Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that ships for the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary classed as warships are required to be built in the UK.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) set out its shipbuilding policy in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, which stated that the procurement approach for each class of ship will be determined on a case-by-case basis. As well as considering the specific capability requirements, the MOD will consider the long-term industrial impact of different options, including delivering value for money for the overall programme and maintaining the key UK industrial capabilities required for operational independence. All Royal Navy ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries are operated by the UK in support of our national defence and security requirements and it is entirely logical to view them as component parts of a broad maritime defence capability.

This policy was restated in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, which also set out that we will use social value to maximise opportunities for UK suppliers wherever procurement law and international obligations allow. For MOD shipbuilding competitions, a minimum 20% weighting for social value will be applied.