Lords statement on the Nimrod Review.

Lords statement on the Nimrod Review.

Statement on the Nimrod Review.

Statement on the Nimrod Review.

My Lords, I recognise the contribution made by the noble Baroness, Lady Cohen, to defence, and her role. I can agree with her statement to the extent that Haddon-Cave admitted that he took no evidence in this area. Our acceptance of the report specifically concerns acceptance of the recommendations which...

My Lords, I recognise the contribution made by the noble Baroness, Lady Cohen, to defence, and her role. I can agree with her statement to the extent that Haddon-Cave admitted that he took no evidence in this area. Our acceptance of the report specifically concerns acceptance of the recommendations which...

I think I recall that, many years ago, the noble Lord flew me to an oil rig. The Secretary of State announced yesterday that the Nimrod MR2 would be brought out of service 12 months earlier than planned. He emphasised, as do I, that that was not related to the...

I think I recall that, many years ago, the noble Lord flew me to an oil rig. The Secretary of State announced yesterday that the Nimrod MR2 would be brought out of service 12 months earlier than planned. He emphasised, as do I, that that was not related to the...

My Lords, I apologise for arriving a little late after the Minister began the Statement—which of course I had read, having seen it in the Printed Paper Office earlier. Like him, I have spent a great deal of my life involved with both civil and military aviation, first in the...

My Lords, I apologise for arriving a little late after the Minister began the Statement—which of course I had read, having seen it in the Printed Paper Office earlier. Like him, I have spent a great deal of my life involved with both civil and military aviation, first in the...

My Lords, I thank the noble and gallant Lord for his comments but he will forgive me if I do not respond to them because he seems to have made some general remarks on costs and on the present funding of the Armed Forces. The essence of the issue before...

My Lords, I thank the noble and gallant Lord for his comments but he will forgive me if I do not respond to them because he seems to have made some general remarks on costs and on the present funding of the Armed Forces. The essence of the issue before...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for repeating the Statement. I, too, greatly regret that Mr Haddon-Cave did not consider the role and responsibilities of Ministers. Following the SDR in 1998, the failure of the Government adequately to fund the proposed new defence strategy led to more and more...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for repeating the Statement. I, too, greatly regret that Mr Haddon-Cave did not consider the role and responsibilities of Ministers. Following the SDR in 1998, the failure of the Government adequately to fund the proposed new defence strategy led to more and more...

Who will have to enforce it?

Who will have to enforce it?

My Lords, the MAA will have that power. It will audit, in a sense, everything that is done on the safety environment, all the inter-service documentation and any significant alternations, and it will have an accident investigation capability.

My Lords, the MAA will have that power. It will audit, in a sense, everything that is done on the safety environment, all the inter-service documentation and any significant alternations, and it will have an accident investigation capability.

Does my noble friend agree that General Sir Sam Cowan and Air Chief Marshal Sir Malcolm Pledger have in fact been traduced by the Haddon-Cave report? I speak in this case from personal knowledge. I was invited by Sir Sam to be his senior independent director on the board of...

Does my noble friend agree that General Sir Sam Cowan and Air Chief Marshal Sir Malcolm Pledger have in fact been traduced by the Haddon-Cave report? I speak in this case from personal knowledge. I was invited by Sir Sam to be his senior independent director on the board of...

I will write to the noble Lord more specifically on that, but my understanding is that the power will be clear.

I will write to the noble Lord more specifically on that, but my understanding is that the power will be clear.

My Lords, as a rifleman, I join in the condolences for the families of two members of my regiment who were killed in Afghanistan yesterday. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Cohen of Pimlico, and my noble and gallant friend Lord Craig, I am particularly concerned about a very disappointing admission...

My Lords, as a rifleman, I join in the condolences for the families of two members of my regiment who were killed in Afghanistan yesterday. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Cohen of Pimlico, and my noble and gallant friend Lord Craig, I am particularly concerned about a very disappointing admission...

My Lords, I associate myself with the remarks about the two soldiers who died yesterday in Afghanistan. They died in a noble cause. I hope that their relations will feel that. Is the Minister aware that this Statement will be widely welcomed by all concerned, and especially by the bereaved...

My Lords, I associate myself with the remarks about the two soldiers who died yesterday in Afghanistan. They died in a noble cause. I hope that their relations will feel that. Is the Minister aware that this Statement will be widely welcomed by all concerned, and especially by the bereaved...

My Lords, the concerns expressed come from the report, not from the MoD. The MoD has carefully avoided any comment on these individuals for the reasons I gave earlier. Clearly, there is a police investigation which means that there is a case, but I absolutely refuse to give any further...

My Lords, the concerns expressed come from the report, not from the MoD. The MoD has carefully avoided any comment on these individuals for the reasons I gave earlier. Clearly, there is a police investigation which means that there is a case, but I absolutely refuse to give any further...

My Lords, I am sure that everyone welcomes the establishment of the MAA, as I certainly do. Will the MAA have the power to recommend the immediate grounding of any type of aircraft where it considers that to be appropriate? If not, why not? If it does have that power,...

My Lords, I am sure that everyone welcomes the establishment of the MAA, as I certainly do. Will the MAA have the power to recommend the immediate grounding of any type of aircraft where it considers that to be appropriate? If not, why not? If it does have that power,...

Essentially, Mr Haddon-Cave was given a brief that allowed him to choose who he interviewed. I do not know or understand his thinking. He interviewed those he thought it was appropriate to interview. I was also pressed on non-executive directors. In this complex matter it is all too easy to...

Essentially, Mr Haddon-Cave was given a brief that allowed him to choose who he interviewed. I do not know or understand his thinking. He interviewed those he thought it was appropriate to interview. I was also pressed on non-executive directors. In this complex matter it is all too easy to...

I do not want to over-press a point and take up time, but the Minister has just admitted that the Second Permanent Under-Secretary essentially has responsibility for health and safety, so why was he not interviewed by Haddon-Cave?

I do not want to over-press a point and take up time, but the Minister has just admitted that the Second Permanent Under-Secretary essentially has responsibility for health and safety, so why was he not interviewed by Haddon-Cave?

My Lords, I thank both noble Lords for their responses, particularly to the extent to which I think that they support the creation of the MAA and the changes that that brings about. I will therefore not go into too much detail on their questions, but pick on some particular...

My Lords, I thank both noble Lords for their responses, particularly to the extent to which I think that they support the creation of the MAA and the changes that that brings about. I will therefore not go into too much detail on their questions, but pick on some particular...

My Lords, I first enjoin these Benches in the earlier tribute to those who lost their lives yesterday in Afghanistan. To allow less than one hour for this House to respond to a major Statement does scant justice to the importance and complexity of the Haddon-Cave review. More particularly, it...

My Lords, I first enjoin these Benches in the earlier tribute to those who lost their lives yesterday in Afghanistan. To allow less than one hour for this House to respond to a major Statement does scant justice to the importance and complexity of the Haddon-Cave review. More particularly, it...

My Lords, before I repeat the Statement today, I declare a past interest as a non-executive director of both the Defence Logistics Organisation and the Defence Procurement Agency and, when those two organisations combined, as a non-executive director of Defence Equipment and Support. I can assure noble Lords that I...

My Lords, before I repeat the Statement today, I declare a past interest as a non-executive director of both the Defence Logistics Organisation and the Defence Procurement Agency and, when those two organisations combined, as a non-executive director of Defence Equipment and Support. I can assure noble Lords that I...