§ 31. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the production agreement for Concorde is on the same 50–50 basis with the French Government as the original construction agreement; and how much in total has been spent by each Government so far.
§ Mr. OnslowProduction is covered by the principle of equal sharing in the 1962 Treaty. The British Government have so far advanced £62 million in respect of production, and I understand that production expenditure by the French Government is at a similar level.
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§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, having regard to the fact that both the TU 144 and Concorde, at low speeds, fly on the back side of the drag curve, he will require special safety tests to be carried out.
§ Mr. Michael HeseltineNo. Flight tests already undertaken have established the drag characteristics of Concorde and demonstrated its ability to meet the safety requirements at low speeds. The certification authorities have been fully associated with this work.
§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the cost to public funds of the attempt to sell Concorde, including sales teams, travelling, market research, Press and public relations and advertising.
§ Mr. Michael HeseltineApart from the cost of the Far East demonstration tour by Concorde in June 1972, which was part of the development programme financed directly by the British and French Governments, the costs of the general sales campaign is included in the manufacturers' general overheads.
§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if Her Majesty's Government has any contractual relationship with Aerospatiale of France concerning Concorde.
§ Mr. OnslowNo.
§ Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at what point the original agreement for the construction and testing of Concorde was replaced by a production agreement; and if its terms were published at the time.
§ Mr. Michael HeseltineThe 1962 agreement provides for the development and production of Concorde. There is no separate agreement on production.