Written question asked by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Monday, 29 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Monday, 6 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 5 of the Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, if he will provide a breakdown of how many of the £6bn in savings will be made through (a) efficiency and productivity savings, (b) civilian workforce changes and (c) structural simplification.

Answer: Defence is committed to efficiency and ensuring every pound spent on Defence is used in the best way for our Armed Forces and the taxpayer. The Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, identifies, in section 4 - Defence Reform and Efficiency, that our total efficiency commitment is £10.7 billion over the period FY2026-27 to FY2029-30 (inclusive). This includes the £6 billion of new savings committed to in Strategic Defence Review 25 and savings agreed through the Spending Review 2025. The Defence Investment Plan at Table 18 provides a breakdown of this £10.7 billion figure, showing that workforce and resourcing will contribute c£3.3 billion which includes the Strategic Defence Review commitment to at least a 10% reduction in Civil Service workforce costs; and that reform and service redesign will contribute c£1.1 billion. This is backed by an additional £500 million investment from the Exchequer as part of a ring-fenced Transformation Fund – to accelerate productivity enhancing investments.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 13880
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP2025-0341
Monday, 2 June 2025
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Grouped for answer: Yes
Subjects: Cost effectiveness Defence
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk