§ Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with progress towards joint European procurement for the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SainsburyJoint procurement arrangements with our European allies, as well as with the United States of America and Canada, have served us well. A number of the equipments already used by our forces stem from them, and new ones are under study or development. International collaboration will be of increasing importance for the future, and we are working actively with our allies both to increase the number of joint projects and to explore new arrangements which offer the prospect of mutual benefit and value for money.