Former Conservative MP for Romsey
The whole House will applaud the passion with which the hon. Member for West Renfrewshire (Mr. Graham) fights his corner on behalf of the Bishopton Royal Ordnance factory. I very much hope that the shots he has fired today find their target on the Treasury Bench and that he at least gets the meeting with the Minister that he wants so that the work force can put its case directly to him....
On the Eurofighter, and its beyond visual range air-to-air missile, the right hon. and learned Gentleman will recall the day that he, the hon. Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George) and I spent in the Bundestag with the German defence committee when it was throwing a wobbly over the future of Eurofighter. We found that once we had put a little resolve into the committee's members they wanted...
The Secretary of State will appreciate that, following the drawdown from Germany, there is a problem with training grounds for infantry. I know that a lot of training is carried out jointly between cavalry and infantry, but the Salisbury training area near my constituency has been completely taken over by tanks, with the result that there is now nowhere for the "poor bloody infantry" to...
I, too, should like to know what sort of aircraft will be flown from the carriers. If they are to succeed the successful Harrier, with vertical or short take-off and landing—VSTOL—or short take-off and vertical landing—STOVL—capabilities, and perhaps be a variation on the joint strike fighter, surely a long vessel is not required. It might be more economic to refit our existing three...
When?
Will my hon. Friend give way?
I am most grateful to my successor as Chairman of the Defence Committee for giving way. Will he give an undertaking that, when the Select Committee considers the Armed Forces Bill, it will seriously examine consolidating the three service discipline Acts into one Act? Not only the current Select Committee, but the previous Select Committee and the one before that have recommended that the...
Even if the chiefs of the services will have to make do with the Bill if it is enacted, does my hon. Friend agree that the opportunity to consolidate the three single service discipline Acts has been missed?
