Gareth Davies
Main Page: Gareth Davies (Conservative - Grantham and Stamford)Department Debates - View all Gareth Davies's debates with the Ministry of Defence
(1 year, 3 months ago)
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Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)
Gareth Davies (Grantham and Stamford) (Con)
Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)
Alex Chalk
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: a lot of innovation does indeed come from agile SMEs, which is why the MOD’s SME action plan is firmly aimed at improving access for SMEs to work right through the defence supply chain. Indeed, the MOD has a target that 25% of its procurement spend will go directly and indirectly to SMEs—that is up from around 16% in 2016. The latest figures I have seen show that we are at 23% already. We are on the right path but there is further to go.
Gareth Davies
The Tempest fighter jet and the Challenger 3 are examples of the Government’s commitment to giving our forces good-quality equipment. Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that we must also prioritise the wellbeing of our personnel? One way to do that is to ensure that the quality of their food matches the calibre of their kit.