§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Prime Minister what representations he has made to President Bush to secure(a) greater access for (i) BAE Systems and (ii) other British defence contractors to US military contracts and (b) increased sharing of defence technology between the US and UK. [122716]
§ The Prime MinisterWhen I met President Bush shortly after his inauguration we underlined our shared commitment to the removal of unnecessary barriers to transatlantic defence trade. More recently, operations in Iraq have emphasised the need to ensure that there are no impediments to our military forces working together, and I have suggested to President Bush that we should consider further steps to improve arrangements for the flow of information between the United States and the United Kingdom.