Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support the UK's defence industry and (b) ensure national security in 2023.

The most recent estimate shows Ministry of Defence (MOD) investment supports 219,000 jobs in industries across the UK, including 141,000 direct jobs and 78,000 indirect jobs. Transparency, communication, and a longer-term view of our priorities are fundamental principles of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) which should give industry the confidence to plan ahead and co-invest alongside government accordingly.

Continued high and focussed investment in defence, along with the changes we are making as part of DSIS, means that the MOD is well placed to support the UK's defence industry which underpins our national security.