HC Deb 24 January 1986 vol 90 cc334-5W
Mr. Gerald Howarth

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the terms of reference and the agenda for the meeting of the national armament directors' meeting called for 29 November 1985.

Mr. Norman Lamont

The national armament directors of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom had been invited by their Defence Ministers to hold a meeting to review progress towards the achievement of the goals set out in the declaration of principles signed in 1978 by the Defence Ministers of the four nations; and to make recommendations as to how they should be pursued in future.

Mr. Gerald Howarth

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when and in what form the invitations were extended to the national armament directors to attend the meeting held on 29 November 1985.

Mr. Norman Lamont

Invitations were issued orally to the national armament directors of France, Germany and Italy by the chief of defence equipment collaboration on 27 and 28 November 1985.

Mr. Gerald Howarth

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates on which meetings of the national armament directors of Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom or their deputies have been held since 1979; and at which meetings European helicopter collaborative production was discussed in detail.

Mr. Norman Lamont

The national armament directors meet on numerous occasions throughout the year in many fora, including the conference of national armament directors and the independent European programme group and in smaller groupings to discuss many aspects of equipment collaboration, including helicopters as appropriate. Britain's armament director attended 15 such meetings in 1985 when account is taken of those concerned with the European fighter aircraft project. The meeting held in London on 29 November 1985 was however the only recent occasion on which the four armament directors met specifically to discuss helicopters.

Deputies have met 11 times since 1979 in the forum of the four national helicopter steering committee, which is charged with overseeing progress towards implementation of the 1978 declaration of principles. The most recent of these meetings was held in February 1985.