To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the gearbox safety of the Sea King helicopter fleet after the emergency landing of Sea King HU5 ZA130 (8) 19 from HMS Gannet on 13 October 2013.

In accordance with standard operating procedures, an immediate investigation was launched following a precautionary landing of a Sea King Mk 5 aircraft from HMS Gannet on 13 October 2013. The investigation was carried out by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and AgustaWestland, the Design Organisation for the aircraft, and concluded that the risk of this type of fault leading to a serious safety issue is very low. As a precaution, an inspection regime has been instigated to inspect and monitor the gearboxes of all of the MOD Sea King fleet.