§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the expected percentage real return for the Department of Trade and Industry on the launch aid which has been provided for the Airbus A3XX; [135853]
(2) what is the total value of repayments to the Department of Trade and Industry which fall due under contractual conditions on the Airbus A3XX grant aid package. [135856]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonConditions in the A3XX launch investment contract, as with all other launch investments, remain commercially confidential.
Launch investment is a risk and revenue sharing Government investment in the design and development of specific civil aerospace projects in the UK. The investment is not a grant and is repayable at a real rate of return, usually via levies on sales of the product developed.