Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that Frigate support ships are built in Britain.

This Government is firmly committed to the UK’s shipbuilding enterprise. In my role as Shipbuilding Tsar, and chair of the Shipbuilding Inter-Ministerial Group, I regularly discuss with my Cabinet colleagues how we can put in place the conditions for success in the sector.

The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme 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. As stated previously, the final contract for the manufacture of the FSS ships will be awarded to a UK business, either solely or as part of a consortium. I would like to reiterate that a significant proportion of the build work will be carried out in the UK: the entire final assembly of the ship will take place in a UK shipyard and that FSS is an exciting opportunity for UK workers.