§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many times a month his Department liaises with the Ministry of Defence in respect of support for the aerospace industry. [1009]
§ Mr. EggarMy Department has very frequent contact with the Ministry of Defence on a wide range of issues relevant to the aerospace sector including the support which both Departments provide to the industry. The exact number of contacts is not recorded.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is his Department's policy to maintain the United Kingdom's total capacity in the aerospace industry; and what Government assistance is available to achieve this. [1011]
§ Mr. EggarThe United Kingdom aerospace industry is a valuable contributor to the UK economy with a consistent trade surplus since 1980. My Department recognises the importance of the industry and has provided over £1.6 billion in support since 1979 for a number of major civil aerospace projects, mainly in the form of launch aid support. Aerospace benefits from a dedicated DTI budget for research through the civil aircraft research and demonstration programme— CARAD. Assistance for export projects is provided by the Export Credits Guarantee Department. Decisions on capacity are a matter for individual companies; but the DTI works to promote the aerospace industry's competitiveness by supporting the Society of British Aerospace Companies' competitiveness challenge. It also supports the industry in forging international partnerships and pursuing major export opportunities and will continue to stimulate collaboration in technology acquisition through the national strategic technology acquisition plan—NSTAP—and the technology foresight initiatives.