Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, Losses, what was the specific nature of the £1,039,000 fruitless payment in relation to the seized assets unreturned.

The fruitless payment of £1.039 million related to assets procured under a short-term contract let in line with existing normal processes.

This included a due diligence visit to verify manufacturing capabilities, supply chain and deliverability of the requirement.

The procurement formed part of a project involving multiple government stakeholders, which increased its complexity.

The assets were subsequently seized by the Polish authorities as part of an independent investigation into the supplier which was unrelated to the Ministry of Defence's procurement activity. As a result, the assets could not be recovered or returned to the Department.