§ Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Aviation why it is not proposed to publish the Radley Report on navigational aids at British airports.
144W
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsA Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Gordon Radley was set up by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Preston, North (Mr. J. Amery) to examine and report on the structure and conditions of service of the air traffic control officer class and the basis on which its pay should be determined in relation to its duties. The Report was commissioned as an aid to management and the Committee were told when they undertook their work that their Report would not be published.
Sir Gordon Radley has now sent me a full and thorough Report for which I am most grateful. It contains a number of recommendations which are at present being considered by the Government.
The Committee did not make any recommendations on navigational aids at British airports, since these were not within their terms of reference. They drew attention to the effect which the obsolescence of some equipment has on the work of the air traffic control officers but they recognised that a major re-equipment programme is already in process of being implemented. There is no suggestion whatever in the report to the effect that aviation safety is being prejudiced by obsolescent equipment.