HC Deb 15 January 2001 vol 361 c38W
29. Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on contacts made over the past 12 months with his New Zealand counterpart. [143742]

Dr. Moonie

There has been no direct contact between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and his New Zealand counterpart over the past 12 months. However, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Burton, the Defence Minister, at a meeting of Five Power Defence Arrangements Defence Ministers in Malaysia and Singapore last July. Our defence relations with New Zealand remain very good, and are based on strong and traditional links between the armed forces of our two countries.