I am aware of dated reporting in media that suggests this to be the case. The Ministry of Defence does not comment on such material as to do so would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other States.

Expenditure from the centralised Ministry of Defence Science and Technology Programme under the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser for each year since 2010 (inclusive of non-recoverable VAT at current prices) is given below:

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses the Small Business Research Initiative, in conjunction with its own methods, to access innovation from a broad technology supply base. Most of the MOD's Small Business Research Initiative efforts have been with the MOD's Centre of Defence Enterprise as part of the continuing investigation of a full range of technologies relevant to defence.

Since 2008, the Centre of Defence Enterprise has funded over 900 projects covering diverse technologies from cyber to clothing. Over 70% of these have been in conjunction with the Small Business Research Initiative. A full list of all contracts from the Centre of Defence Enterprise since April 2012 is at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cde-funded-contracts

Technologies explored through this route are assessed and evaluated by the MOD's Science and Technology Programme or through development of specific equipment projects.

The Defence and Security Industrial Engagement Policy (DSIEP) has made good progress since it was launched in the National Security Through Technology White Paper in February 2012. DSIEP tracked over £400 million of inward investment by overseas companies during 2012. This rose to nearly £500 million during 2013. With eight companies now signed up to DSIEP and discussions under way with several others, we hope that this figure will continue to rise. This compares favourably with the previous policy of Industrial Participation. In addition to this quantitative assessment, the Department is in the early stages of a Qualitative assessment of DSIEP and will be engaging with the DSIEP signatories and Defence academics to ensure this is robust.

Defence and procurement issues have been considered by relevant Government Departments, rather than formerly through the Ministerial Working Group. The Group remains available, if needed, to consider cross-Government aspects of the new approach.

A Defence and Security Export Ministerial Working Group has been established under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Defence to co-ordinate Defence Export issues across Government.

The National Security through Technology White Paper (Cm 8278) lays out our commitment to open procurement, and that the Department and its agencies will conduct research and development only where it is essential for our national security.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Trading Fund, delivers the majority of the MOD’s Science and Technology Programme. Any ideas generated within Dstl can be commercialised through Ploughshare Innovations Ltd, a technology transfer company owned by Dstl.

Where external suppliers are contracted, the MOD leaves the intellectual property rights of any discovery or technology with those suppliers to commercialise. The MOD retains rights to disclose and use the intellectual property for UK Government purposes.

Ministry of Defence officials have regular discussions with the UK Space Agency, in order to formulate UK policy and share information on technological developments.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains a regular dialogue with our suppliers on the key issues facing the armed forces and the wider MOD through the Defence Suppliers' Forum and its associated working groups, which includes the Research and Development Group. Alongside this, we organise regular industry briefings to ensure suppliers have an effective understanding of the requirements of the armed forces.

The Centre for Defence Enterprise continues to provide in depth briefing to potential suppliers and two major events have been held recently in London, on 27 November 2013 concerning cyber defence and on 3 December 2013 on materials science and armour.

The specific MOD Science and Technology requirements and investment opportunities have been explained at the annual Supplier Networking events led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), most recently in June 2013 where more than 400 suppliers attended, and published at:

https://www.dstl.gov.uk/suppliernetworkingday1

The MOD uses other supplier events to outline these requirements, most recently at Defence Procurement Research Technology and Exportability in Bristol on 20 November 2013.

Dstl works with the Technology Strategy Board's Knowledge Transfer Networks to communicate challenges and threats to the wider supplier base to stimulate their development of solutions. Dstl signed a Strategic Relationship Charter with Research Councils UK (RCUK) in January 2013 and Dstl staff are embedded in most of the Research Councils to bring greater mutual visibility to the different strands of academia and defence.

The National Security Through Technology White Paper (Cm 8278) set out six critical outcomes for defence, security, science and technology. These remain our overall priority.

The Ministry of Defence publishes its Science and Technology requirements on the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) website at:

https://www.dstl.gov.uk/whatwedo

Further details of the science and technology requirements and the investment opportunities are presented at the annual supplier networking events led by DSTL, most recently in June 2013, where more than 400 suppliers attended. The content of the June 2013 event can be found at:

https://www.dstl.gov.uk/suppliernetworkingday1

Counter-terrorism priorities were published in the Contest strategy in 2011. Delivery against these priorities, which includes science and technology, is published annually in the Contest annual report to Parliament at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/contest

The Department's plans for funding the centralised Ministry of Defence Science and Technology Programme, under the Department's chief scientific adviser, as a proportion of the Department's budget, equate to 1.2%, 1.3% and 1.3% in financial years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, meeting our intention to sustain science and technology investment at a minimum of 1.2% of the Defence budget.

We do not routinely publish costs for projects which have not passed their main investment decision. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 616W. Good progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of the National Security Through Technology White Paper (CM 8278).

We do not intend to produce a formal report one year from publication of the White Paper, although we will use opportunities around the time of the anniversary to highlight key White Paper themes and progress in its implementation.

[holding answer 6 December 2012]: Up until the end of May 2012, we had committed up to £44 million on our conversion investigations with both the US Department of Defense and UK Aircraft Carrier Alliance, and £1 million on an air-to-air refuelling study. Work to finalise the run-down costs of our conversion work continues. I am withholding the information as estimates of these costs would prejudice commercial interests.

In relation to vessels currently under construction or planned, decisions have yet to be taken as to the systems to be used for analysis of this kind of data.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) placed contracts for four Defence Technology Centres (DTCs): Defence Information Fusion (DIF) DTC, which expired in March 2009, Electromagnetic Remote Sensing (EMRS) DTC, which expired in May 2010, Human Factors Integration (HFI) DTC, which expired in March 2012, and Systems Engineering for Autonomous Systems (SEAS) DTC, which expired in March 2012. The MOD's annual spend on each DTC contract over the last five years is shown in the following table.

The Defence Technology Centres were not physical centres but contractual constructs, the first of which launched in 2003 and the last of which ended

in 2012. They enabled the Ministry of Defence to conduct research in collaboration with Defence Industry Primes, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and academia. There are no central records as to how many people were employed through these contracts.

Good progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of the National Security Through Technology White Paper. This includes: sustaining the level of investment in defence science and technology at 1.2% of the Defence budget; encouraging small- and-medium sized enterprises to fulfil their potential in responding to defence requirements; embedding the new national security principles of operational advantage and freedom of action within departmental processes; and increasing support for Defence exports.