Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help support jobs in the defence industry.

This Government recognises the vital role the defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK.

The UK's defence industry is a global leader and defence spending provides good, well-paid jobs. Ministry of Defence spending supports around 434,000 jobs across the UK, with around 239,000 of those supported by industry across the UK. The Strategic Defence Review will put personnel across defence at the core of future defence work.

Our industry partners, of all sizes, are very much at the heart of our One Defence approach. That is why this Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy aligning our security and economic priorities to boost the prosperity of our people across the country, provide resilience for the UK, and ensure the credibility of our deterrence.