§ 9. Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral answer on 11 January, Official Report, column 8, if he is yet in a position to place the order for the conversion of type 911 tracker radars.
§ Mr. AitkenI am pleased to announce that formal contractual discussions with Marconi Radar and Control Systems of Chelmsford have commenced. Contract placement with the company will depend on the satisfactory conclusion of negotiations, which I hope will not take much longer to finalise.
§ Mr. BurnsI thank my hon. Friend for that extremely reassuring answer for my constituents. May I urge him to ensure that there are no subsequent hiccups, and that the contract is wrapped up, signed, sealed and delivered as quickly as possible? Can my hon. Friend say how large he expects the contract to be, as it is crucially important for job security and for the safeguarding of employment in Chelmsford and elsewhere?
§ Mr. AitkenIn answer to the second part of my hon. Friend's question, which he is right to raise—he has been vocal on behalf of his constituents in support of the contract—although obviously the value will depend on price negotiations, I expect it to be about £20 million. I share his hopes about getting the contract signed, sealed 141 and delivered as soon as possible, but I must add that the ball is rather in the company's court and that it takes two to tango.