Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 for small businesses in supply chains.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in a vibrant and flexible UK defence industry, delivering innovation and supporting a wide variety of high quality jobs across the United Kingdom. The Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy will both help make defence a more attractive market for SMEs by encouraging small businesses to contribute fully in Defence procurement and make the most of future growth within the Defence supply chain.