Aircraft Carrier Contract

EDM number 696 in 2002-03, proposed by Mohammad Sarwar on 10/02/2003.

That this House congratulates the Ministry of Defence on awarding the ú2.7 billion aircraft carrier contract to BAe Systems and Thales UK; notes that the programme to build two aircraft carriers represents a massive investment by the Ministry of Defence to build the largest warships ever to emerge from British yards; appreciates that BAe and Thales are companies with a long history and strong commitment to Scottish and British companies; welcomes the news that the ships will be designed and built entirely in the United Kingdom, with Rosyth and the Clyde shipyards of Govan and Scotstoun playing key roles; understands that this guarantees the Clyde yards a stable workload for the next decade and secures jobs at Rosyth as the final assembly yard, bringing a significant boost to the Scottish economy; endorses this resounding vote of confidence in the skills and abilities of workers at the Clyde and Rosyth yards; and praises shop stewards and management on the Clyde and at Rosyth who have campaigned hard to safeguard jobs for the future.

This motion has been signed by a total of 11 MPs.