Helicopter Search And Rescue Review

EDM number 633 in 1992-93, proposed by Nick Ainger on 22/10/1992.

That this House deplores the announcement made by the Armed Forces Minister on 21st October that RAF Brawdy, RAF Leuchars, RAF Coltishall and RAF Manston will cease being bases for helicopter search and rescue operations as it will mean a very significant increase in response times to the areas currently covered by those bases which will result in unnecessary deaths and will not even meet the daylight response time criteria set by the Department of Transport for part of the world's busiest seaway, the Dover Straits, and for part of St. George's Channel in the Irish Sea; and therefore calls upon the Government not to proceed with this decision until it can be shown by an independent full risk analysis that any downgrading of response times and helicopter cover will not reduce safety cover for Britain's mountains, coasts and seas by putting Ministry of Defence cost saving before life saving.

This motion has been signed by a total of 54 MPs.