Written question asked by James Gray (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 October 2008. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Monday, 27 October 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Hercules Aircraft: Safety

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the concluding comments of Wiltshire Coroner Daniel Masters into the loss of Hercules XL179; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: I am grateful for the very thorough and professional manner in which David Masters, HM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon conducted the inquest into the loss of the 10 personnel tragically killed when Hercules XV179 crashed in Iraq in 2005. He brought a number of lessons to our attention and it is clear that there have been failures in our procedures for which I apologise. We will address all the issues raised during the inquest, where we have not already done so.

Secondary information