§ 4. Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle)What representations he has received from United Kingdom aerospace companies concerning difficulties in securing Federal Aviation Authority approval. [55054]
§ The Minister for Trade (Mr. Brian Wilson)I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this important matter. The problem was brought to my Department's attention by the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace, and the Society of British Aerospace Companies has also written to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions about it. I understand that DETR has taken the matter up with the US Federal Aviation Authority.
§ Mr. PrenticeThat does not surprise me because it is an immensely serious issue, not just for the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace, but for aerospace companies across the United Kingdom, as the business is worth about £200 million a year. The long and the short of the matter is that American companies can repair British and European aircraft in the United States, but we cannot always repair American aircraft. The Federal Aviation Authority has been dragging its feet systematically for years and failing to appoint the inspectors that are required in the United Kingdom to ensure that there is a level playing field in aerospace. I urge my hon. Friend to take the matter up with his colleagues in the Department of Transport, and resolve it.
§ Mr. WilsonI endorse everything that my hon. Friend says. He is right to raise the issue at every opportunity. He will also appreciate that DETR is the lead Ministry in those matters. I understand that the information that DETR has received is that, by the end of the year, the FAA should be able to devote more resources to approval issues, so it is to be hoped that the position will change and the approval of servicing facilities in the United States will proceed. We are certainly aware of the importance of the issue to UK aerospace companies and are keeping in touch with DETR. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to stress the importance of the industry and the issue to the British economy.
§ Mr. Christopher Chope (Christchurch)What we seek is that the FAA should act fairly and impartially as a regulator. Does the Minister agree that the Government's hand would be strengthened if the Secretary of State could be seen to be acting fairly and impartially in his own 449 regulatory role vis-a-vis sponsors of the dome, which include British Aerospace and GEC? Can he explain why the Secretary of State will not follow the advice in a leading article in the pink paper, the Financial Times, calling on the Secretary of State to hand over responsibility for the dome to a Government colleague and thereby
avoid the appearance of impropriety"?
§ Mr. WilsonThe hon. Gentleman has a very loud voice, but that does not guarantee that he will say anything sensible. As he very well knows, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has acted impeccably on the advice of officials. He will continue to do so and is well aware of the importance of the issues. Everything is transparent and above board—exactly what could not be said of the previous Administration, whom the hon. Gentleman supported.