Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the economic benefits from the Ukraine drone package are distributed across all regions of the United Kingdom, including the North East of England; and what support his Department is providing to defence technology SMEs in the North East of England to help them access supply chain and export opportunities arising from the UK's increased drone manufacturing commitments for Ukraine.

In April 2026, the Department announced the biggest ever drone package for Ukraine, delivering at least 120,000 drones for Ukraine this year. Most of this spending will be with UK companies, several of which were selected through open and fair competitions.

In terms of supporting defence technology SMEs, particularly in the North East of England, in September 2025, UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) announced funding to support Regional Defence and Security Cluster (RDSC) operations, including in the North-East. In conjunction with UKDI's national programmes, the expanding RDSC network enables innovation to be identified, developed, and accelerated across the whole of the UK.