asked the Secretary of State for Air the names of the members of the Civil Aviation Development Committee and the number of meetings that this committee has held since the outbreak of hostilities?

On account of the altered circumstances due to the outbreak of hostilities my right hon. Friend did not proceed with the appointment of this committee.

Was this committee not unanimously proposed by the Harold Brown Committee set up by the Secretary of State for Air? Is this not a long-term planning committee, and is it not essential that all the work in connection with civil aircraft development should be planned?

The setting-up of that committee was for our peace-time programme. If my hon. Friend will look at the terms of reference contained in the White Paper for that committee, he will see that it does not provide for war-time developments. The Secretary of State for Air, however, intends to deal with this matter and other civil aviation matters in his speech on the Estimates.