Written Ministerial Statement on Machinery of Government: Defence Trade Promotion

25 July 2007

The Prime Minister has today announced changes to how defence trade should be handled by the UK Government.

Read the statement

The Government believes trade promotion for defence exports should be more effectively integrated with the Government's general trade support activities, while recognising and accommodating the specific requirements of the defence sector.

Therefore:

• the Government will look to move responsibility for defence trade promotion from the Defence Export Services Organisation to UK Trade and Investment. This will provide much greater institutional alignment across Government and build on the success of UK Trade and Investment;
• within this new framework, account will need to be taken of the specific features of defence exports, including the continuing role of the Ministry of Defence. No change is envisaged to existing and planned agreements between the Ministry of Defence and other Governments which will continue to be administered by the Ministry of Defence. Also, those functions of the Defence Export Services Organisation which support UK defence policy and the Armed Forces will be allocated elsewhere within the Ministry of Defence.

The Cabinet Office will lead work across Government to develop an implementation plan which will be completed by the end of 2007. Institutional arrangements replacing the Defence Export Services Organisation will come into effect as quickly as possible thereafter.