Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Chinook ZD 576 had carried out a morning sortie that day, returning to RAF Aldergrove at approximately 12.00 midday. The engineers would not have made a check of the FADEC before the subsequent flight; however, before leaving for Scotland the pilots would have carried out all the normal start up checks and procedures, which include FADEC checks.

Lord Eames asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in the light of the recent report by the Public Accounts Committee on the Chinook helicopter crash in Scotland, they are prepared to re-examine the findings of the Royal Air Force Inquiry.[HL74]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government have said that, if new evidence were to come to light, it would be examined with scrupulous care, thoroughness and compassion. To date, we have seen nothing that causes us to doubt the integrity of the RAF Board of Inquiry, or would prompt us to hold a new inquiry. The Ministry of Defence will, of course, be sending a formal response to the Public Accounts Committee's recently published 45th Report on the acceptance of the Chinook Mk2 into service, in the usual way.

European Court of Justice: Judgments in Proceedings against UK

Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many occasions in each year since 1975 have actions been brought against United Kingdom authorities and appeals made from rulings in United

Kingdom courts of law to the European Court of Justice; and how many are still outstanding.[HL81]