§ Mr. Robert Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, following his decision not to go ahead with the order for additional Hawks for the RAF, he remains satisfied with the reliability, performance and pilot acceptability of this aeroplane.
§ Mr. PattieCompletely satisfied. The Hawk is an exceptionally fine training aircraft—indeed the best advanced flying trainer the Royal Air Force has ever had. We should have liked to go ahead with the order; the decision to defer it was entirely due to the overriding need to balance the RAF's budget next year and the consequent adjustment of priorities for expenditure.