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Mr. Hastings
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the extent of the dependence of the British defence industry, direct or indirect, on Kolwezi copper.
Dr. Gilbert
The only dependence of United Kingdom industry on copper production in Kolwezi is on the cobalt which is a co-product with copper. In general, United Kingdom industry obtains about half its supplies of cobalt from Kolwezi and other mines in Zaire. Supplies to the defence industry form a relatively small part of this.