§ 34. Mr. Wallasked the Minister of Technology if he will now place in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the various cancellation charges for all the United States aircraft ordered by Great Britain.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Technology (Mr. Gerry Fowler)I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Hendon, North (Sir Ian Orr-Ewing) on 20th March.—[Vol. 761, c. 106.]
§ Mr. WallIs it not a fact that that Answer did not tell the complete story, and that all the costs for foreign aircraft, including the F111, were not included in it? Could the Minister tell us the full effect of all cancellation charges?
§ Mr. FowlerIt is impossible at this stage to give the full picture including the F111. I have some idea of the likely level of cancellation costs, but the actual figures must be negotiated between the firms and the United States authorities on our behalf. I should prefer not to prejudice the course of these negotiations by hazarding a guess about their outcome.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyDoes my hon. Friend agree that recent events in Vietnam demonstrated that if we had not cancelled the F111 the cost to the British taxpayer in the long run would have been infinitely greater than it may be now?
§ Mr. FowlerMy hon. Friend may draw his own conclusions from the events in Vietnam. They are not strictly relevant to the Question on the Order Paper.
§ Mr. CorfieldWill the Minister endeavour during the negotiations to widen the scope of the offset agreement to the maximum, bearing in mind that we buy a great deal of other material from America, quite apart from the proposal to buy the F111?
§ Mr. FowlerWe are naturally extremely eager to sell all the British goods we can to the United States, particularly in the aviation field. We have had great successes recently, and I see little cause for worry in this case.