§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent of state support for the aerospace industry in(a) the United States, (b) European Union member states and (c) Brazil in comparison with Government support for UK aerospace. [177142]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Government are aware of various forms of support provided by a number of other governments to their civil aerospace industries (e.g. basic R&D, product development capital or export sales financing). International comparisons are complicated by the way in which that support is focussed and whether it is repayable.
The Government have provided strong support for the aerospace industry in the UK over many years—including support for R&D projects, repayable launch investment (almost £l billion since 1997) and export sales financing. We are also working with the industry to improve its productivity and competitiveness through the implementation of the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team Report's recommendations.