§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of jobs are defence-related in(a) all England and Welsh counties, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland. [36782]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThis information is not available in the form requested. "UK Defence Statistics 1995", a copy of which is in the Library of the House shows that, in 1994, the deployment of service and MOD civilian personnel, and the estimated number of jobs directly associated with my Department's expenditure on equipment, were as follows:
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England Wales Scotland Service personnel 156,000 4,800 18,400 MOD civilian staff 95,000 4,900 11,200 Jobs directly dependent on MOD equipment spending 93,000 1,000 8,000 Total 344,000 10,700 37,600 The relevant tables in "UK Defence Statistics 1995" [1.9 and 2.4] break down the figures for England by standard region, but not by county. The figures for jobs in industry do not include jobs dependent on non-equipment expenditure, or on defence exports; nor do they include jobs at subcontractors and other suppliers to MOD contractors. Within the UK as a whole, such jobs are estimated to amount to an additional 280,000, but no breakdown of this UK total is available.
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to protect defence-related jobs in the south west in the coming year; and if he will make a statement. [36781]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotMy Department's objective is to obtain the best value for money possible for the defence budget, rather than to protect employment in any particular area though, as an employer, we naturally have regard to the employment implications of our decisions. As a customer of industry, we believe that where companies locate, and where they choose to carry out work on our contracts, are matters for the companies themselves to decide. They may of course be eligible for regional assistance, but this is not the responsibility of my Department.
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the total British work force is employed in defence-related jobs. [36784]
§ Mr ArbuthnotThe proportion of the United Kingdom workforce employed in defence-related jobs was approximately 3 per cent., based on the following figures.
Number Strength of Armed Forces on 1 April 1994 254,500 MOD UK-based civilian staff on 1 April 1994 121,600 Estimated UK employment dependent on defence expenditure in 1993–94 (the latest year for which an estimate is available) 395,000 Total 771,100 Average UK workforce in employment 1993–94 25,412,000
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the number of defence-related jobs in Devon and Cornwall. [36783]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotSuch information as is available is compiled by region rather than by county. The "UK Defence Statistics 1995", a copy of which is in the Library of the House, shows that, in 1994, some 39,700 service personnel, and some 24,800 MOD civilian staff were deployed in the south-west region. In addition, some 18,000 jobs in the region were estimated to be directly34W associated with my Department's expenditure on equipment. This last figure does not include jobs dependent on non-equipment expenditure, or on defence exports; nor does it include jobs at subcontractors and other suppliers to MOD contractors. Within the United Kingdom as a whole, such jobs are estimated to amount to an additional 280,000, but no regional breakdown of this figure is available.