Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made in establishing the Defence Office for Small Business Growth.

Planning for the new Defence Office for Business Growth is well underway. The operating model has been produced following wide ranging consultation with industry. The Office will provide services to both small businesses and MOD teams, which will focus on growth and shaping the defence industry landscape to develop resilient supply chains.

The detail of how the service will operate, including scope and launch date will be released shortly and it is expected that initial operating capability will be achieved in spring 2026.