§ Mr. John MacKayasked the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has made an analysis of the value of the helicopter in the search element of search and rescue operations at sea; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieThe helicopter can be an excellent vehicle for the search element of search and rescue operations at sea. As compared with surface vessels, aircraft can reach the location of a distress incident quickly: they can also conduct area searches rapidly, and have a range of effective visual detection greatly in excess of surface SAR facilities, while the altitude at which they can fly is important in radar detection and radio reception. Additionally, since the introduction of the Mk 3 SEA KING—a specialised SAR version—the SAR capabilities of our helicopter force have been considerably enhanced to include night/bad weather operational capability. Regrettably, there are still some weather conditions in which we cannot operate.
Capabilities vary of course according to helicopter type: details are given below:
whether a contract service to a comparable standard would offer a practical and cheaper alternative to using directly employed cleaners. Decisions have been taken to change to contract cleaning at 11 Army establishments with potential savings of some £700,000 per annum.