Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in seeking a replacement for the Nimrod aircraft for the RAF's maritime reconnaissance capability; and what alternative aircraft platforms are under elevation for this role.

No decision has been taken to acquire a maritime patrol aircraft, and we have been clear for some time that the right point to look again at the requirement is in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, which is now under way. The capabilities required from such an aircraft have been studied by the Ministry of Defence over the past two and a half years, and during that time we have received representations from a number of defence industrial organisations