§ Mr. Shoreasked the Secretary of State for Defence when the post of National Armaments Director was first established; who is the present incumbent; how often meetings take place between the British National Armaments Director and his European colleagues; and if they reach their recommendations by majority voting or by unanimity.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe position of National Armaments Director within the Ministry of Defence came into being with the establishment of the conference of national armaments directors under the North Atlantic Council in 1966. Initially the United Kingdom representative was the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Ministry of Defence, but following the creation of the Procurement Executive in 1971 and until 1985 the position was held by the Chief of Defence Procurement. However, the position of National Armaments Director was one of the responsibilities passed to the Chief of Defence Equipment Collaboration when the post was created in March 1985. The present incumbent is Sir David Perry. As regards the frequency of meetings between national armaments directors, I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the written answers given to the hon. Member for Cannock and Burntwood (Mr. Howarth) on 24 January at column 336–37. Discussions between national armaments directors are governed by the form in which they are conducted; decisions are reached by mutual agreement.