To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the costs of (1) developing an independent UK GPS system, and (2) continued participation in the EU Galileo project.

The initial analysis undertaken in partnership with UK industry concluded that a UK Global Navigation Satellite System could cost between £3-5 billion over a ten-year build phase. In August, my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister tasked the UK Space Agency, with the full support of the Ministry of Defence, to develop options and set aside £92m for the necessary Engineering and Design studies to refine and test these initial estimates.

If the UK wished to participate in the Galileo project from 2020 this would be a matter for future negotiations, as it would be for all programmes. Member States do not contribute to individual EU programmes but to the EU budget as a whole. The UK’s financing share of the EU budget is based on a number of elements, such as the UK rebate and our customs duties transfers to the EU and fluctuates with changes to the levels and types of EU spending. It therefore not possible to estimate future contributions to specific EU Programmes.