§ Mr. McWilliamTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of(a) the economic impact of the Galileo project for the UK transport sector and (b) the number of jobs the project will create for British industry; and if he will make a statement. [22236]
§ Mr. JamiesonA UK cost-benefit assessment carried out in September for my Department and the British National Space Centre by ESYS Consulting suggested that Galileo could yield net economic benefits for UK users and suppliers, based on European Commission studies and discussions with potential UK users. However, the recent study for the Commission by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), released on 22 November, excludes supplier benefits and estimates a much reduced and narrower range of benefits for transport users than previous Commission estimates. The report also made clear that there would be a need for continuing public sector funding throughout future phases of the project. On Friday the Transport Council deferred decisions on the next stage of Galileo in order to allow time for further consideration of the PWC report.