asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the breakdown of negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the West German Government on a future joint military aircraft; and if he will make representations about the continuing failure of European NATO nations to agree on arms standardisation.

I am not aware of any such breakdown. The Government are continuing discussions with our allies, including Germany, for a possible collaborative development of an aircraft, which in the United Kingdom would replace the Harrier and Jaguar; and we are playing an active role in the relevant discussions in the Independent European Programme Group. This is part of a continuing effort to improve operational effectiveness through greater standardisation and interoperability being made by all members of the Alliance.