HL Deb 03 December 1975 vol 366 cc745-6WA
Lord ORR-EWING

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the present estimate of the cost of development and purchase by the United Kingdom of the French missile system called Exocet and how much in offset arms purchases has so far been agreed with the French Government to balance Exocet expenditure.

Lord WINTERBOTTOM

It is not our practice to disclose specific costs of weapons systems. However, Exocet has been developed in France and the only development cost to the United Kingdom was to adapt the system to Royal Navy ships at minimal cost. Under the terms of the 1973 Memorandum of Understanding on Reciprocity in Defence Equipment Purchases, defence purchases between the United Kingdom and France will be maintained in overall balance.

House adjourned at nine minutes past ten o'clock