To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial contribution the UK is making to the EU Galileo satellite project; what further requests for funding are anticipated; what steps she is taking to ensure that Galileo is not used for military purposes; and if she will make a statement. (136602)

The Galileo programme is jointly funded by the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA). The UK has contributed €142 million through ESA and, through contributions to the EU budget, approximately 17 per cent. of the estimated €790 million that the Commission has invested in the programme. The Commission is currently considering funding options for 2007-13, which will require agreement by the Council and the European Parliament. As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport, Dr. Ladyman, set out in his written ministerial statement on the EU Transport Council on 18 October 2006, Official Report, columns 54-56WS, the UK will continue to maintain that Galileo is a civil programme under civil control.