§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what position he proposes to adopt in respect of the next European Space Agency Council meeting regarding the British Aerospace space freighter.
§ Mr. ButcherBritish Aerospace has proposed an attractive concept for a versatile space platform — a "space freighter". Whether this should now be pursued as a planned European contribution to the international space station is one of the issues my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Information Technology will be taking up at the forthcoming ESA Ministerial Council meeting.