Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the procurement process for the replacement of the UK’s cutter fleet, due to begin in April 2022, will be covered by the warships exception set out in Item 47 of Annex 4 of the coverage schedules certified as part of the UK’s accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

Earlier this year the Secretary of State for Defence announced a refresh of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This will outline the Government’s plans for shipbuilding programmes and how it intends to set the conditions for a globally successful, innovative and sustainable national shipbuilding enterprise.

The Home Office is fully engaged with the strategy refresh, with overarching priorities and decisions being subject to wider considerations in forthcoming spending reviews.

Any consequent procurement process will support wider Government Policy and be conducted in line with all relevant legislation.