Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5784 on Army: Procurement, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the report by the NAO entitled The Equipment Plan 2022 to 2032, HC 907, published 29 November 2023, on the 20-year comprehensive investment plan.

Whilst it is correct that there is planning provision within the Army’s Capability Investment Plan (CIP) that considers the next 20 years, this is not a formally endorsed plan nor is there any intent to publish externally. Moreover, the Secretary of State was clear in his recent Parliamentary Statement on GCAP that - whilst we acknowledge the impact of inflation on the Equipment Plan and take note of the NAO’s report - this represented a ‘snap-shot ‘in time from April, and one which predated the Defence Command Plan Refresh.