Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the retention of the skilled defence workforce to develop the Global Combat Air Programme.

Over the last three months I have held regular discussions with BAE Systems and a wide range of other stakeholders on Typhoon production and in support of ongoing Typhoon export campaigns. To provide the UK with the most relevant and capable force, the Ministry of Defence continually reviews the demand for Combat Aircraft which will be required to operate in increasingly demanding and changing threat environments. The ongoing Strategic Defence Review is also examining this area.