Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of UK sovereign capability in the framework agreement for the procurement of Personal Hard Armour to support British Armed Forces personnel.

The Personal Hard Armour Framework will facilitate the procurement of personal ballistic protection through the pre-approval of suppliers and will deliver agility, consistency, and financial savings in the procurement of personal hard armour – while encouraging innovation and optimising organisational outputs.

Assessment of UK sovereign capability continues to inform our market interaction, including a recent small-and medium-sized enterprise engagement day, with further activity planned. A key objective of setting up and promoting the framework is to broaden and strengthen our supply base for Personal Hard Armour, giving the UK the potential to surge and meet evolving demands.