Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the steel procured for each Type 31 frigate is from UK steelyards.
For the Batch 1 Type 26 frigates, almost 50 per cent by value of the steel is UK sourced. Steel has not yet been purchased for the Batch 2 ships.
Steel for the Type 31 frigates is sourced by Babcock from UK-based stockists. Both the Type 26 and Type 31 classes require the use of thin plate steel and this specification of steel with the required combination of thickness, size and flatness is not manufactured in the UK.
Steel for our major defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers and is procured in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. We encourage the sourcing of UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible.