Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) how much steel in weight his Department has procured, (b) for what purpose that steel was procured and (c) what the countries of origin of that steel were in each of the last five years.

The Ministry of Defence does not hold a complete central record of the volume and origin of steel used in defence projects by our prime contractors over the last five years.

The largest project, the aircraft carriers, has used 95,000 tonnes of steel, 88%of which was British. The Government has published its future pipeline for steel requirements in December 2016, which indicates the quantities of steel expected to be required for major projects, including defence. This will enable UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for Government contracts. The pipeline is published on gov.uk at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-1116-procuring-steel-in-major-projects-revised-guidance.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has also published updated policy guidance on steel procurement in major Government projects. This aims to ensure that the public sector, including defence, takes full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting procurement activities. BEIS is working closely with Departments to monitor its impact and ensure compliance.