Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 79
79
Accepted
The Ministry of Defence should publish data on the composition of shipbuilding supply chains, to...
Recommendation
The Ministry of Defence should publish data on the composition of shipbuilding supply chains, to assist understanding of how the UK shipbuilding industry is structured. This should include regional breakdowns so that the extent of local supply chains and industry clusters can be better understood by Government and industry. 123 Q138 124 Strategic Command Defence Support, Defence Supply Chain Strategy, 15 November 2022 125 Department for Transport, Maritime 2050: Navigating the Future, 24 January 2019 126 Q236 30 Defence in Scotland: military shipbuilding 4 Skills in Scottish shipbuilding
Government Response Summary
The MOD states it already has initiatives to improve understanding of supply chains, including a Supply Chain Resilience Programme and a new Defence Condition (DEFCON) requiring supply chain maps.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Our critical supply chains, including those used within shipbuilding, depend on a diverse range of global trading partners to ensure a continuing flow of essential items and to avoid shortages. As the Committee has noted, the MOD operates a series of initiatives to improve our understanding of our supply chains, as well as identify and address any vulnerabilities. These include an extensive MOD-wide Supply Chain Resilience Programme, which aims to prioritise the mapping of our most critical supply chains, such as those used within the Type 26 Frigate programme, to ensure any impact on the delivery of Defence outputs is minimised. The MOD have also sought to improve the quality of the mapping data received from our suppliers by introducing a new Defence Condition (DEFCON) in all new contracts over a certain value threshold. This requires contractors provide the Department with their supply chain maps down to Tier 4 of the supply chain. The Department are also working with our industry partners to understand, map and, where appropriate mitigate common critical components and materials. This activity supports the assessment of risks and potential strategic mitigations in the end-to-end supply chain for these defence technologies.