§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the Tornado aircraft crash which occurred on the Otterburn range on 21 October, and resulted in two deaths; and whether, in the light of the nine fatalities which have occurred in military aircraft crashes in north-east England in the last nine years, he will institute a full review of the safety regulations applied to such low flying.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Tornado aircraft involved was from the German Air Force which, according to established practice, has convened an inquiry, which will be assisted by the RAF, to establish the cause of the accident. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the circumstances of the accident until the inquiry is completed, other than to express my regret at the tragic loss of life. Safety regulations for military flying, both over designated range areas and more generally, are a matter to which I attach great importance and are kept under close and continual review.