Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom Excerpts

Monday 4th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Dr Fox]

The original numbers for a reduction of 25,000 in the civil service took into account what we estimated would be some of the reductions under the Levene proposals.

[Mr James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire) (Con)]

When will the Ministry of Defence’s three-month review of procurement projects report? Will it, as the name implies, take three months? If so, when did it begin?

[Dr Fox]

We are approaching the end point of that review, and it will certainly be in the next few weeks. There are a number of complex issues to sort out, as my right hon. Friend understands, not least how to go about setting a long-term budget that allows the MOD to plan with certainty. When we have finished those deliberations, we will make them known.