§ 39. Mr. Gregor Mackenzieasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the incident in which a Spanish trawler uplifted North Atlantic Treaty Organisation electronic equipment during the recent air-sea exercise.
§ Mr. G. Johnson SmithLast month an R.A.F. aircraft was exercising with an R.N. submarine in the Atlantic and was dropping sonobuoys. A Spanish trawler which was in the area appeared to assume that the sonobuoys had been accidentally lost and picked them up. The submarine surfaced but was unable to persuade the trawler to hand the sonobuoys over. They were subsequently handed to the Spanish authorities, which have returned them.