Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence: Procurement

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 10 of the Strategic Defence Review, whether his Department achieved (a) at least a 50 per cent reduction in the burden of Defence Standards and Conditions, (b) amendment of the Single Source Contract Regulations, (c) reform of regulations, Intellectual Property handling, and security clearance requirements and (d) access to intelligence, data, and test and evaluation sites for industrial partners by April 2026.

Answer: By April 2026, the Department had established programmes of work and initiated reforms across all four areas identified in Strategic Defence Review Recommendation 10 including the establishment of the Defence Industrial Joint Council and the setting up of the Office of Small Business Growth. Further implementation of a number of these reforms, including the ambition to reduce the burden of Defence Standards and Conditions by at least 50 per cent, continued beyond April 2026.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 22889
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP2025-0341
Monday, 2 June 2025
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects: Defence Procurement
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk