Asked by: Frank McNally (Labour - Coatbridge and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase economic growth through defence spending.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, Defence Industrial Strategy and Defence Investment Plan, defence spending will strengthen security and drive growth.
We are reforming procurement, investing £182 million in skills, and providing £250 million for five Defence Growth Deals. Defence already supports more than 460,000 jobs across the UK.
Our Defence Office for Small Business Growth will expand SME access to contracts, supporting our £2.5 billion spending commitment. Each spending choice in the was considered through an economic growth to deliver a double dividend of warfighting readiness and economic growth.