To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 3 May, Official Report, column 525, what studies he will conduct about long-term arrangements to support Hawk detachments at RAF St. Athan; and what is his estimate of the long-term cost of making permanent provision for them. [36963]

A number of options have been identified to meet the Hawk weapons detachment requirement at RAF St. Athan. An independent option study has been commissioned to examine these options and to determine the most cost-effective permanent arrangement. It is not our practice to publish assessments of the long-term costs of possible options within the defence forward programme.