§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his latest estimate of cost for bringing the Concorde supersonic airliner into service; and by how much inflation has added to the cost during the past 12 calendar months.
§ Mr. MeacherThe cost to Britain and France of developing the Concorde aircraft up to the point at which it will enter airline service is now estimated to be £974 million. This represents an increase of £16 million due to inflation over the year from September 1973 to September 1974. These figures take no account of the cost of producing the first aircraft to enter service, of expenditure incurred by the airlines in preparation for Concorde services, or of development expenditure on the existing version of Concorde which will be necessary after entry into service.