PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
AIRWORK SERVICES CONTRACT FOR F-3 TORNADO MODIFICATION (6 June 1993)

That this House expresses its concern at the appalling incompetence of Airwork Services, a subsidiary of Securum, the lifeboat company set up by the Swedish Government to house non-creditworthy assets of nationalised Swedish banks, in carrying out modification works at RAF St Athan, on the F-3 Tornados; is concerned that RAF St. Athan was debarred from bidding against the private sector applicants for this contract; is concerned that Airwork Services itself had no quality assurance procedure nor were the RAF given a quality assurance role, and that the late discovery of the damage to the longerons and the engine intake area after four of the Tornados had already been returned to their operational units meant that a serious risk of injury to aircrew and civilians living underneath Tornado training areas was narrowly avoided; and believes that the Ministry of Defence should now absorb and act on the obvious lesson from this fiasco that the role of private contractors and market testing in the defence RAF maintenance and modification has been taken too far for comfort and safety.

Sponsored by:
Mr Rhodri Morgan (Labour)