HC Deb 15 February 1965 vol 706 cc150-1W
31. Sir C. Osborne

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is aware that Germany has placed military orders from 1955 to the present worth $3,500 million in the United States, $1,200 million in France and only $500 million in Great Britain; to what extent he estimates this is due to high British prices or the quality of British goods; what steps he is taking to see Great Britain gets a larger share of these orders; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Healey

I cannot vouch for figures relating to trade between other countries; for German military orders from the United Kingdom the figure quoted is broadly speaking correct. I have no evidence that the Federal German Government considers that British goods in general compare unfavourably with those of other countries in price or quality. Methods of increasing German military orders from the United Kingdom are constantly under discussion and the Prime Minister will be pursuing the subject during his visit to Bonn.