§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the United Kingdom's participation in the military company's airbus A400M project on employment in the UK. [101656]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe Future Transport Aircraft (FTA) competition is being run by the Ministry of Defence. The A400M, along with Boeing's C-17 and Lockheed Martin's C130J, is a contender in the competition. The Department of Trade and Industry is involved in the consideration of the industrial implications of this procurement. Our assessment looks at the possible impacts of each bid on the UK's industrial and technological capabilities. The impact on UK employment levels is one aspect of this.
572WThe FTA competition is still at the competitive bidding stage and it would be inappropriate to publish information provided to both MOD and DTI by companies as part of this process.