HC Deb 28 June 1994 vol 245 c496W
Mrs. Angela Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on future orders for small arms ammunition.

Mr. Aitken

A long-term contract was won by Royal Ordnance plc last October for the supply of various types of ammunition, including small arms ammunition, during the period 1993–94 to 1997–98. The contract included an option to extend all or part of the contract for a further two years. We have now reached an agreement with Royal Ordnance to extend the small arms element of the contract to cover the years 1998 to 1999 and 1999 to 2000. This increases the value of the contract to Royal Ordnance by some £40 million and should help maintain jobs at Royal Ordnance's Radway Green factory which employs nearly 600 people.