Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2024 to Question 135 on Defence: Expenditure, whether the future fiscal event will cover the potential impact of his Department’s timetable for reaching expenditure of 2.5% of GDP on defence on the (a) defence industry and (b) ability of the defence industry to achieve always-on production for (i) artillery shells, (ii) core munitions, (iii) ground-based air defence and (iv) missiles for air and naval use.

The pathway to 2.5% will set the overall envelope for Defence spending. Funding for specific programmes is considered as part of the Department’s annual budget setting process.