§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to place firm orders for minesweeping hovercraft for the Royal Navy.
§ Dr. GilbertThe trials of hovercraft for the mine countermeasures rôle are nearing completion. I expect that a decision on whether to proceed with the development of hovercraft for this rôle will be made within the next 12 months.