HC Deb 12 February 2004 vol 417 cc1632-3W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment his Department has made of the York University study estimating the impact on UK employment of the Government's promotion of export sales of defence equipment; [153764]

(2) what estimate he has made of the increase in UK employment attributable to the Government's promotion of export sales of defence equipment. [153765]

Mr. Ingram

In an assessment undertaken in December 2001, the Department welcomed the York University report on the costs and benefits of defence exports, and endorsed its broad conclusions, while expressing reservations about some of the assumptions made.

Estimates of UK employment dependent on defence exports are published annually in the UK Defence Statistics and on-line at: www.dasa.mod.uk. The Defence Export Services Organisation fulfils a fundamental role in implementing the Government's policy of supporting legitimate UK defence exports. In 2002, the UK defence industry signed export sales orders worth just over £5 billion and successive customer Satisfaction Surveys of the UK defence industry have revealed that over 75 per cent. of this business would not have been achieved without the assistance of DESO.