§ Mr. Ellisasked the Minister of Technology what are the technical reasons for putting back the first flight date of the Concorde.
§ Mr. BennIn general terms, the setbacks to first flight have resulted from underestimation of the effort needed to prepare many kinds of complex equipment, to install it in the aircraft, to test it, remedy minor defects and to clear it for flight. It would be misleading to single out particular items; the delay has been due to a combination of a large number of relatively minor problems.
§ Mr. Ellisasked the Minister of Technology what representations he has received from Rolls Royce concerning the possibility of redundancies due to the rephasing of the Concorde programme; and how many people it is estimated will be affected.
§ Mr. BennThe company has warned that the rephasing of the production programme as a result of slippage in development may lead to some redundancies. The extent of the effect on employment will not be clear until my officials and the company have established a revised engine production programme.