Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps has his Department taken to help meet its UK steel charter obligations.

Although the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not a signatory to the UK Steel Charter, the Department has implemented Government policy on Steel procurement which is aimed at removing barriers to UK steel producers competing effectively in an open market. This includes, for example, publishing our upcoming steel requirements in the Government's steel pipeline. Whilst the main Defence requirements for steel are sourced by our prime contractors, MOD encourages them to source UK steel for defence projects wherever it is technically and commercially feasible to do so.