Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for major platforms.

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.

These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage.

As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.