§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many(a) UK aerospace companies and (b) other UK companies, would directly benefit from the leasing or purchase of the Boeing C-17 aircraft; [52069]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which would be generated from the purchase or lease of the Boeing C-17 aircraft in the UK. [52070]
§ Mr. SpellarBids will be invited to meet the short-term and long-term air transport requirements in parallel competitions. Requests for proposals will be issued later this summer for the long-term requirement, and in the Autumn for the short-term requirement. In both cases, I can assure my hon. Friend that the procurement decision will take account of employment, industrial and all other relevant factors.