Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Beamish Excerpts

Monday 16th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dunne]

As I said to my hon. Friend in my fairly comprehensive initial answer, we have allocated £1.5 billion, which is essentially to support the elements being brought back into the core. The original capital cost was more than £5 billion in Iraq, and, I think, £7.6 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. That is of course money that has already been spent, so it is not a continuing drain on the Ministry of Defence budget.

[Mr Kevan Jones (North Durham) (Lab)]

The Government previously announced that the cost of the Vanguard successor programme would be part of the MOD main core equipment budget. I note that today the Minister has published a document on the costings of the assessment phase of Vanguard. It makes reference to the alternatives review. Will he inform the House when the Department will be in a position to tell us the cost of that review?

[Mr Dunne]

I am sure that you would agree, Mr Speaker, that the successor programme could scarcely be described as an urgent operational requirement.