HC Deb 29 October 1956 vol 558 cc1043-4
8. Mr. Hunter

asked the Minister of Supply the total amount of money that has been spent by his Department on the development of the airliner Britannia, and the Proteus engine.

Mr. Maudling

Expenditure by the Ministry of Supply to date on the development of the Britannia series of aircraft, including the cost of installation engines, is about £6.5 million, and on the Proteus engine, about £11.5 million. Recoveries are made on account of this expenditure by levies imposed on the sales of production aircraft, engines and spares to customers other than Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Hunter

When is the country likely to get some value for the millions of pounds which have been spent by the aircraft manufacturers on the Britannia? Is the Minister aware that the Britannia is not yet in service and that B.O.A.C. has been forced to spend millions of pounds on American jet airliners in order to maintain the Corporation's services?

Mr. Maudling

The recently announced decision to purchase American jet airliners has, of course, no relation to the question whether the Britannia is in service. The levies on non-Government sales to date on the Britannia amount to £3½ million, which is over half the expenditure.

Mr. Callaghan

In view of the recently announced decision that B.O.A.C. should be allowed to buy American aircraft, and in view of the public money going into this industry, does not the Minister think it is high time that we had an inquiry into it to find out why there is no long-range British aircraft in sight twelve years after the war, which B.O.A.C. can buy for their world airways?

Mr. Maudling

I think that any suggestion for an inquiry into an industry exporting at the rate of £100 million a year in the most competitive market in the world is wide of the mark.

Air Commodore Harvey

Can my right hon. Friend tell, the House when he expects the aircraft to be in service, or at any rate what progress is being made with the modifications?

Mr. Maudling

I have learned from experience that it is unwise to make exact prophecies about technical details which no one can predict. A great deal of effort is being put into solving the difficulty of the icing of the engines, which I think no one could reasonably have been expected to predict would occur.

Mr. Callaghan

Would the Minister please address himself to my question? No one is complaining of the medium-range aeroplanes being exported. They have been a great success. We on this side of the House are anxious because there is no long-range aircraft that British industry has yet produced. After the hundreds of millions of pounds spent, is it not time that we saw some result?

Mr. Maudling

I have no doubt that the long-range Britannia will be operating across the Atlantic before the Americans' long-range jet.