§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) for what classes of vessel his Department allows tenderers to respond on the basis of non-United Kingdom built hulls;
(2) on how many occasions and for what classes of vessel tenderers to his Department have responded on the basis of non-United Kingdom built hulls.
§ Mr. AitkenApart from the conversion of existing merchant shipping to meet certain specialist requirements, the only occasion on which tenderers were permitted to respond on the basis of non-United Kingdom built hulls was for the competition for single role mine hunters, cancelled in 1991.
§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what opportunities exist under the Independent470W European Programme Group/Western European Union arrangements for United Kingdom warship builders to bid to supply hulls for other European navies;
(2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Independent European Programme Group/Western European Union arrangements for reciprocal purchasing in the field of warship hulls; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenThe nations of the Independent European Programme Group which now all participate in the WEU, are under no obligation to include warship hulls in the arrangements agreed in the IEPG to open the European defence equipment market.
§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the extent to which United Kingdom shipbuilders have been invited to tender to supply hulls to the navies of(a) France, (b) the Netherlands, (c) Belgium, (d) Italy and (e) Germany; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenI am not aware that any such invitations have recently been received from any of the countries listed.