HL Deb 24 October 2001 vol 627 cc129-30WA
Lord Hill-Norton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 25 January (WA 22) which stated that radar data are only retained for 30 days and paper records for three years, why R AF Watton was able to confirm in writing to a member of the public in 1989 that it had a record of an unidentified flying object report over RAF Bentwaters, timed at 3.25 am on 28 December 1980. [HL730]

Lord Bach

As a general rule recorded radar data is retained for 30 days before being reused and air traffic control watch logs are destroyed after three years. Our searches have not revealed examples of any archived letters between RAF Watton and members of the public on the subject in question dating from 1989. I am, therefore, unable to comment on the correspondence to which the noble and gallant Lord refers.