Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) original and (b) current cost expectations for the Joint Crypt Key Programme.

The Joint Crypt Key Programme (JCKP) is a critical programme to Defence that protects our people, platforms, networks and information by providing high grade cryptography to a range of mission-critical services.

JCKP was established in 2016 with an original budget of £2.075 billion over 11 years (FY2016-17 to FY 2027-28). Following a Concept Phase, the budget profile has been extended to reflect a Full Operating Capability of 2035.

The projected whole life cost of JCKP is now £2.6 billion over 19 years (FY206/17 to FY 2035/36). This increase in cost has been driven by the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) proactive response to the dynamic and continually-evolving threat profile. It represents value for money, and is subject to MOD approvals processes.