§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the type of programmes the UK will be involved in as a member of OCCAR; and if he will make a statement. [44738]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Organisation for Joint Armaments Co-operation (OCCAR) was created to manage a wide range of European collaborative defence equipment programmes. Decisions to integrate equipment programmes into OCCAR are taken jointly by the member nations (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) taking into account a variety of factors. To date, the UK is involved in two OCCAR managed projects: the Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle and Counter Battery Radar programmes. The A400M military transport aircraft programme is intended to be passed to OCCAR management once the contract has been activated.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how membership of OCCAR will affect decisions made about defence procurement; and if he will make a statement. [44739]
§ Dr. MoonieDefence equipment procurement decisions will continue to be made with the overall aim of ensuring that our armed forces are provided with equipment which meets their needs, and which is delivered to time and is cost effective. The founding principles of Organisation for Joint Armaments Co-operation, and the processes that it uses for procurement management, are entirely consistent with this aim.