§ 49. Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will now announce further production funding for Concorde.
§ Mr. John DaviesSince I informed the House on 10th May of the latest position, the manufacturers have commenced work on four more aircraft, bringing the total under construction to 10; ordering of long-dated materials for a further six aircraft is also in hand. The future programme will be discussed between my French colleague and myself later this year.
§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why the public warning about the flight of Concorde close to the constituency of the hon. Member for North Down on 15th July, 1971, did not indicate more precisely the time of the expected sonic boom in view of the fact that a time range of eight hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. gives inadequate warning for elderly and nervous people.
§ Mr. David PriceI presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the flight on 14th July since there was no flight by Concorde on the West Coast route on 15th July.
BAC forecasts whenever possible flights of Concorde on the West Coast route to within a four-hour period. The B.B.C. regional stations are given 24 hours' advance warning of these forecasts and are also informed when the aircraft has taken off.
The flight on 14th July required stable weather conditions, and it was only possible on this occasion to indicate that the flight would fall between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The B.B.C. regional stations were informed when the aircraft took off.