§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the proportion of warship-building capacity that is state-owned in(a) France, (b) the Netherlands, (c) Belgium, (d) Italy and (e) Germany.
§ Mr. AitkenMy Department does not maintain records on the ownership of defence industrial capacity in other countries. However, on the information available to me, I understand that almost all of the warshipbuilding capacity in France and Italy is, effectively, state owned, while that in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium is not.
§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current Independent European Programme Group-Western European Union arrangements for reciprocal purchasing in the field of warship hulls.
§ Mr. AitkenEfforts by the Independent European Programme Group nations, which now all participate in the Western European Union, to open progressively the European market for defence equipment have not extended to warship hulls.