HC Deb 20 January 2003 vol 398 cc66-7W
Mr. Flook

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints he has received in each of the last 24 months about(a) the RAF and (b) the USAF and US Navy low flying jet fighters on training runs flying over the Taunton constituency. [83340]

Dr. Moonie

The current system of recording complaints about low flying does not include the constituency within which the complainant resides. The nationality of aircraft involved in complaints is not routinely recorded, nor is it envisaged that it should be. The hon. Member may wish to be aware that in the last 24 months the number of individual complaints recorded by the Ministry of Defence Low Flying Complaints and Enquiries unit for all low flying military aircraft in the county of Somerset was as follows:

Number
November 2000 10
December 2000 8
January 2001 11
February 2001 20
March 2001 7
April 2001 19
May 2001 32
June 2001 35
July 2001 43
August 2001 19
September 2001 15
October 2001 14
November 2001 3
December 2001 11
January 2002 9
February 2002 11
March 2002 5
April 2002 12
May 2002 11
June 2002 26
July 2002 45

Number
August 2002 30
September 2002 30
October 2002 10

Complaints have been recorded by the address given by the complainant. Details of the pattern of military low flying activity by low flying area are included on the Ministry of Defence website under the address www.lowflying.mod.uk.

Mr. Hook

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the ordnance survey co-ordinates for low-level jet fighters training run routes over the Taunton constituency. [83341]

Dr. Moonie

There are no "training run routes" for low level jet fighters across the Taunton constituency; as part of their training, aircrew are instructed and encouraged to constantly vary their routes in order to maintain the training value. In common with the rest of the United Kingdom, the whole of the Taunton constituency is open to low flying training by military aircraft in order to spread the disturbance as thinly as possible. However, a number of areas are excluded, such as restricted airspace around civil aerodromes, glider sites, certain industrial sites and the larger centres of population (generally towns with over 10,000 inhabitants).

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