§ 24. Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest forecast of outturn for defence procurement for 1985–86.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe defence procurement vote (Class 1, Vote 2) provides for expenditure in the current year of £8,723 million. This Vote, together with the other cash-limited defence votes, constitutes the block defence cash limit which is managed as a whole. The final outturn will be contained within the block limit but it is too early to predict the precise outturn for individual votes.
§ 26. Mr. Lofthouseasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the employment implications of his procurement policy.
§ Mr. Norman LamontEmployment levels in the United Kingdom defence industry will depend on the success of individual firms in winning orders both at home and abroad. The Ministry of Defence's procurement programme aims to give the best value for money for the taxpayer by pursuing the twin approaches of increasing competition between suppliers and fostering collaboration with our international partners. Improvements in the competitivenes of United Kingdom firms in meeting our requirements will stand them in good stead to win foreign orders. Participation in collaborative projects can enable British firms to remain at the forefront of rapidly developing technologies where it would not be cost effective or even feasible to do so independently.