§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make the placing of specific orders with United Kingdom firms by those countries which may supply the new Royal Air Force trainer his only criterion for judging potential offsets, to the exclusion of potential orders from the countries concerned.
§ Mr. LeeThe decision on a new RAF trainer will take account not only of performance and costs but also of the industrial proposals submitted by the contending firms. In this regard it is important to note that the tenders for the three foreign-designed aircraft all propose that substantial amounts of work would be undertaken in the United Kingdom. However, the wider aspects of potential benefit to British industry will also be taken into consideration.