– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 7 November 1956.
Sir Eric Errington
, Aldershot
12:00,
7 November 1956
asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the accident to the Hermes aircraft at Black-bushe Airport on 5th November, 1956.
Mr Nigel Birch
, Flintshire West
A Hermes of the Britavia Company, bringing civilians from Idris, crashed during the final approach to Blackbushe Airport shortly before midnight on 5th November. The aircraft was carrying 74 passengers and a crew of six. Of the passengers 50 were Army family members, 23 Royal Air Force family members and one was a civilian Government employee. The families included children and six infants in arms.
Visibility was poor. The aircraft undershot the runway and caught fire. The casualties are three members of the crew and four passengers killed and one passenger seriously injured. Other passengers suffered shock and bruises.
My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation has decided that a public inquiry shall be held.
The House will wish to join with me in expressing sympathy with the relatives of those who have lost their lives, and with the injured.
Mr Richard Stokes
, Ipswich
May I, on behalf of my right hon. and hon. Friends, join the Minister in his expression of regret to the relatives of the persons who have lost their lives in this disaster? May we express the hope that the inquiry will start as soon as possible? We are very glad to hear that it is to be a public one.
Mr Nigel Birch
, Flintshire West
My right hon. Friend assures me that he will get an inquiry set up as soon as possible.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
