Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Committee of Public Accounts report entitled MoD Equipment Plan 2022–2032, HC 731, published on 19 April 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies.

The Department does not recognise the claims of a broken procurement system in the Public Account Committee’s report. The MOD is committed to driving effective delivery of capability to the front line and this is reflected in overall performance. The majority of our programmes deliver on or ahead of time and budget.

The Public Account Committee’s claim that the Equipment Plan does not align with the lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict is unsubstantiated. The events in Ukraine have largely confirmed our 2019 warfighting analysis that underpins in the Equipment Plan and Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.

The MOD has been at the forefront of ensuring that the supplies get into Ukraine as soon as possible in response to the conflict as it evolves. We have trained over 15,000 recruits and provided £2.4 billion of support, including artillery ammunition, as well as leading the world on the gifting of vital capabilities, such as multiple-launch rocket systems, Challenger 2 tanks and now Storm Shadow missiles.