§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the proposals which he has received from European companies on the restructuring of the European aerospace industry. [51060]
§ Mr. SpellarOn 9 December 1997 the heads of Government in France, Germany and the UK issued a trilateral statement which recognised the urgent need for the European aerospace and defence electronics industries to rationalise, and urged industry to present their plans for restructuring and integration.
Proposals from industry on the restructuring of the European aerospace industry have been received in the strictest confidence. Details cannot, therefore, be divulged, in accordance with Exemption 13 to the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The proposals are being carefully considered by officials who, while recognising that the detailed structure is for industry to establish, will seek to do all they can to help facilitate the process.