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Ministry of Defence

Because we have a listening Minister and a listening Government. I am sure that, this time around, the Minister will listen in a way that perhaps did not happen last time around. The value of this debate, and my hon. Friend’s timely intervention, is that it will ensure that that happens. Finally, our report outlines the reductions in the overall size of the armed forces, set out in the votes A for the financial year 2006–07, which the House will be asked to approve after this debate. They reflect the significant draw-down in the size of the armed forces, particularly the Royal Air Force, in line with the Government’s future capabilities decisions. We do not propose that the House should refuse to approve the votes A, though we do have concerns about the overstretch of elements of the armed forces and are looking closely at that. I am sure that the Minister will respond to our recommendations in a positive spirit. I have no doubt that his commitment to democratic accountability is second to none and I hope that he will support our aim of encouraging greater transparency in the way in which his Department operates. We look forward to receiving in due course the Ministry of Defence’s considered response to our report. The Defence Committee will look at the main estimates closely when they are presented to the House and we will bring any concerns to the attention of the House. I hope that the Minister will not again take parliamentary approval of the estimates for granted.