Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what social value measure will be applied to the Fleet Solid Support Ship contract.

The final contract for the manufacture of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships will be awarded to a UK business, either solely or as part of a consortium, and a significant proportion of the build work will be carried out in the UK. We will seek to deliver UK social value in recognition of the opportunities for prosperity and levelling-up that the programme presents. The FSS competition seeks to maximise the social value contribution shipbuilding can make in the UK, including encouraging investment in domestic shipyards, whilst balancing the need to deliver value for money and a solution that fully meets the requirements of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. We are confident the programme will support jobs and skills, but until we reach the main investment decision it is too early to give any estimates of the number of jobs that may be created or sustained by the programme.