Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what type of asbestos was contained in Sea King helicopters; and in what parts of the helicopter that asbestos was located.

The Sea King first entered service in 1969 and the final aircraft were retired from the active inventory on 30 September 2018.

Historically, Asbestos Containing Material was used where resistance to heat or an insulating property was required.

In the Sea King this was principally in gaskets and seals located around the engines, gearboxes, heating and ventilation systems.

A detailed investigation is ongoing, however the Design Organisation, Leonardo Helicopters, has confirmed that to the best of their knowledge, Chrysolite (white) asbestos is the only asbestos type that was used.