§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment in use with the armed forces has been procured from abroad. [72933]
§ Dr. MoonieThe internationalisation of high technology industries, including defence, means that almost all equipment will be sourced from a range of companies and locations.
The Ministry of Defence's first responsibility as a customer is to ensure it gets value for money for the equipment required by the Armed Forces, principally by means of competition. We do not place constraints upon the nationality of equipment suppliers except for reasons of national security. However, when taking procurement decisions we do take into account wider issues such as security of supply, economic factors, industrial issues and foreign policy.
Details of the ownership of all the contractors from whom we have procured in-service defence equipment, some of which was procured more than thirty years ago, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.