§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that the 50,000 military microprocessors required by his Department in the 1980s do not have to depend on foreign components for their manufacture and maintenance.
§ Dr. GilbertArrangements already exist to help to build up a United Kingdom capability for the development of integrated circuits specially designed for defence applications. These arrangements are kept under review.
Microprocessors developed for civil commercial use are also likely to be used to fulfil military requirements. In so far as the requirement for microprocessors is for standard products available on world markets, the Government's industrial strategy for the development of the United Kingdom micro electronics industry is expected to create significant production capability of these products in the United Kingdom.