Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the use of domestic steel in defence procurement contracts.

Steel is procured in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines with many defence programmes requiring specialised steels that are 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. This Government is committed to creating the right conditions in the UK for a competitive and sustainable steel industry. It publishes its future pipeline for steel requirements, together with data on how Departments are complying with steel procurement guidance. This enables UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for Government contracts.