HC Deb 07 March 1989 vol 148 cc508-9W
Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the policy of the West German Government towards the procurement of radar for the European fighter aircraft.

38. Mr. Colvin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the procurement policy of the West German Government in connection with radar for the European fighter aircraft.

Mr. Sainsbury

We are in frequent contact with the West German Government on all aspects of the European fighter aircraft programme, including the selection of the radar. It remains the objective of the four participating Governments to achieve maximum commonality.

126. Mr. Ronnie Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent decisions he has made in respect of procurement of a radar system for the European fighter aircraft.

Mr. Sainsbury

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) and for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies).

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed the European fighter aircraft project with his West German counterpart; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sainsbury

I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave the hon. Member on 7 February at column146.

Mr. Stern

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans for development of joint European defence procurement, especially in the field of the next generation of fighter aircraft.

Mr. Sainsbury

In the interest of achieving value for money and improved interoperability, the United Kingdom actively promotes co-operation on European defence procurement, both with other countries on a bilateral basis and through the independent European programme group, which we currently chair. The European fighter aircraft project is an excellent example of the collaborative programmes in which we are involved.