Written question asked by Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative) on Wednesday, 3 July 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 July 2002. It was answered by Lord Moonie (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 July 2002 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact Apache training will have on Somerset; and if low-flying will be conducted in the county.

Answer: Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact Apache training will have on Somerset; and if low-flying will be conducted in the county. [67589] Dr. Moonie: Unfortunately, there are no uninhabited areas of the United Kingdom large enough to meet all our essential military aircraft training needs. It is, therefore, our policy that, in principle, the whole of the United Kingdom is open to low flying by military aircraft in order to spread the disturbance as thinly as possible. The Ministry of Defence is fully committed to ensuring that our relationships with local communities are as harmonious as possible. To that extent, we will do all that we can to keep disturbance to an absolute minimum, while maintaining the training of the armed forces which is vital to their operational readiness. It is inevitable, however, that Somerset will see some proportion of military aircraft activity, including that of the Apache.

Secondary information