§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 5 May 2004,Official 213W Report, column 1523W, on Nimrod MRA4, what procedures are in place to ensure that a consistent approach to design, development and manufacture is taken in decisions on procurement when these decisions are separated under the contract. [175434]
§ Mr. IngramA consistent approach to design, development and manufacture will be best achieved for Nimrod MRA4 by contracting for production based on a mature and stable design standard resulting from the design and development phase, including test and evaluation. Both phases will then continue to be managed by the same Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems teams to ensure the most coherent programme is delivered.