Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler presses the government over air quality of planes
Opening a session of questions in the Upper House, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler asked the government:
“What recent representations they have received relating to the problem of lubricant contamination of the air supply in aircraft cabins and cockpits, with particular reference to disclosures in the Australian Senate?”
Government Minister for Transport Lord Bassam responded:
“My Lords, the Department for Transport received a letter on 18 August 2007 from a Professor Winder of New South Wales. The department responded on 6 September making clear that the 1993 papers Professor Winder enclosed with his letter, in relation to agreements between commercial parties, were matters for the parties concerned, two of which were Australian airlines which no longer exist.”
Lord Tyler then asked whether government could ably acquiesce private enterprises reneging on basic duties of care towards their employees and passengers, saying:
“My Lords, does the Minister accept that it not just a matter for the airlines concerned? The document to which he refers is an agreement between British Aerospace Regional Aircraft Limited and two Australian airlines, but it gives most extraordinary evidence of the way in which the company has sought to keep a secret the considerable problems that affect the BAe 146 aircraft, which is used extensively in Europe and the United Kingdom, not least by the Queen’s Flight. Does the Minister accept that the most extraordinary revelation in this document is that BAE paid 750,000 Australian dollars to keep this deal secret? Does he accept that for more than 14 years pilots, air crews and passengers of the BAe 146 aircraft have been denied vital information about this problem? What is the government’s reaction to the fact that BAE seems to be more concerned about the leak of this document than about the leak of toxic fumes into aircraft cabins and cockpits with potentially disastrous consequences?”
