Mr. Alan Lee Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the future of civil aircraft notification procedure as a means of achieving liaison with civil pilots who need to fly at low level within the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. WellbelovedWe have completed recently a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of this voluntary procedure, whose introduction was announced by my hon. Friend on 13th June 1975 [Vol. 893, c. 255–6.]
I would like to express my gratitude to the many civil users who have taken part in operating this procedure during the last two years and in providing information for our review.
There is no doubt that the scheme has made a real contribution to the safety of those flying at low level. Accordingly, we intend that it should be continued, on a voluntary basis, as a permanent feature of the arrangements covering low flying in United Kingdom airspace. We shall of course keep the matter under review and be prepared to amend the detailed procedure if required in the light of additional experience.