NIMROD MP RESPONDS TO ‘HARD-HITTING’ SAFETY REVIEW

NIMROD MP RESPONDS TO ‘HARD-HITTING’ SAFETY REVIEW.

MOD AND MINISTERS MUST ACT ON RECOMMENDATIONS,

Angus Robertson, the MP for Moray, whose constituency is home to the RAF Nimrod fleet at Kinloss has hit out at the Ministry of Defence and UK Government following the publication of the independent review into the loss of the Nimrod MR2 aircraft XV230 in Afghanistan in September 2006.

Mr Robertson, leader of the SNP at Westminster, this morning discussed the report findings with widows of those who died, and demanded assurances that lessons would be learned from the “detailed and hard-hitting” report produced by the independent review.

Mr Robertson said:

“This report is detailed and hard-hitting and the Ministry of Defence must take responsibility and act on its recommendations. It is now clear now that wholesale changes in terms of leadership, culture and priorities are necessary in the way that the Ministry of Defence and UK Government deal with military safety issues.

“For the families of the fourteen servicemen I hope it will provide answers and some closure, but evidence of glaring failures and that this tragedy was preventable will be difficult to bare. The conclusions are clearly too late for those airmen, but what is now crucial is how these lessons are learned.

“We have had an inquiry, an inquest, a review, reports and analysis and, time and again, Ministers have said lessons would be learned and action taken as a priority – why should we now have confidence that the governments response will be different this time.

“Our service personnel must be able to rely on their equipment being maintained to the highest standards, and their families must feel safe in the knowledge that their loved ones safety is a top priority. This report exposes systemic failures in the Ministry of Defence and raises serious questions about ministerial oversight and responsibility.

“The aging Nimrod fleet is nearly forty years old and there have been a whole series of reports and recommendations calling for improvements.

“There must be no repeat of this tragedy. The MoD has to restore confidence in the wake of this verdict.”