Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Courts Excerpts

Monday 3rd February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Marcus Fysh (Yeovil) (Con)]

11. What steps his Department is taking to maintain the capabilities of UK defence manufacturing.

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

17. What steps his Department is taking to maintain the capabilities of UK defence manufacturing. [R]

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (James Heappey)]

The MOD is committed to supporting the UK defence manufacturing industry. Since 2015, we have published a national shipbuilding strategy, launched the combat air strategy and refreshed our defence industrial policy. Through the defence prosperity programme, we are working to sustain and develop an internationally competitive and productive UK defence sector.

[James Heappey]

The Wildcat, designed and built in my hon. Friend’s constituency, and with the sweat of my own constituents, has been tried and tested on operations with the Royal Navy. The Government will continue to do all that we can to support the export of Wildcat to South Korea, including making a Royal Navy Wildcat available for it to test and evaluate in the coming months.

[Robert Courts]

I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The combat air strategy has led to Team Tempest, a world-leading programme providing not only fast jet capability to replace the Typhoon for the Royal Air Force, but real STEM—science, technology, engineering and maths—inspiration by employing 1,000 people directly. Can the Minister assure me that its position will be secure in the upcoming defence review?

[James Heappey]

The Government will undertake the deepest review of Britain’s security, defence and foreign policy since the cold war. The terms of reference will be announced in due course, but the UK combat air strategy that was published in July 2018 will be used to inform the review.