§ Mr. John D. Grantasked the Minister of State for Defence how many accidents the Royal Air Force Red Arrows team have recorded in the period from 1st January 1969; how many deaths and injuries to aircrew have resulted; how many aircraft have been written off and damaged and at what cost; what compensation has been paid to dependants; and what has the maintenance of the team cost.
§ Mr. LambtonApart from the accident on 20th January in which four men were killed, there have been six flying accidents in this period, in which one crew member was killed and two injured. In all six aircraft have been written off and two damaged. The aircraft destroyed were replaced from reserves already held without additional capital expenditure. The cost of repairing those damaged cannot be readily distinguished from the cost of aircraft repair and maintenance for the team generally. The average annual cost of the team is £450,000, including repairs and maintenance. The sums payable to the widows of the three married officers remain to be assessed.