Air India Plane Crash

Danny Beales Excerpts

Monday 16th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Falconer]

I understand the force and the emotion behind my hon. Friend’s question. I have spoken to families about the obvious agonies of the process of identification. I will look into the circumstance that he describes. He mentioned the Indian High Commission, to whom I pass on my thanks for its hard work, particularly in rapidly facilitating visas for family members to be able to go out to see their loved ones.

[Danny Beales (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) (Lab)]

My constituency has a significant Indian community, and there has been collective grief and dismay at this tragic event. I am sure that members of the community will welcome the Minister’s condolences, as do I, for the families affected, both here in the UK and in India. I welcome the Minister’s statement and his confirmation of support on the ground for the affected families, but will he keep the consulate’s resources under review, both in capacity and locations of support, as events unfold? I welcome the confirmation that British crash investigators are on site to provide support, but will the Minister confirm that he is in close dialogue with the Department for Transport to ensure all UK resources and expertise in this area are available and can be deployed, to get the families the answers that they deserve so much?

[Mr Falconer]

I confirm to my hon. Friend that we will, of course, keep our consular response under review, as events develop. I can also confirm that there remains close co-ordination between the Foreign Office and the Department for Transport. The Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Transport and I were all in the first ministerial Cobra in response to the incident, and I know the Transport Secretary continues to have a close engagement in these issues.