AIRCRAFT CARRIER CONTRACT

Early day motion 696, tabled 10 February 2003 by Mohammad Sarwar (Labour). Signed by 11 members.

That this House congratulates the Ministry of Defence on awarding the ú2.7 billion aircraft carrier contract to BAe Systems and Thales UK; notes that the programme to build two aircraft carriers represents a massive investment by the Ministry of Defence to build the largest warships ever to emerge from British yards; appreciates that BAe and Thales are companies with a long history and strong commitment to Scottish and British companies; welcomes the news that the ships will be designed and built entirely in the United Kingdom, with Rosyth and the Clyde shipyards of Govan and Scotstoun playing key roles; understands that this guarantees the Clyde yards a stable workload for the next decade and secures jobs at Rosyth as the final assembly yard, bringing a significant boost to the Scottish economy; endorses this resounding vote of confidence in the skills and abilities of workers at the Clyde and Rosyth yards; and praises shop stewards and management on the Clyde and at Rosyth who have campaigned hard to safeguard jobs for the future.

Signatures by party: Labour 9, Labour/Co-operative 1, UUP 1.