Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the Defence Equipment Plan 2013, how much of the £4.7 billion contingency provision and the £8.4 billion headroom is allocated for (1) equipment procurement and (2) equipment support.

As set out in the Defence Equipment Plan 2013, the £4.7billion contingency provision available at the end of Annual Budget 13 is intended to provide protection for the core equipment programme. This means the funding would be released to wherever it was required, whether for equipment procurement or equipment support projects, against unexpected cost growth in addition to the financial risk provision held in individual equipment project budgets. The £8.4billion headroom described in the plan allows the Department to fund additional equipment procurement or equipment support programmes that are a high priority for Defence when they are required and we can be sure that they are affordable.