asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement about the publication of the report on the accident to Aztec G-BAJX and Lightning XP659, which were in collision over the North Sea on 7th January 1976.
The investigation was conducted in accordance with the Air Navigation (Investigation of Combined Military and Civil Air Accidents) Regulations 1969, as directed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and myself. The investigation is now complete and the inspector's report has been submitted by the Chief Inspector of Accidents. Both my right hon. Friend and I have accepted the inspector's conclusions. The investigation, however, necessitated an examination of certain aspects of our national air defence system, as a result of which the report is now a classified document and thus not available for publication.