Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, what other regions were considered for initial Defence Growth Deals; and what criteria was used for selection.

Multiple regions across the United Kingdom were considered and assessed as potential recipients of the Defence Growth Deal. As mentioned in the previous response, the regions were assessed using the following criteria:

Defence Industrial Base and Ecosystem: The area's strategic importance to defence, including strengths in specific DIS sub-sectors. Strategic Location Alignment with existing Government regional growth initiatives. Growth Potential: Measures to boost local productivity (e.g., training, R&D) and the overall labour market.