§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many investigations have been held in the past year into reports of near misses by aircraft flying over the UK; how many were related to aircraft using the Clacton sector air corridor; whether an investigation is being made into reports of an incident on 7 May; what action he will take to prevent further incidents; and if he will make a statement. [84035]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonAll reported airprox incidents are fully investigated by the independent UK Airprox Board (UKAB). Information on the location of individual airprox incidents is not held in the form requested. In 1998, UKAB investigated 202 airprox incidents, slightly lower than at any time in the past decade, despite significant increases in traffic over that period. Up to 7 May 1999 there have been 66 incidents reported to the UKAB.
The Civil Aviation Authority's Safety Regulation Group (SRG) is carrying out an investigation into the airprox incident which occurred on 6 May over Essex. Once completed, the SRG report will be passed to the UKAB for its review and assessment of the incident. UKAB will publish its findings. This will include an assessment of the degree of collision risk and any safety recommendations UKAB thinks it appropriate to make.