Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q16 of the oral evidence given to the Committee of Public Accounts on 22 January 2024, HC 451, what steps his Department is taking to invest more in munitions stockpiles.

Weapons stockpile levels and requirements are kept under constant review balancing current holdings against threats, availability, industrial capacity and evolving technology. The Defence Command Paper 2023 announced that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would spend an additional £2.5 billion on munitions in addition to the Government’s provision of £560 million over two years to build our munitions stockpiles and a £1.9 billion over two years for investment in wider readiness and resilience. The MOD is developing a munitions strategy to ensure that we hold sufficient munitions with a suitable industrial base to support our, and our allies requirements.