§ Mr. RogersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will deposit in the Library the reports or summaries of the reports of the completed boards of inquiry into the crash of RAF Shackletons since the end of 1967.
§ Mr. NeubertThe decision that military aircraft accident summaries would be published following service boards of inquiry into major military aircraft accidents was announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chertsey and Walton (Sir G. Pattie) on 15 January 1980 at column686. There are no such summaries for accidents occurring before that date and, as my right hon. Friend made clear, the proceedings of service boards of inquiry are, and must remain, privileged.
There have been three major aircraft accidents involving RAF Shackleton aircraft since the end of 1967, two before 1980 (on 1 and 19 April 1968 respectively) and 722W one on 30 April this year. A military aircraft accident summary in respect of this last accident will be published and a copy placed in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as it is available.