§ Dr. WhiteheadTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of(a) the prime contractors' proposals for the procurement of the first batch of Type 45 destroyers, (b) the implications of these proposals for the investment plans of companies involved in procurement of the first batch and (c) how the proposals will affect the delivery of a competitive procurement strategy for follow-on Type 45s. [143918]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to him and to the hon. Members for Eastleigh (Mr. Chidgey), for Salisbury (Mr. Key) and for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 21 December 2000,Official Report, columns 248–51W, to which I have nothing to add.
§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposal he has received from BAe Systems Marine for an alternative shipbuilding strategy for the Type 45 destroyer programme; if this proposal involves a partnership strategy without competition for downstream batches of the class; and if he intends to sign a DFM contract with BAe Systems before a decision has been taken to accept this proposal. [144038]
§ Dr. Moonie[holding answer 8 January 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him and to the hon. Members for Salisbury (Mr. Key), and for Truro (Mr. Taylor) and my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Dr. Whitehead) on 21 December 2000, Official Report, columns 248–51W, to which I have nothing to add.