Defence Treaties (France) Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Defence Treaties (France)

William Cash Excerpts
Tuesday 2nd November 2010

(13 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Liam Fox Portrait Dr Fox
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In the spirit in which the right hon. Gentleman asks his question, I will not use the word “drone” in any pejorative sense in my reply. Suffice it to say that we do believe that looking at co-operation on unmanned air systems makes a great deal of sense. A finite amount of money will be available for research. Where we are able to carry out that sort of co-operation in our industrial base, and where we are not spending taxpayers’ money reinventing the wheel, as has so often happened in the past, in the United States as well as in Europe, it makes a great deal of sense to do so.

William Cash Portrait Mr William Cash (Stone) (Con)
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Will the Secretary of State confirm that the arrangements will in no way affect our operational theatres of war, so that we will in no circumstances find that there is a conflict of any kind between orders that were given by our military or other services as compared to those of the French?

Secondly, if this Anglo-French arrangement—

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I simply say to the hon. Gentleman, who is a very experienced Member to whom I always listen with great interest, that one question is enough—he should not be greedy.