§ 16. Mr. DouglasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of defence projects in which the United Kingdom and France are currently engaged in joint research, development or procurement.
§ Mr. SainsburyBritain and France fully support the initiatives of the Independent European Programme Group aimed at enhancing collaboration in defence research, and both countries are participating in efforts to launch 14 such projects with a variety of other partners. In development we are jointly participating in the RTM322 helicopter engine programme, and both countries participate with a variety of other partners in 13 other major development programmes.