Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has targets for the proportion of UK steel used on the (a) Ajax, (b) Boxer, (c) Astute, (d) Dreadnought, (e) Type 26 Frigate and (f) Type 31 Frigate programmes.

Steel is procured in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. Many defence programmes require specialised steels that are not manufactured in the UK; nevertheless, we encourage the sourcing of UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible.

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.