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Search and Rescue Helicopter (Preferred Bidder)

I am delighted to announce, together with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Paul Clark), that the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport have chosen the Soteria Consortium as the preferred bidder for the joint search and rescue helicopter project following a competition under the private finance initiative. The Government are committed to sustaining the effectiveness and high standards of the United Kingdom search and rescue helicopter service, currently provided by the Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The new service, which is anticipated to begin with a phased introduction from 2012, will replace the existing Ministry of Defence helicopters at the end of their service life, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency service contract when it comes up for renewal. The new service will bring together the Ministry of Defence and Maritime and Coastguard Agency search and rescue helicopter provision into one highly effective and harmonised service under one single contract. The entire fleet of modern helicopters, some 30 per cent. faster than the current Sea Kings, will be able to attend low-level overland night-time incidents, will have forward-looking infrared equipment and be fitted with fully integrated de-icing equipment for much improved performance in severe winter conditions, thus providing the UK with an excellent SAR helicopter service with the ability to save lives well into the future. The service will continue to be managed jointly by the Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and will retain a proportion of military aircrew alongside civilian aircrew trained to the same high standards. We will now be working with the Soteria Consortium to finalise the contract, which we expect to award later in 2010.