§ 3. Mr. Syd Rapson (Portsmouth, North)When the consultation period on the Government's Green Paper on defence diversification ends. [41296]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. John Spellar)The consultation period on our Green Paper on defence diversification ended on 8 May, and we are now considering the comments received.
§ Mr. RapsonI thank my hon. Friend for that comprehensive reply. Is he aware that the Green Paper has been widely welcomed by the business community in Hampshire, and especially by my constituents in Portsmouth? Lockheed Martin, which has substantial interests in the Astor and Merlin military programmes, is particularly interested in developments. What will the next stage of the process be? What can I tell my constituents about how the ideas in the Green Paper will evolve?
§ Mr. SpellarI congratulate my hon. Friend on being an excellent spokesman for the defence industry and the armed forces in his area; and on the considerable period that he worked for the Ministry of Defence there. Like him, we have been pleased by the responses to the Green Paper; we are considering them at the moment, and consulting other Government Departments. We need to take into account the outcome of the strategic defence review, and I hope that we shall be able to make an announcement on diversification before the summer recess.