§ 11. Mr. Walter Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is now in a position to make a statement on the negotiations with Lockheed over the Rolls-Royce RB211 engine.
§ 15. Mr. Sheldonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a further statement on the RB211 contract.
§ The Minister for Aerospace (Mr. Frederick Corfield)With permission, I will make a statement after Question Time.
§ 26. Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, following recent discussions with the Lockheed Corporation, it remains his assessment that the RB211 engine will be to a large extent behind engines of equivalent power and performance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldAssuming that the RB211 goes ahead, which I hope will be the case, it is nevertheless bound to come into service later than its competitors. I have, however, no doubt that it is potentially a very good engine indeed.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that reply, but will he bear in mind that as recently as 8th February he produced in the House a pretty powerful condemnation of the commercial case for the engine, in the light of which taxpayers will need a very clear assurance that this is the most sensible form of public works programme, if we are to go ahead with it, for the employment of the 40,000 people involved?
§ Mr. CorfieldA large number of considerations come into the question. As I have said earlier, and have repeated often enough, I believe the RB211 to be a very good engine. There is no doubt, however, that market potential in the aerospace world is particularly difficult to assess at present.
§ Mr. Walter JohnsonDoes the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is pretty disgraceful when an hon. Member attacks a product of British industry like the RB211 engine as the hon. Member for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne) has done? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that that must make the negotiations with Lockheed even more difficult at a very touchy time?
§ Mr. CorfieldI do not think that that question has any bearing on the negotiations.