Orders of the Day — Defence Estimates 1985

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:47 pm on 13 June 1985.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Hon. Adam Butler Hon. Adam Butler , Bosworth 4:47, 13 June 1985

I cannot give that figure at the moment, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman will welcome a saving of some 20 per cent. as a considerable achievement, thus making resources available for other purposes. If the hon. Gentleman does not wish to do so now, he will have the opportunity to lavish praise on the procurement executive and Ministers at the MOD when he makes his own speech.

The defence research establishments have carried out some fine work over the years, but development generally, and especially short-term development, will come to fruition more quickly and at lower cost if it is commercially driven. One of the Government's aims, therefore, is to make the best use of industry's capacity for innovation, limiting what is done in-house to essential activities of which only the research establishments are capable and to longer-term research.