(7 years, 3 months ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Harriett Baldwin)
I am pleased to place in the Library of the House today the fifth annual summary of the Defence equipment plan. The plan shows the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s progress in delivering an affordable programme.
The National Audit Office (NAO) is publishing in parallel its independent assessment of the affordability of our equipment plan. Its report notes the size, challenges and financial complexity of the Defence equipment programme. One consequence of the progress we have made to date is the agreement between the NAO and the Department to move from the NAO providing external assurance of the major projects report, to internal, but still independent validation by the MOD’s Cost Assurance & Analysis Service. The NAO also points out where we must continue to improve and refine our work in the future. We will continue to work openly with the NAO to demonstrate the financial robustness and affordability of the equipment plan.
The Government are committed to the Defence budget increasing by 0.5% above inflation each year for the remainder of this Parliament. We are planning to spend £178 billion on equipment and support out to 2025-26, which will provide our Armed Forces with the equipment to deliver Joint Force 2025.
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