Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lindsay Hoyle (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 22 May 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Industrial Strategy

Question: The Minister is going on about the industrial strategy, but I should tell him that a hole has already been blown in it, thanks to our inability independently to produce bullets, artillery shells or bombs, as a result of the transfer of boxer caps and initiators to Germany, France and Switzerland. What message does he have for those loyal workers at Royal Ordnance who have lost their jobs?... France, Germany and Switzerland.

Answer: I sometimes wonder whether my hon. Friend ever reflects on the fact that Britain is also an exporting nation. Is he saying that those countries should not purchase our equipment or take on board some of our technologies? On munitions supply—[Interruption.] My hon. Friend knows some of the reasons why the factory closed. An industrial accident resulted in—[Interruption.] He knows the background. The company that owns that supply chain is looking at this issue very closely with the Ministry of Defence, to ensure that we get guaranteed supplies in those critical areas. My hon. Friend keeps on hectoring about Germany and other countries. They are our allies—does he want Britain to stand alone? Does he think that we should have no allies and not trade? That would not help this country at all.

Secondary information