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CBI responds to Government statement on defence budget

16 May 2012 12:35 PM

The CBI responded to the statement by the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond MP, that the defence budget has been balanced.

Matthew Fell, CBI Director for Public Services, said:

“We welcome and support the efforts taken to balance the defence budget as part of the wider need to reduce the deficit.

“However, it is essential that the Core Committed Equipment Programme is published as soon as possible to give industry some much needed certainty to plan their investments.

“The Ministry of Defence must adopt a collaborative approach with industry to ensure that the armed forces get the equipment that they need, at a price that represents value for money for taxpayers.”

Notes to Editors:

The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce. With offices across the UK as well as representation in Brussels, Washington, Beijing and Delhi the CBI communicates the British business voice around the world.