Defence Spending
Debate between Lord Coaker and Lord Singh of Wimbledon(3 weeks ago)
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Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB)
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House what proportion of the money spent on defence is recovered by our selling arms to other countries?
Lord Coaker (Lab)
I do not have the exact answer at my fingertips, but the defence industry is an important part of this country’s defence and what we do. There are thousands upon thousands of jobs right across the nation which depend on a legitimate defence industry contract, and that is also part of the defence of our country. I go to Select Committees where I defend those exports against the very strict criteria that we have. This country has a proud record of ensuring that, as far as we can, the defence industries comply with all the various international rules to which they should do. It is a legitimate business, and we seek to encourage it.