Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what factors contributed to the Protector drone system's downgrade to a red rating in the IPA Annual Report 2023-24; what steps are being taken to mitigate significant cost increases and delays; and what the revised timeline is for the system's full operational capability.

The downgrade of Protector to a red rating was primarily driven by a delay to the approval of the Review Note, which is being considered as part of the ongoing Strategic Defence Review. There are no anticipated cost increases, and all costs captured within the Review Note remain extant. The Full Operational Capability timelines have not yet been agreed and will be detailed in a future Review Note.