§ Lord Sandysasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are in a position to announce their decision on the selection of the future Royal Air Force basic trainer; and whether they will make a statement.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Lord Trefgarne)The four competing tenders have been thoroughly evaluated by the Ministry of Defence. The evaluation has shown that two of the contenders have clear-cut advantages over the others in terms of the combination of cost and performance, which are the critical factors involved in722WA the decision. We have therefore decided to invite best and final offers from British Aerospace and Shorts in order to clarify and amplify certain aspects of their present tenders, so that we may reach a final decision between the options, which still include the possibility of refurbishing the Jet Provost.