Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the defence sector in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands to the UK economy.

The Ministry of Defence generally holds data at a regional level and, therefore, cannot make this kind of assessment for either Edgbaston or Birmingham specifically.

However, the defence sector in the West Midlands makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. In 2023-24, Ministry of Defence expenditure with UK industry and commerce totalled £1.6 billion , including a spend of £137 million with small and medium sized enterprises, in the West Midlands. In 2022-23, Ministry of Defence expenditure supported approximately 7,100 direct jobs with industry in the West Midlands.