Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Coaker (Labour). It was answered by Earl of Minto (Conservative) on Thursday, 7 December 2023.

Ministry of Defence: Equipment Plan

Question: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the National Audit Office’s value for money analysis of the Ministry of Defence’s Equipment Plan 2023 to 2033, published on 4 December.

Answer: My Lords, the National Audit Office’s report on the equipment plan states that it does not consider the value for money of the MoD’s equipment expenditure or of the specific projects mentioned; nor does it comment on the policy choices that the department makes to develop a plan that meets its future needs. While the National Audit Office report recognises the significant impact that global headwinds and high inflation have had on UK defence, it does not and could not accurately reflect the current or future state of the Armed Forces equipment plan, given that it pre-dates the publication of the defence Command Paper refresh.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 834 cc1568-1571
Session: 2023-24
Oral question type: Lead
Procedure: Topical questions (HL)
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Cost effectiveness Defence equipment National Audit Office Ministry of Defence
Link: View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk