§ 6. Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to place any orders for hovercraft in their minehunting capacity as recently demonstrated to the Royal Navy.
§ Mr. Ian StewartWe have no present plans to do so, but we are considering running on the BH7 hovercraft for further trials.
§ Mr. RossDoes the Minister agree that mine detection and mine hunting and destroying are important matters, for which the Government need to step up our protection? Is he aware that for about 12 years we have been conducting trials with the BH7, which is a project of great importance to the economy of my constituency? Is it not about time that we placed some firm orders?
§ Mr. StewartI recognise the importance of taking counter measures against mines, particularly since I served in minesweepers for a considerable period. I am awaiting an evaluation of the performance of the hovercraft in the trials that have recently taken place, and we will be considering our proposals at that stage.