§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the survival time during winter months of aircrew wearing survival clothing and non-aircrew without service issue survival clothing, who, as the result of an accident, end up immersed in the North sea 20 to 50 miles east of the River Tay estuary; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenThe survival of a person in the North sea depends on a number of factors, including the tolerance of the person concerned to the environment and the prevailing weather conditions.
In providing search and rescue cover, both the Department of Transport and Ministry of Defence assume a maximum survival time of two hours in the North sea. We do not make separate assessments of the effects of wearing specialist survival clothing.
§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the survival time during winter months of aircrew wearing survival clothing and non-aircrew without service issue survival clothing, who, as the result of an accident, are left stranded during winter months in the Grampian mountains of Tayside, Central or Grampian regions.
§ Mr. AitkenThe survival of a person in mountainous areas depends on a number of factors covering equipment, the tolerance of the person concerned to the environment, and the prevailing weather conditions.
It is assessed that the rescue of personnel on land needs to be accomplished, where possible, within four hours. No separate assessment is made for the effects of specialist clothing.