Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling parliamentarians to (a) discuss contracts with and (b) visit the facilities of defence companies currently contracted to his Department.

Parliamentarians can raise issues with industry relating to contracts placed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). However, the scope of such interaction is governed by the need to protect issues such as national security, commercial confidentiality and personal data, and is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Visits by Parliamentarians to facilities owned by suppliers contracted to the MOD are primarily a matter for the relevant company, but access to certain areas or discussions touching on certain subjects during the visit may be constrained by the security or confidentiality requirements incumbent on the company.