§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the competition for leasing of C-17s indicating the criteria set by his Department. [51502]
§ Mr. SpellarI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 April 1998,Official Report, column 23, and to the Strategic Defence Review White Paper, Chapter 5, paragraphs 96 and 147. Requests for Proposals are currently being finalised to meet both the short term strategic airlift requirement announced in the Review and the long term air transport requirement, in parallel 433W competitions. The lease of aircraft is one of the contract options that could meet the short term requirement. C-17 is not the only contender in either competition.