Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) commercial and (b) military shipbuilding in the North East.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy sets out plans for procuring all future naval ships. Future warship procurement will be by competition between UK shipyards, and international partners will be encouraged to work with them to produce the best possible commercial solution. Non-warships, such as support shipping, will be procured by international competition. BEIS is supporting the Maritime Enterprise Working Group (MEWG) set up to lead the industry response to the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The MEWG is led by Peter French, former Chief Executive of BMT Group, and is supported by the Society for Maritime Industries (SMI). The MEWG’’s membership consists of high ranking industry members from different parts of the country, including the North East. The group’s priorities include looking at improving competitiveness and productivity in the shipyards and supply chain to help shipbuilding companies improve their capability when bidding for, both, commercial and naval contracts. BEIS ensures that the work of the MEWG is used appropriately in the wider work being done across Whitehall on the National Shipbuilding Strategy.