HC Deb 28 June 1967 vol 749 cc98-100W
Mr. Onslow

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a further statement about the composition, terms of reference and form of proceedings of his Department's inquiry into British air safety standards.

Mr. Jay

On 5th June I informed the House that a public inquiry would be held into the causes and circumstances of the accident to an aircraft which had occurred at Stockport. Arrangements are being made for that enquiry. It will of course be some time before the technical investigation, which is a necessary preliminary, can be completed. As I made plain on 5th June, the report will be published.

I told the House also that I had given instructions for a special review of the performance of all operators in relation to standards of safety. There has been continuing public concern—and some misunderstanding—about these matters, and it may be helpful if 1 explain more fully what is involved.

Every operator in the country would, I am sure, accept that the safety of his operations are his primary and inescapable responsibility. The Air Navigation Order and regulations made under it lay specific duties upon the operator and prescribe certain standards and procedures which are based on international standards and procedures. The main responsibilities of the Board of Trade are to satisfy itself that an operator is competent to ensure safety; that the individual aircraft used are themselves safe; and that the crew is fully competent to fly the particular aircraft involved.

The Air Navigation Order, 1966, charges the Director of Aviation Safety directly with the first of these tasks; it is his duty to grant air operator's certificates if he is satisfied as to the competence of the operator to secure the safe operation of specified types of aircraft. One of the matters on which he must be satisfied is that the operator has satisfactory arrangements for the maintenance of his aircraft, and on this he is advised by the Air Registration Board, in accordance with the Civil Aviation (Air Registration Board) Order 1960. The Air Registration Board, which is responsible, under the same Order, for the airworthiness of aircraft, satisfies itself as to continued airworthiness before annually renewing the certificate of each aircraft.

Finally, the Board of Trade may issue licences, after tests have been passed, to pilots and other aircrew. Under Article 23(2) of the Air Navigation Order, 1966, however, the continued competence of the crew on the aircraft and equipment used is the responsibility of the operator.

The Director of Aviation Safety has on his staff a body of Inspectors who not only check that the statutory requirements are met, but fly the routes with individual operators, to see how operations are conducted. They are also located at intervals at various airports to see that all regulations are complied with on incoming United Kingdom aircraft. (Two Inspectors were actually at Perpignan for this purpose on the evening of the accident.)

The causes of accidents vary widely. I wish to make it clear that I have no present grounds for supposing that airline operators in possession of a certificate are not competent to ensure safe operation, that aircraft certified as airworthy are not in fact so, or that licensed aircrews are not competent. Supervision of these matters is a constant process, and my officers are always seeking ways to improvement. But in present circumstances I considered it desirable to ask the statutory authorities to make an even more rigorous scrutiny themselves as to the way in which operators of United Kingdom registered aircraft do in practice meet the requirements.

I believe that the right course at this stage is a thorough review of the operators' performance by the Director of Air Safety and the Air Registration Board, as the statutory authorities. Some independent advice will also be desirable, however, and I have decided, therefore, with the ready concurrence of those concerned, to ask two independent advisers, whose names I will announce shortly, to assist them in conducting the review and in drawing up their conclusions. When I have the conclusions, I will make them available to the House; and if then I see need for improving the effectiveness of any of the present arrangements, I will take the necessary action.—[Vol. 747, c. 643–4.]