asked the Minister of Aviation (1) if he will consult the Secretary of State for Defence with a view to diverting some of the 42 VC l0s ordered by the British Overseas Airways Corporation to the Royal Air Force;

(2) if he will give an assurance that the unemployment position in Northern Ireland will be taken into account when considering the diversion of surplus British Overseas Airways Corporation VC l0s to the Royal Air Force as an alternative to ordering Belfast Freighters from Short Brothers and Harland Limited.