asked the Secretary of State for Defence from which countries the United Kingdom purchased defence equipment in the financial year 1979–80, showing how far those purchases were part of collaborative projects.

The callendar year 1979 is the nearest period for which information is immediately available. In that year, excluding minor business, the United Kingdom imported defence equipment from Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America. The transactions with France, the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy were very largely related to collaborative ventures.