§ 12. Mr. McMasterasked the Secretary of State for Air when he expects to formulate a requirement for a new maritime reconnaissance aircraft for Coastal Command to replace the Shackleton, as announced in this year's Defence White Paper.
§ Mr. H. FraserMy Department is actively engaged on the formulation of this requirement, in close consultation with the Ministry of Aviation.
§ Mr. McMasterI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Can he bring these decisions forward, in view of the anxiety in the aircraft industry about unemployment and the importance to such firms a; Short Brothers and Harland of keeping design teams together in the national interest?
§ Mr. FraserI am aware of this problem, but I am glad to say that this year we have confirmed three major requirements for the Royal Air Force—the TSR2, the OR351 and the P1154.
§ Mr. MulleyHow long does the Secretary of State expect the Shackleton to remain in useful operational service? Will he take steps to speed up the decisions as to operational requirements for new aircraft, because one's recollection is that there has been an enormous gap from the time a project is started until an order is placed and then a period of about five years before the Royal Air Force gets the planes in actual squadron service? Is the Secretary of State doing something to shorten these very long periods?
§ Mr. FraserI am doing everything I can.