Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much UK-produced steel has been used in the manufacturing of Type 31 Frigates procured by his Department.

No steel has yet been procured for the Type 31 frigates.

There are no UK suppliers of the specialised steel required in the manufacture of submarine pressure hulls. Other grades of steel used in the manufacture of Astute Class submarines were sourced from a range of suppliers, including a number of UK companies. Owing to the complexity of the Astute programme supply chain and the time that has elapsed since steel for the programme was procured, it is not possible to provide reliable information on the tonnages of steel provided by each supplier.

Steel for our major defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers and that remains the case. This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry. It publishes its future pipeline for steel requirements, together with data on how Departments are complying with steel procurement guidance. This enables UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for Government contracts.