Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of neo-prime defence companies on returns on investment for defence procurement.

As outlined in the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence needs to look beyond traditional defence companies to redefine the industrial base, reflecting the deep range of partners and expertise both within our traditional defence sector but also those in adjacent sectors. To improve value for money, we are opening-up procurement to innovative, non traditional suppliers, accelerating delivery through spiral development, and strengthening competition — ensuring we deliver more capable outcomes to the front line at better value for the taxpayer.