Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the main budget headings are for the £9 billion increase in ship procurement in the Defence and Equipment Plan 2019-2029; and if he will make a comparative assessment of those budget headings by project in the Defence and Equipment Plan 2018-2028 and 2019-2029.

The Ministry of Defence is unable to identify a £9 billion increase for ship procurement from the 2018 and 2019 Equipment Plan reports.

The total equipment budget for Navy Command (by Top Level Budget) reduced from £32.5 billion to £30.9 billion during the period covered by these reports (primarily reflecting an accounting adjustment in the allocation of support costs for Naval Bases), and the equipment budget for the Ships Operating Centre also reduced from £19.5 billion to £19.3 billion.