§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
On 1 September 2003 I informed the House that the Defence 2003 exhibition, under the leadership of the Royal Air Force, which was scheduled to take place at the Royal International Air Tattoo, had been postponed by 12 months because of operational pressures (Official Report, col. 913–4W). In light of the 15WS continued high level of operational commitments and the associated demands upon service personnel and their families, the Ministry of Defence has now concluded that Defence 2004 should not take place. However, the Services will continue to fully support the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) which will take place in July at RAF Fairford, including support for a youth day, an Armed Forces careers convention, and commemorations of Entente Cordiale and the D-Day anniversary. Over the coming months we will be working closely with the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises who organise the event, to help ensure that RIAT continues its tradition of great success.