§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of low-flying are logged per day by pilots over Northumberland; how many days of low-flying there are per year over Northumberland; which countries the pilots who practise low-flying over Northumberland are from; and if he will make a statement. [149896]
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§ Dr. MoonieFrom information available for the last three years, the number of hours low-flying booked by aircraft in low-flying area (LFA) 12, the airspace over Northumberland, Durham and north-east North Yorkshire, was as detailed:
Total hours booked in LFA 12 1997 4,926 1998 3,983 1999 3,009 It is likely that LFA 12 would have experienced some low-flying on most weekdays.
In 1999 there were 1,917 fewer hours flown than in 1997, a reduction of 39 per cent.
An annual statement on the pattern of low-flying in the United Kingdom is produced by the MOD, and this is placed in the Library of the House. The next annual statement will be published in the summer and will cover the period from April 2000 to March 2001.
Detailed statistical information by LFA is not held of the country of origin of those pilots flying in the UK low-flying system. However, during 2000 foreign aircraft took part in less than 0.5 per cent. of the total sorties booked in the UK low-flying system.