HC Deb 20 January 1971 vol 809 cc1045-6
8. Sir A. Meyer

asked the Minister of Aviation Supply what discussions he has had with European Governments for the joint production and procurement of vertical/short take-off landing aircraft.

Mr. David Price

None, but officials have been and continue to be in touch.

Sir A. Meyer

Is my hon. Friend aware that such aircraft may very well be the hope for the future of the aircraft industry, and that to develop them effectively is likely to be beyond the resources of any one nation State? Is he aware that consequently the only way to do this is in co-operation with the countries of Europe? Will he assure us that the spirit of the approach to the matter will be that co-operation is based on the effective sharing out of contracts and not merely on the basis of Buggins' turn and all parties getting as much money back from the project as they put into it?

Mr. Price

My hon. Friend has raised a number of questions about the nature of international co-operation and I must answer in the compass of a short reply. I prefer to defer that until another time. With regard to joint ventures in V.T.O.L. or S.T.O.L. aircraft, as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Aviation Supply said in answer to an earlier Question, we do not see any immediate likelihood of hard projects, but very much study work must be done.

Mr. Bishop

Does the Minister recall his right hon. Friend saying on 4th December that there were various problems which must be sorted out? Can he indicate progress in that direction? Does not he accept that if the project is to be a European venture we should seek to have it funded internationally to carry the load?

Mr. Price

Yes, Sir. All this is under consideration. Quite a lot of study work has been commissioned both domestically in the United Kingdom and by some European countries under the general auspices of European civil aviation. This progress must be achieved before we can talk of a project for hardware.

Mr. Marten

Does my hon. Friend recall that when my right hon. Friend replied to an earlier Question on short take-off and landing aircraft, he said that it was entirely a commercial matter for the aircraft firms? Will my hon. Friend confirm that this Question, which refers to European Governments, does not enter into the matter? Any co-operation is between firm and firm, regardless of whether we are in the Common Market or out of it.

Mr. Price

With respect to my hon. Friend, although there is a lot of truth in what he says, the matter is not quite as simple as that. The operation of S.T.O.L. and particularly V.T.O.L. aircraft has considerable consequences for land and land use planning. Proper co-ordination involves Governments and local authorities, and there is little virtue in the manufacturers going ahead with their own projects.

Mr. Dalyell

On design discussions how does the Minister reconcile his Answer of "None" to the hon. Member for Flint, West (Sir A. Meyer) with the "Yes, Sir" which I received to a supplementary question on Question No. 3? I thought that it was the same.

Mr. Price

I thought that someone would pick that up. What the hon. Gentleman has not detected is the difference between formal discussions between Governments in a formal negotiating sense and, what is true, that officials have been in touch and are continuing to be in touch, exchanging information on the general parameters of these projects.