Mountain Deaths

EDM number 699 in 1993-94, proposed by Ray Michie on 01/03/1994.

That this House welcomes the Scottish Office decision to fund a study by the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland into the number of incidents in the Scottish hills and mountains, many of which have resulted in the tragic loss of life; recognises that a lack of resources may hamper the full and accurate analysis necessary and urges the Scottish Office to pledge a more realistic amount for the project and encourages investigation into the use of electronic homing devices; notes with concern that so far 14 people have lost their lives on the Scottish mountains in 1994; accepts that fatalities can occur where experienced climbers are well equipped but acknowledges that inadequate equipment or skills have accounted for 50 fatalities in the past decade; commends the superb work of the rescue teams which have been involved in more than 3,000 incidents over the past 10 years; and recognises the role of volunteers, their employers, the police, RAF and other bodies which have a long standing tradition of service to those who get into difficulty on Scotland's hills and mountains.

This motion has been signed by a total of 27 MPs.