UK Inquiry Tracker

Defence Capability and the Equipment Plan 2019-29

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 19 May 2020 Closed: 14 Sep 2020 Parliament page

In two reports published earlier this year, the National Audit Office found that for the third successive year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) ten-year Equipment Plan “ remains unaffordable”, and that the Ministry is “struggling to deliver key parts of the UK’s planned defence capabilities programme”. The NAO’s report ‘The … Read more In two reports published earlier this year, the National Audit Office found that for the third successive year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) ten-year Equipment Plan “ remains unaffordable”, and that the Ministry is “struggling to deliver key parts of the UK’s planned defence capabilities programme”. The NAO’s report ‘The Equipment Plan 2019-2029’ assesses the affordability of the MoD’s Equipment Plan, how it is addressing funding shortfalls and the consequences for the development of military capabilities. This year’s Equipment Plan sets out the MOD’s equipment and support budget for 2019-2029. The Plan includes equipment already in use, such as the Typhoon combat aircraft, as well as equipment in development, such as four new nuclear-armed submarines. For the next 10 years, MoD will allocate more than 40% of its total budget to its equipment and support programmes (£183bn over the next 10 years). The report finds that the Equipment Plan remains unaffordable – for the 3 year in a row – and the financial challenge facing MOD is increasing. It concludes that the MoD has again failed to make strategic decisions to develop an affordable investment programme and is locked into a cycle of managing short-term financial pressures. As a result, the MoD’s approach has led to examples of poor value for money and is affecting the Armed Forces’ ability to develop the capabilities that they need in the future. The NAO’s report ‘Defence capabilities – delivering what was promised’ examines whether the MoD’s processes for delivering military capabilities into service represent value for money. A large proportion of the MoD’s budget is spent on delivering defence capabilities, and in the last two years a number of reforms aimed to speed up delivery of capabilities have been introduced. But the report finds that delays to the delivery of capabilities which are central to the MoD’s requirements are endemic, and delayed projects often have factors in common. It also finds that when declaring milestones in the delivery of capabilities, there is a culture of overstating what has been achieved. The NAO concludes that the MoD’s ability to oversee the acquisition of individual capabilities and manage the whole programme is hampered by poor management information and a lack of key personnel. On Thursday 28 May 2020 the Committee will question officials from the MoD on the Ministry’s defence capabilities, progress to tackle funding pressures, and the affordability of its 2019-2029 Equipment Plan. It will also question the officials on delays in delivery of capabilities (including F-35 and Carrier Strike) and cost over-runs, issued raised in the Committee’s recent inquiry Defence Nuclear Infrastructure . If you have evidence on any of the questions raised in these NAO reports please submit it here by Monday 25 May 2020 Show less

1 Report

1 Oral session

4 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 8 events

25 Mar
2021

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Tenth report from Session 2019-21

13 Jan
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re 2020 financial summary of the Equipment Plan, date…

13 Jan
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence, re Defence Capability and the Equipment Plan, 17 Decem…

10 Nov
2020

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re The Defence Equipment Plan, dated 28 October 2020

15 Jul
2020

Report published

Tenth Report: Defence capability and the Equipment Plan

13 Jul
2020

Correspondence

Correspondence from the Ministry of Defence on the Committee's inquiry Defence Capabiilty and Equipment Plan, dated 3 July 2020

28 May
2020

Oral evidence

Defence capability and the Equipment Plan 2019-29

28 May
2020

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Virtual meeting

Defence capability and the Equipment Plan 2019-29

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

28 May 2020

View on parliament.uk

Defence capability and the Equipment Plan 2019-29

Air Commodore David Bradshaw · Ministry of Defence Air Marshal Richard Knighton CB · Ministry of Defence Charlie Pate · Ministry of Defence Sir Simon Bollom · Ministry of Defence Sir Stephen Lovegrove · Ministry of Defence

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Tenth Report: Defence capability and the Equipment Plan	HC 247	15 Jul 2020	0	Responded

Correspondence 4 letters

13 Jan 2021 Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re 2020 financial summary of the Equipment Plan, dated 18 December 2020

Parliament page

13 Jan 2021 Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence, re Defence Capability and the Equipment Plan, 17 December 2020

Parliament page

10 Nov 2020 Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re The Defence Equipment Plan, dated 28 October 2020

Parliament page

13 Jul 2020 Correspondence from the Ministry of Defence on the Committee's inquiry Defence Capabiilty and Equipment Plan, dated 3 July 2020

Parliament page