buildings and Infrastructure 0.452 0.482 0.160 0.225 0.922 2.131 2.433 1.116
Facilities 0.175 0.207 0.460 0.323 0.141 0.142 0.158 0.064
Equipment 0.034 0.231 0.212 0.438 0.407 0.428 0.393 0.240
Environmental Mitigation Measures 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.67 0.037 0.114 0.025
Total common costs 0.661 0.921 0.832 0.985 1.537 2.738 3.098 1.446
Exchange Rate £ = C$2.043 C$2.12 C$2.119 C$1.923 C$2.132 C$1.996 C$2.073 C$1.96
Figures shown are based on bills presented by the Canadian Government.

sorties over the United Kingdom by aircraft participating in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation tactical leadership programme courses.

Mr. Hanley

The NATO tactical leadership programme holds six courses per year and was permitted in 1993 to fly an average of two low-level sorties per course in the United Kingdom low flying system. Each low-level sortie in the United Kingdom may involve up to 24 aircraft.