An MHK says the Royal Air Force has used the island’s airspace to train for bombing campaigns.

In a House of Keys sitting on Tuesday, John Wannenburgh (Douglas North) asked the Chief Minister what the policy was regarding the RAF’s access to Manx airspace.

Alfred Cannan said that providing an aircraft operator complies with the relevant rules and there are no international sanction measures in place, access to the airspace is ’free to all without discrimination between military aircraft and civilian aircraft’.

Mr Wannenburgh said: ’Foreign air crew have used the airspace of the Isle of Man to train for their bombing campaigns. Why is it that our space is used to support such endeavours?

’Surely, as Mr [Chris] Thomas said recently, he described the Isle of Man as a country, not as a jurisdiction, so why is it that our airspace gets used for such endeavours?

’All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing. We can surely do better than what we are doing.’

Mr Cannan said that he would ’disassociate’ himself from the comments.

’The Hon Member clearly knows more about the activities of the RAF than the government knows, in terms of what people are actually doing whilst they are piloting their aircraft,’ he said. ’We have a long association and respectful traditions with the Royal Air Force.

’The UK remains constitutionally responsible for our defence, and we continue to do what is needed to support that.’