§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints in respect of low flying have been received by his Department from addresses in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in each month since September 1995. [14232]
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of inquiries and complaints about military low flying received by my Department since September 1995 from addresses in England, Wales and Scotland are in the table. 491W
Month England Wales Scotland 1995 October 375 52 116 November 364 80 69 December 150 61 87 1996 January 141 44 87
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the fine weather in the summer of 1995 on the rate of public complaints to his Department concerning low-flying aircraft. [14233]
§ Mr. SoamesIt is our experience that the rate at which complaints about military low flying are received by my Department increases when the weather is fine, as people are more likely to be outdoors or to have windows open and noise of any sort is more intrusive. We believe that the prolonged period of fine weather in the summer of 1995 was a significant factor in the increase in complaints during that year, but we are not able to quantify the effect.