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Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Monday, 6 January 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 January 2025. It was answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour) on Monday, 20 January 2025 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.


National Security

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 28 April 2022 (HL7909), what is the current status of Project DEFEND; and what assessment they have made of its success in (1) strengthening national resilience, and (2) reducing supply chain dependency on China.

Answer

Under the previous government the then Department for International Trade (DIT) ran Project Defend from April 2020 to March 2021 when the project closed.

We recognise the importance of strengthening the resilience of UK supply chains to boost our preparedness for potential disruptions and shocks, Further consideration will be given to this in our forthcoming Trade Strategy. More widely, we are carrying out a full and comprehensive audit of the UK’s interests with regards to China, which will bring a consistent, long-term and strategic approach.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3710
Session
2024-26
Related items
National Security
Thursday, 28 April 2022
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
China National security Procurement Supply chains
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk