§ Lord NEWALLMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of running the Propellant, Explosive and Rocket Motor Establishment at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, and what they consider to be the long-term future of the site.
Viscount LONGMy Lords, the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment, Westcott, is involved in a large number of continuing defence research and development projects, and there are no plans to change the use of the site. The noble Lord will however be aware that the functions of the defence research and development establishments as a whole are currently under review, and PERME, along with all other such establishments, is involved in this exercise. It is not the practice to give costs of research and development establishments.
§ Lord NEWALLMy Lords, I thank my noble friend very much for his Answer. May I congratulate him upon what I think is his first reply from this side of the House? First, may I ask my noble friend about the long term future of this establishment? Secondly, could he say whether he is satisfied that the co-operation between our allies and industry in this country is of the highest order in this case?
Viscount LONGMy Lords, the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment, with its supporting resources, is the centre of the entire rocket motor design and development capability 108 of the United Kingdom. British Aerospace and other firms involved in making and selling missiles and rockets for British Services and overseas therefore depend upon it. That is a measure of its continuing value and importance. While we are in this business, PERME services are going to be needed. For example, they are engaged, and will for some time continue to be engaged, on high priority projects like the infantry anti-tank weapon LAW, the air-to-air missile Skyflash, vital for the Tornado, and the naval helicopter-borne anti-ship missile Sea Skua. Other projects, many of them possibly in collaboration with other NATO partners, are of course coming forward all the time.