§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what Italy's financial contribution was to the A400M consortium; [12224]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Italian Defence Minister about the A400M.[12223]
§ Dr. MoonieMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence last met the Italian Minister of Defence on 12 October when he was informed that Italy had reached the decision not to continue, at present, with the A400M programme. However, I understand that this is being reviewed and I expect the situation to become clearer in the near future.
Italy had been expected to procure 16 of these aircraft out of a total initial order of 212 aircraft and their financial contribution would have been commensurate with this. It would not be appropriate to release financial details while commercial negotiations are still under way.