Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the policy priorities are for Defence Equipment and Support with respect to procuring with domestic SME's in emergent markets.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD), including Defence Equipment and Support, has a responsibility to get the right capability for our Armed Forces and to ensure value for money for the taxpayer in the goods and services that we buy.

The MOD is committed to making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to do business with defence. In March 2019, we published our SME Action Plan which explains how we will increase our spend with SMEs, and addresses behavioural, policy and process change.

I also chair SME Forums around the UK to understand the issues facing SMEs, the most recent of which was held on 9 May 2019 in Broughton.