Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by his Department in the last 12 months.

Defence requirements for steel are in the main sourced by our prime contractors taking into account cost, time and quality. The Ministry of Defence does not therefore hold a central record of the origin of steel utilised in defence projects over the past 12 months. However, the data held shows that UK suppliers have made a significant contribution to the supply of steel for defence, including some 88% of the structural steel for the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.

We will continue to do what we can to address the barriers which might prevent UK steel producers competing effectively in an open market. This includes, where appropriate, publishing information about our future steel requirements.