§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the offset contracts which have been awarded to British industry in respect of the Harpoon weapon programme for the Royal Navy; and, in particular, what percentage offset has so far been achieved in relation to that promised by McDonnell Douglas.
§ Mr. WellbelovedThis project is still at an early stage: The agreement to proceed to full development of the RN missile was signed only last month. Nevertheless, United Kingdom firms are competing actively for orders from McDonnell Douglas and elsewhere and we are confident that the United States Government is using its best endeavours to see that the maximum amount of offset work comes to the United Kingdom. It would be contrary to established practice to give details of actual contracts secured.