BAE Systems (Hansard, 28 May 2004)

§ Mr. Kilfoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department has offered BAE Systems in their bid to upgrade helicopters in Bulgaria. [175799]

§ Mr. Ingram
The Defence Export Services Organisation has co-ordinated Government support for BAE System's bid to upgrade helicopters in Bulgaria. This has included briefing the Bulgarians on the UK's concept of operations for helicopters in a NATO environment and raising the matter with representatives of the Bulgarian Government.

§ Mr. Kilfoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation his Department has made of the value for money of the BAE Systems bid for the upgrading of helicopters in Bulgaria. [175800]

§ Mr. Ingram
None. Overseas governments reach their own decisions on how best to meet the equipment needs of their armed forces.

§ Mr. Kilfoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings between BAE Systems and Bulgarian military personnel the British military attaché in Sofia has attended in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) Bulgaria; and on what dates. [175801]
206W

§ Mr. Ingram
The British Defence Attaché in Sofia has regularly attended meetings between BAE Systems and Bulgarian military personnel in Bulgaria.
One record has been traced of a meeting held in the UK on 9 December 2002. This was attended by the British Defence Attaché, BAE Systems officials and a Bulgarian delegation led by the Chief of Defence Staff of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.