§ Syd RapsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the European Commission's estimate of the number of jobs that would be created directly and indirectly by the Galileo Project; and what measures her Department is taking through(a) providing development and validation funding and (b) other measures, to ensure the UK maximises its ability to benefit from jobs created; and if she will make a statement. [18524]
§ Ms HewittAt the end of last year, the European Commission provided a Cost Benefit Analysis for Galileo which predicted the growth in employment resources for Europe as a whole at around 3,800 jobs a year for the four to five year development phase, rising to 19,000 a year over the two-year deployment phase. On the basis of these figures the UK could be expected to attract 15 to 20 per cent. of these jobs. Some of these may, however, displace existing jobs.
My Department is working closely with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and others within Whitehall to examine the economic case for providing further funding to the Galileo project, if it goes ahead.