§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1994,Official Report, column 1186, if he will list the date, location, type and nationality of aircraft involved, and circumstances of each of the breaches of low flying regulations over Wales in 1992, 1993 and 1994; and if he will provide similar details for the period since his previous reply. [37609]
§ Mr. SoamesDetails of breaches of military low flying regulations over Wales confirmed by RAF police investigations are as follows: 341W
Date Location Numbers and type of A/C Nationality Nature of breach 1992 22 January Welshpool, Powys 2x Sea Harrier RN Welshpool Airport avoidance area 3 February Talgarth, Powys 1x Hawk RAF Black Mountain Gliding Club avoidance 4 February Welshpool, Powys 2x Jaguar RAF Welshpool Airport avoidance area 10 February Welshpool, Powys 1x Jaguar RAF Welshpool Airport avoidance area 21 April Bodelwyddon, Clwyd 1x Fi111 USAF Glan-Clwyd hospital avoidance 21 May Welshpool, Powys 1x A10 USAF Welshpool Airport avoidance area RAF avoidance 23 June Welshpool, Powys 1x Tornado area Welshpool Airport 1993 22 March Ruabon, Clwyd 1x F15 USAF Monsanto Chemcial Works avoidance 16 July Welshpool, Powys 1x Tornado RAF Welshpool Airport avoidance area 19 July Builth Wells, Powys 1x Harrier RAF Royal Welsh Agricultural Show temporary avoidance 21 July Builth Wells, Powys 1x Harrier RAF Royal Welsh Agricultural Show temporary avoidance 1994 17 January Ruabon, Clwyd 1x Hercules RAF Monsanto Chemical Works avoidance 17 May Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 1x Hawk RAF Hay Bluff Hang Gliding site avoidance area 1 June Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 2x F15 USAF Hay Bluff Hang Glidng site avoidance area 1 June Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 2x F15 USAF Flying in UK Low Flying System outside of allocated times 23 June Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 1x Hawk RAF Hay Bluff Hang Gliding site avoidance area 20 July Ruabon, Clwyd 1x Tornado RAF Monsanto Chemical Works avoidance 28 July Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 1x F15 USAF Hay Bluff Hang Gliding site avoidance area 28 July Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 1x Hercules RAF Hay Bluff Hang Gliding site avoidance area 4 August Glyn-Neath, Dyfed 2x F15 USAF Royal National Eisteddfod temporary avoidance area 9 August Near Hay-on-Wye, Powys 2x Hawk RAF Hay Bluff Hang Gliding site avoidance area 13 September Bridgenorth 2x F15 USAF Unauthorised flight within night UKLFS Information for 1995 is not yet available. The total of seven breaches in 1992 is one lower than identified in the answer to the hon. Member on 20 December 1994, Official Report, column 1186. The latter answer incorrectly included one incident involving flight through an area notified as a warning to aircrew rather than as a mandatory avoidance.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1994,Official Report, column 1186, if he will make a statement on (a) the disciplinary actions taken against aircrew involved in each of the breaches of low flying regulations over Wales during 1994 and (b) the lessons learned from each incident. [37610]
§ Mr. SoamesNone of the confirmed breaches by United Kingdom aircrew resulted in court martial or summary proceedings under the service discipline Acts. Such action is rare and is generally appropriate only if a breach of regulations resulted from negligence, indiscipline or a disregard for the rules. However, where formal disciplinary action is not appropriate, aircrew who have breached regulations may be interviewed by their station commander or other appropriate senior officer. Such action could be recorded on individual's career records and affect flying status and promotion prospects. It is not our policy to release details of such action. It is also the responsibility of senior officers to ascertain what lessons there are to be learnt from such incidents; central records are not maintained.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations and dates of periods of covert monitoring of low-flying operations conducted by Royal Air Force police since 30 April 1993. [37535]
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§ Mr. SoamesSince 30 April 1993 the RAF police have carried out covert surveys of military low flying at the following locations:
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Date Location 1993 8–10 June Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire 22–24 June Llandrindod Wells, Powys 21–25 June Norwich, Norfolk (Skyguard deployment) 6–8 July Ffrwdgrech, Brecon Powys 12–15 July Lake Bala, Gwynedd (Skyguard deployment) 24–26 August Wye, Kent 20–24 September Thurso, Caithness and Sutherland (Skyguard deployment) 27 September-1 October Alnmouth, Northumberland (Skyguard deployment) 26–29 October Chirnside, Berwickshire (Skyguard deployment) 23–26 November Hornby, Lancashire (Skyguard deployment) 7–10 December Daventry, Northamptonshire (Skyguard deployment) 1994 25–27 January Colchester, Essex 5–18 February Barnard Castle, County Durham (Skyguard deployment) 22–25 March Lockerbie, Annandale and Eskdale (Skyguard deployment) 26–29 April Broadway, Hereford and Worcester (Skyguard deployment) 24–27 May Heckington, Lincolnshire (Skyguard deployment) 28–30 June Haddington, Lothian 12–15 July Sandback, Cheshire (Skyguard deployment) 23–26 August Crediton, Devon (Skyguard deployment)
Date Location 20–23 September Ambleside and Carlisle, Cumbria (Skyguard deployment) 18–20 October Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire 1–4 November Lampeter, Dyfed (Skyguard deployment) 29 November-1 December Galashiels, Selkirkshire (Skyguard deployment) 1995 1–3 February Banbury, Oxon (Skyguard deployment) 20–23 February Boston, Lincolnshire 7–9 March Diss, Norfolk (Skyguard deployment) 27–30 March Amisfield, Dumfries 4–6 April Eden Valley, Cumbria 25–27 April Galashiels, Selkirkshire (Skyguard deployment) 4–5, 9–10 May Bude, Cornwall 9–12 May Beaworthy/Okehampton, Devon 15–18 May Machynlleth, Dyfed-Powys (Skyguard deployment) 13–16 June Kettering, Northamptonshire (Skyguard deployment) 20–23 June Ripon, North Yorkshire (Skyguard deployment) 5–8 September Maybole, Strathclyde (Skyguard deployment) 18–22 September Evesham, Hereford and Worcester (Skyguard deployment) 17–20 October Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire (Skyguard deployment)
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the NATO authorities concerning the potential use of the airspace of Partnership for Peace countries for low-flying training by the Royal Air Force. [37538]
§ Mr. SoamesThere have been no such discussions.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received about disturbance from military aircraft at the national eisteddfod in summer 1995. [37542]
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department received one complaint about disturbance from military aircraft at the royal national eisteddfod between 5 and 12 August 1995.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational low-flying movements were authorised into each of the three tactical training areas in each month from September 1993 to the latest available date. [37546]
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of operational low-flying movements authorised into each of the three tactical training areas in each month from September 1993 to August 1995, inclusive, is set out in the table:
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Northern Scotland Central Wales Borders 1993 September 4 1 44 October 6 1 154 November 27 2 78 December 35 30 79 1994 January 76 16 127 February 195 1 57 March 0 2 9 April 48 10 266
Northern Scotland Central Wales Borders May 17 1 225 June 6 1 50 July 97 0 14 August 123 4 64 September 66 5 126 October 36 39 102 November 40 6 45 December 0 4 42 1995 January 39 3 78 February 52 6 120 March 27 6 267 April 0 13 76 May 17 17 143 June 69 16 152 July 54 34 189 August 3 4 92
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are taken to ensure that information on equestrian events, with particular reference to horse race meetings, is obtained by his Department for onward transmission to aircrew planning low-flying sorties. [37536]
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department does not seek to obtain information on such events. The organisers may, however, apply for a temporary avoidance area and, given reasonable notice, we make every effort to accommodate such requests.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum permitted altitude for Royal Air Force aircraft flying in Danish airspace(a) on routine training sorties from bases outside Denmark, (b) on routine training sorties conducted during deployments to Danish air bases and (c) during NATO exercises. [37540]
§ Mr. SoamesRoyal Air Force aircraft may, with the prior approval of the Danish authorities, fly in Danish airspace down to an altitude of 2,000 ft over populated areas and down to 1,000 ft over non-populated areas; flying down to 500 ft may also be authorised within designated exercise areas.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received by his Department from addresses in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in each month since January 1994. [37543]
§ Mr. SoamesThe numbers of inquiries and complaints relating to military low flying received by my Department since January 1994 from addresses in England, Scotland and Wales were as follows:
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Month England Wales Scotland 1994 January 237 27 31 February 129 19 55 March 218 28 66 April 264 50 93 May 372 37 90 June 502 61 104 July 552 91 89 August 574 88 154 September 334 60 120
Month England Wales Scotland October 351 77 101 November 365 54 94 December 174 25 92 1995 January 266 10 101 February 246 11 97 March 266 21 91 April 391 63 80 May 476 131 156 June 523 78 188 July 670 91 190 August 482 75 165 September 359 105 104 In addition, my Department has received a number of inquiries and complaints about other matters, details of which are not held centrally.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his current policy on the retention in departmental records of the minutes of meetings of the military low flying management group; and what changes in that policy have taken place since 1979. [37537]
§ Mr. SoamesThe minutes of the military low flying management group are placed on registered departmental files which are then reviewed in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967 and selected for retention or destroyed. Given that the group deals with short-term management issues, the minutes of its meetings do not record the discussion of issues which would justify their permanent retention. There has been no change in this policy since 1979.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the crew of the Tornado involved in the infringement of the Welshpool airport avoidance area on 16 July 1993 were found(a) to have been using a low flying chart marked with the January 1993 western extension to low
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Ex name Date Number/Type of Aircraft Squadrons Work-up location 1992 Red Flag 92-2 January/February 8 Tornado GR1 14/17/27 UK/Goose Bay Cope Thunder/Distant Frontier April 8 Tornado 2/20 UK/Goose Bay 1 VC10 101 1 C-130 47 Red Flag 93-1 October 8 Tornado GR1 2/9/617 UK/Goose Bay 6 Tornado F3 5/29 2 VC10 10/101 1 C-130 47 1993 Cope Thunder/Distant Frontier April 8 Tornado GR1 13/27/31 UK/Goose Bay 6 Tornado F3 5/29/43 1 VC10 10 2 C-130 47 Maple Flag May 10 Jaguar 6/54 UK Red Flag 94-1 October 8 Tornado GR1 14/17 UK/Goose Bay 1 C-130 47 1994 Red Flag 94-2 January 8 Tornado GR1 13/14/31 UK/Goose Bay Maple Flag May 10 Jaguar 6/41/54 UK Cope Thunder/Distant Frontier June 8 Tornado GR1 2/9 UK/Goose Bay 6 Tornado F3 5/11 1 VC10 101 Air Warrior August 10 Harrier 3/4 UK flying area 9 and (b) to have obtained an authorisation to fly in low flying area 9. [37545]
§ Mr. SoamesThe low flying chart current on 16 July 1993 reflected the westward extension to low flying area 9. The RAF police investigation did not establish whether the aircrew involved in the infringement of Welshpool airport were using a current chart. The aircrew had not planned to fly in low flying area 9 and had not obtained authorisation to do so.