Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the competitiveness of the UK shipbuilding industry; and what steps he is taking to support that sector.

As demonstrated by my appointment as Shipbuilding Tsar, this Government recognises a need to re-energise some parts of the UK shipbuilding industry. A key objective of the National Shipbuilding Strategy is to improve the competitiveness of the UK shipbuilding industry.

I am working with the Maritime Enterprise Working Group to identify measures needed to improve competitiveness and productivity, enabling industry to step up and improve their chances of success when bidding for both UK and international shipbuilding contracts. This is a long-term programme of improvement, but I am firmly committed to delivering on the Government's vision for the sector.