Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the procurement of the A400M.

The procurement of the A400M aircraft remains on track to meet both its Key User Requirement and capability milestones on time, including Initial Operating Capacity in late 2015, subject to any delay resulting from the recent tragic accident involving the loss of a pre-delivery aircraft in Spain.

The programme is continually reviewed by the Senior Responsible Owner through regular Programme Boards and is subject to independent review including the Office of Government Commerce and the Major Project Review.