Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's definition is of an Urgent Operational Requirement.

Urgent Operational Requirements, are now referred to as 'Urgent Capability Requirements'. The Urgent Capability Requirement procurement process responds rapidly to unforeseen threats, mission critical operational risk, or to essential safety requirement that pose an intolerable risk to life. The urgency and unique nature of these requirements prevents the normal acquisition process from being followed, and accepts that risk may be taken against performance, cost, or coherence with wider Defence equipment and activity programmes.