Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to commission research into the socio-economic effects of (a) the end of shipbuilding at BAE System’s Portsmouth yard and (b) recent job losses at Scottish yards to (i) maintain an evidence base on the effect of employment reductions and (ii) inform its procurement policy.

Commercial decisions on locations and staffing are the business of the companies concerned and the Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to commission any specific research on the subject. The National Shipbuilding Strategy sets out our ambitions to re-energise the shipbuilding industry in the UK and we will work with industry to achieve that. Our procurement policy follows HM Treasury guidelines, recognising all costs and benefits to the UK of a procurement decision, including socio-economic factors.