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Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 January 2026. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 27 January 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Defence: Industry

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security risk and the impact on the resilience of the defence industry of the construction of vessels in China or Vietnam for the Defence Maritime Next Generation Service program.

Answer

The construction locations of vessels being procured as part of the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract do not present a risk to the security of the United Kingdom. Future maintenance of the vessels will take place in the UK.

The Government is stepping up its support for sovereign shipbuilding capabilities. The Procurement Act 2023 provides greater scope to strengthen supply chain visibility and drive social value. All options in and around this legislation are being explored to support the UK shipbuilding industry. In addition, the forthcoming Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan will describe the new approach to oversight of ship and boatbuilding programmes across the strategic breadth of Government procurement.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13563
Session
2024-26
Related items
Defence: Procurement
Friday, 13 February 2026
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Defence China Industry Security Shipbuilding Vietnam
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk