Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124580 on Defence: Small Businesses, by what date he expects to have in place the wider range of indicators to measure his Department’s success in attracting new suppliers.

Subsequent to the establishment of the Defence Office for Small Business Growth in January, the Department is currently working to deliver full operating capability by the end of this year.

This activity is being aided by engagement with a pathfinder group of SMEs to ensure we are addressing the needs of smaller and non-traditional suppliers. As part of this work, we will develop a range of metrics to measure the impact of the Office.