Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled, Government launches Back British industry call to action to boost UK jobs, businesses and skills, published on 23 October 2025, who will staff the Defence Office for Small Business Growth.

The Office for Small Business Growth will work collaboratively with other Ministry of Defence and Government organisations, including the Department for Business and Trade Growth Hubs, Regional Defence and Security Clusters, trade associations, strategic partners and other suppliers to bring coherence to the total support offering available to SMEs seeking to work in defence as well as non-traditional suppliers that may have offerings for a Defence application.

The exact detail of how the Office will operate, including staffing options, is currently under development. Further detail of how the service will be led and resourced will be released shortly with the aim to deliver a modern, digitally-enabled and user-centric service.