HC Deb 23 March 1984 vol 56 c602W
Mr. Gould

asked the Prime Minister whether there is enough foundry capacity of the right kind to enable the United Kingdom to rely on its own resources to equip the armed services in the event of total war using conventional weapons.

The Prime Minister

As the hon. Member has already been informed, there is a significant under-utilisation of foundry capacity in the United Kingdom. No assessment has been made of this hypothetical situation, but we are satisfied that there is no threat to the supply of equipment the armed forces need for their foreseeable tasks.