We note that the MOD did not agree with the concerns expressed by Scottish SMEs during our Defence in Scotland: military landscape inquiry about the difficulties they experienced engaging with the Ministry. The steps the UK Government outlined in its response to our report are encouraging; however, we believe the Government is missing an opportunity by not doing more to encourage innovation and collaboration by supporting SME clusters around Scotland’s shipyards. (Paragraph 69) 6 Defence in S...

We note that the MOD did not agree with the concerns expressed by Scottish SMEs during our Defence in Scotland: military landscape inquiry about the difficulties they experienced engaging with the Ministry. The steps the UK Government outlined in its response to our report are encouraging; however, we believe the Government is missing an opportunity by not doing more to encourage innovation and collaboration by supporting SME clusters around Scotland’s shipyards. (Paragraph 69) 6 Defence in Scotland: military shipbuilding Type: conclusion | Number: 22 | Response status: under_consideration Government response: 22 & 23: The MOD published the SME Action Plan in 2022 which outlines the commitments being made to increasing and supporting opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It recognises that SMEs are at the heart of the vibrant and flexible UK defence industry, supporting a wide variety of