Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve engagement with UK (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized technology companies through traditional prime contractors.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the recently published Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, as well as the Department's Social Value policies. We work with our largest suppliers through a network of their SME Champions, Trade Associations and SME representatives to ensure that SMEs have fair access to opportunities in our supply chain and that our prime contractors are adopting policies, such as fair payment practices, that support small businesses working in defence.