6 September 2000 Edition
Lynx helicopter hypocrisy
Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh Assembly member Conor Murphy has accused the British military of hypocrisy over its continued use of the Lynx helicopter in the Six Counties
``The British military establishment continues to use the dangerous Lynx helicopter in the north of Ireland despite considerable evidence of a serious fault, yet it has grounded its entire fleet of RAF Tornado trainer planes after a fault was found in one machine,'' said Murphy. ``Peter Mandelson must challenge this hypocrisy.
``The British Army's Lynx helicopter has an appalling safety record and evidence has consistently indicated that there is serious fault with this machine. Despite this, the British Army continue to put the lives of people throughout the Six Counties at risk by their insistence on its continued use. Already this year, there have been accidents involving the Lynx helicopter in South Armagh and Antrim.
``The British military establishment continues to use the dangerous Lynx helicopter in the north of Ireland despite considerable evidence of a serious fault, yet it has grounded its entire fleet of RAF Tornado trainer planes after a fault was found in one machine,'' said Murphy. ``Peter Mandelson must challenge this hypocrisy.
``The British Army's Lynx helicopter has an appalling safety record and evidence has consistently indicated that there is serious fault with this machine. Despite this, the British Army continue to put the lives of people throughout the Six Counties at risk by their insistence on its continued use. Already this year, there have been accidents involving the Lynx helicopter in South Armagh and Antrim.
