§ Lord Mason of Barnsleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent official records are kept of sightings of unidentified flying objects, especially those sightings that may have a bearing on the air defence of this country; whether units of the Ministry of Defence, especially RAF units, have standing instructions to report sightings of unusual flying objects; whether reports are logged; and whether these can now be made public.
§ Lord HenleyMy department evaluates reports of unexplained aerial phenomena solely in order to establish whether they may have any defence significance. Reports are received from a wide range of sources, including the police and general public, as well as the RAF, which in the context of its air defence responsibilities has standing instructions to report all sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena. Reports are placed on departmental files in the normal way and are therefore subject to the Public Records Act; several files on this subject are available for viewing at the Public Record Office.