§ Sir L. Plummerasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is satisfied that relatives and dependants of passengers and members of the crews who died in the two Comet disasters have received, or will receive, proper and adequate compensation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIn the case of the Comet which crashed off Elba, death benefit under the Airways Corporations' Joint Pension Scheme has already been paid to employees of B.O.A.C. and B.E.A. whether aircrew or passengers. B.O.A.C.'s underwriters are now dealing with claims received in respect of other passengers, which have necessarily remained unsettled until the findings of the public inquiry were published I am unable to state the position as regards those whose lives were lost in the aircraft which fell into the sea off Naples. This aircraft was on hire to South African Airways who were operating it with their own crew. Questions of compensation arising out of this accident are, therefore, a matter for South African Airways.