Oral Answers to Questions

Sally Jameson Excerpts

Monday 3rd November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Laurence Turner (Birmingham Northfield) (Lab)]

8. What steps he is taking to help ensure that the defence sector supports economic growth.

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

10. What steps he is taking to help ensure that the defence sector supports economic growth.

[The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (Luke Pollard)]

Defence is an engine for growth. The defence industrial strategy, which we published in September, sets out how we will reform procurement, cut contracting times, spend more of our rising defence budget with British companies, invest in frontier technologies and skills, crowd in private capital and support regional development.

[Luke Pollard]

I join my hon. Friend in thanking his constituent for his creativity and work.

Defence is one of the largest apprenticeship employers in the country, with over 24,000 apprentices. The Navy is No. 2 and the RAF is No. 4, and I am proud that the Army has been named the No. 1 apprenticeship employer. We are doing even more than that with £182 million going into skills, and we are working with our trade union colleagues—from both the GMB, of which I am proud to be a member, and Unite—alongside industries big and small, as part of the Defence Industrial Joint Council, so we can motor our economic development and create more jobs in defence.

[Sally Jameson]

How can the defence sector make better use of underutilised MOD land and assets to contribute to innovative models of business such as the community energy projects that, alongside initiatives such as the South Yorkshire growth deal, can contribute to local SMEs and energy security?

[Luke Pollard]

As a very proud Labour and Co-operative MP, I know just how important it is to use community energy to create good renewable energy and cut energy bills. I would be very happy to speak to my hon. Friend about that. We are looking at the 1% of Britain that we own as a Department to see how we can not only deliver defence outputs and build more houses—with 100,000 houses identified in the defence housing strategy—but support environmental output and greater industrial opportunities for the private sector. I am very happy to meet her to discuss that further.