§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the shortfall in the number of engineers working in UK aerospace needed to fulfil future major defence contracts, with particular reference to the JSF. [40508]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department is not aware of any particular problems in relation to the number of engineers available for the Joint Strike Fighter programme. UK companies including BAE SYSTEMS, Rolls-Royce, Smiths and others won their place on Lockheed Martin's JSF team on their own merits in the face of tough international competition. Part of the reason for their success was the availability of highly-skilled aerospace engineers and capabilities in the UK.