HC Deb 25 April 1983 vol 41 cc259-61W
Mr. George

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to the output of defence industries in terms of (a) a percentage of gross domestic product and (b) a percentage of British exports.

Mr. Ian Stewart

Output for United Kingdom defence industries on the Ministry of Defence's equipment programme is estimated to be about 2 per cent. of gross domestic product at market prices in the financial year 1981–82, the latest convenient period for which figures are available. Exports of United Kingdom defence equipment are estimated to account for about 3½ per cent. of visible United Kingdom exports in the calendar year 1981, the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr. George

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate how many people are directly employed in defence industries in the United Kingdom; how many are directly engaged on overseas defence contracts; and how many are employed indirectly on all defence contracts.

Mr. Ian Stewart

Estimates of the employment opportunities existing in the defence industries in the United Kingdom in 1981, the latest year for which figures are available, are as follows:

Direct employment in thousands
MOD equipment programme 240
Other MOD spending 90
Defence sales 80
Total 410

In addition a further 330,000 people are employed indirectly in industry as a whole on defence contracts. The major items in the category of "other Ministry of Defence spending" are construction, transport, fuel, telecommunications, food and clothing.

Mr. George

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those United Kingdom-based Ministry of Defence contractors paid between £5 and £10 million, £10 and £25 million, £25 and £50 million, £50 and £100 million, £100 and £150 million, and over £150 million, respectively, for the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Ian Stewart

The information is as follows:

United Kingdom-based MOD contractors paid £5 million or more by MOD for equipment 1981–82.

Over £150 million

  • British Aerospace plc
  • British Shipbuilders
  • The General Electric Co Ltd
  • The Plessey Co Ltd
  • 260
  • Rolls-Royce Ltd
  • Royal Ordnance Factories
  • Westland Plc

£100-£150 million

  • Ferranti Ltd

£50–100 million

  • Hunting Associated Industries plc
  • Philips Electroninc and Associated Industries Ltd
  • Racal Electronics Ltd
  • Sperry Ltd*
  • Thorn E millionI plc
  • Vauxhall Motors Ltd

£25-£50 million

  • British Leyland plc†
  • Cable & Wireless Ltd
  • Dowty Group Ltd
  • Lucas Industries Ltd
  • Marshall of Cambridge Ltd
  • Short Bros Ltd
  • Smiths Industries plc
  • United Scientific Group plc†
  • (*) Sperry (Bracknell) is now part of British Aerospace plc (Dynamics).
  • (†) USG plc includes Alvis Ltd, acquired from BL plc in 1981.

£10-£25 million

  • British Electric Traction Co Ltd
  • BTR Ltd
  • Cossor Electronics
  • Dickinson Robinson Group plc
  • Dunlop Holdings Ltd
  • Guest Keen and Nettlefold Ltd
  • Hawker Siddeley Group Ltd
  • Pilkington Bros plc
  • Ropner Holdings Ltd
  • Singer Co (UK) Ltd
  • Standard Teleophones and Cables Ltd
  • United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
  • Vickers plc
  • The Weir Group Ltd

£5-£10 million

  • David Brown (Holdings) Ltd
  • Digital Equipment Co Ltd
  • Ferguson Industrial Holdings Ltd
  • Flight Refuelling (Holdings) Ltd
  • Gresham Lion Ltd
  • Hwlett Packard Ltd
  • The Ingram Maritime Co Ltd
  • ICL plc
  • MacTaggart Scott and Co Ltd
  • Negretti and Zambra Ltd
  • Louis Newmark Ltd
  • S Pearson & Co Ltd
  • Portsmouth Aviation Ltd RCA Ltd
  • Remploy Ltd
  • Schlumberger Ltd
  • Siemens Ltd
  • Stone Platt Industries Ltd
  • 261
  • The Throgmorton Trust Ltd
  • Yarrow and Co Ltd

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