§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States of America on missile defence; if he will place a copy in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [113902]
§ Mr. HoonAs I informed the House on 5 February 2003,Official Report, column 11WS, we have agreed to the US request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales for missile defence purposes, and are negotiating a technical memorandum of understanding to give us full insight into the development of the US programme and allow British industry the best possible opportunities to win work within it. Agreements to 580W embody these decisions will comprise one framework memorandum of understanding setting out the principles under which UK/US cooperation may be undertaken plus associated memoranda covering technical cooperation and the upgrade of RAF Fylingdales. Final decisions on the releasability of these MOUs have not yet been made.