Chinook families' first meeting with ministers was 'constructive'

Families of those killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Scotland more than 30 years ago have said their first meeting with UK government ministers was "constructive and serious".

Four crew and 25 passengers were killed when the helicopter, carrying senior security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, went down in June 1994.

The families of victims have long campaigned for a judge-led public inquiry into the crash, which the prime minister has rejected.

In a statement, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said the crash was a "tragic accident" and ministers would listen to families' concerns "first hand".

The families met three ministers from the MoD, as well as the Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones, in London on Tuesday.

Representatives of the Chinook Justice Campaign said in the meeting, details and evidence around the airworthiness of the helicopter were discussed.

They said ministers appeared "surprised" by the evidence presented and welcomed a "clear commitment" from the government to review the evidence in full.

Ministers also committed to ongoing engagement with the families, and indicated that a further meeting would take place following their review of the evidence.

Des Conroy, whose father Desmond, a detective chief superintendent in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), died in the crash, said he felt optimistic after the meeting.

However, he said he still had concerns.

"The truth needs to come out now," he said.

"They did listen to us and they have assured us they will take on board the messages that we have left with them."

The ministers will now read the material presented by the families, but Mr Conroy said what they really need is a judge-led public inquiry.

"[It] is the only thing thay can really bring out all the evidence - a judge to compel witnesses to get all documents released so we can actually stand over what we believe is right, that our loved ones were put on board an aircraft 31 years ago that should not have been in service," he added.

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood, who accompanied the Chinook Justice Campaign in Tuesday's meeting, said the meeting went "better than expected".

"Not only did they listen, they asked questions, they were interested," she said.

The Lagan Valley MP said the families have managed to put together more than 330 new questions, which include "incredible technical detail" which shows there is both "fresh evidence and new questions" that need to be asked.

Eastwood added that the case should be a "test case" for the government's commitment to a duty of candour under the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill or the Hillsborough Law.

The bill forces public bodies to cooperate with investigations into major disasters or potentially face criminal sanctions, as well as provide legal funding to those affected by state-related disasters.

"If the government is serious about public accountability through the Hillsborough Law that is going through the house at the minute, this should be the test case," Eastwood said.

An MoD spokesperson acknowledged that "the lack of certainty" about the cause of the crash had added to the distress for families.

They added four ministers, including the Defence Minister Lord Coaker and Veterans Minister Louise Sandher-Jones would meet representatives from the Chinook Justice Campaign to "listen to their concerns first hand".

The spokesperson said the MoD had received the campaign group's formal claim for a judicial review of the decision to reject the demand for a judge-led inquiry into the crash.

They said its focus is on responding to the claim and "the allegations contained within it".

"The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review," the spokesperson added.

Twenty-nine people, four crew and 25 intelligence experts - including personnel from MI5, the RUC, the Army and RAF - were killed when RAF Chinook ZD576, which had taken off from RAF Aldergrove, struck a hillside in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994.

Everyone on board was killed.

The crash was initially blamed on pilot error, a finding that was overturned in 2011.

A Scottish fatal accident inquiry concluded it was impossible to establish the exact cause of the crash.

Documents related to the incident have been sealed by the MoD until 2094, although families of the victims had wanted High Court judges to review information.