asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the annual value of exports of defence equipment from the United Kingdom in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and what proportion of this trade was won by British companies not in public ownership;(2) what proportion of the United Kingdom needs for defence equipment was met by British companies, excluding those in public ownership, in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

The estimated annual value of exports of defence equipment in each of the past five financial years, adjusted to September 1978 price levels, is as follows:

	£ million
1974–75	1,040
1975–76	833
1976–77	788
1977–78	892
1978–79 (provisional)	900

The Ministry of Defence spends about 75 per cent. of its equipment budget on national contracts placed with British industry, about 15 per cent. as the United Kingdom's share of collaborative projects, and about 10 per cent. on contracts placed overseas. I am afraid the rest of the information sought by my hon. Friend is not immediately available, but I will see what further information can be obtained.