HC Deb 15 June 2004 vol 422 c813W
Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what undertakings were given to his Department by Thales when they acquired Racal. [177146]

Mr. Ingram

When Thomson CSF (now Thales) acquired Racal Electronics plc in July 2000, contractual undertakings addressing national security aspects were provided to the Ministry of Defence by Thomson CSF.

Statutory undertakings were also provided to the Department of Trade and Industry as part of the regulatory clearance for the acquisition. These are in the public domain and provide assurance that the company will comply with the contractual undertakings provided to the MOD.