Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the shipbuilding industry on the prioritisation of UK shipyards for bids for domestic ship or boat building orders.

Government procurements are currently governed by the Public Contracts Regulation (PCR) and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR). The Ministry of Defence makes use of exemptions, such as those based on the national security requirement to build warships in the UK.

However the regulations in certain circumstances require open competition as the normal approach. As we approach the end of the Transition Period, the UK Government is exploring opportunities to better tailor procurement regulations to meet our needs.

In his role as Shipbuilding Tsar, the Defence Secretary is working to maximise opportunity for the UK shipbuilding industry through a coherent, cross-Government approach and the Ministry of Defence holds regular meetings with industry through forums such as the Maritime Enterprise Working Group.