Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy on Scotland’s shipbuilding sector.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy encourages exports, the uptake of green technology, and support to increase shipyard’s productivity and competitiveness. The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO), which is closely engaged with the shipbuilding enterprise in Scotland, has a clear focus on maximising UK content wherever possible. I was also pleased to see that the NSO plans to open an office at Queen Elizabeth House, the UKG hub in Edinburgh to ensure there is a direct link to the shipbuilding enterprise in Scotland.