Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22, paragraph 55 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, how his Department monitors the sourcing of steel for its warship programmes.

The steel required for the construction of the Type 26 Frigates is sourced by our prime contractor, BAE Systems. UK suppliers are able to meet the specification for 50 per cent by value of the steel for the first batch of Type 26 Frigates and the steel is being sourced from mills in Scotland and Scunthorpe. The remaining steel required for the Type 26 Frigates cannot currently be sourced in the UK.

Approximately 3,800 tonnes of steel are required for the construction of each ship, including structural steel plate at a range of thicknesses (from less than six millimetres (mm) to over 20mm) and sectional steel including bulb, channel, equal and unequal angle, flat bar and IPE steel beams.

In respect of monitoring the sourcing of steel for warship programmes, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 3946 on 18 July 2017 to the hon. Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock).