Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of collaboration between his Department and UK defence companies in developing an independent UK unmanned aerial vehicles' capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Our policy remains to provide our Armed Forces with the equipment and support they need, at the right time, and at a cost that represents value for the taxpayer. For the majority of our requirements, this is best achieved through open competition on the global market. As such, the Ministry of Defence collaborates with both UK and overseas defence companies on the development, production and support of current and future Unmanned Air Systems capabilities, based on individual user requirements.