Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 28 of the NAO report on the Equipment Plan 2022 to 2032, HC 907, published on 29 November, whether his Department agrees that the Equipment Plan risks cost increases of £2.8bn due to exchange rates.

The NAO's assessment of the increases in risk costs due to exchange rates matches the Department's. However, the Equipment Plan 2022 reflects the position as at the close of March, and the Department's awareness of these threats, as well as the mechanisms we have in place to mitigate against their potential impact, will be subject to greater focus in the next Equipment Plan.