Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April to Question 122757 on Ministry of Defence: Finance, whether the (a) Government document and (b) plan referred to will be separate documents.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to Question 122757 on 30 April 2026 which sets out the Government's position on this matter. As referred to in Question 122757 the Defence Investment Plan is both a government document and plan.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Select Committee session on the Defence Investment Plan on 7 July 2026, whether he plans to accelerate delivery of programmes within the Defence Investment Plan in response to accelerating threats.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan demonstrates the commitment of this Government to meet and respond to the rising threats and demands on Defence. The £74 billion allocated to the Ministry of Defence forfinancial year 2027-28 is £20 billion more for our Armed Forces than the last year of the previous Government and the budget will continue to grow in real terms for the rest of this Parliament.
As set out in last year's Defence Industrial Strategy, we are revamping our procurement framework, delivering a comprehensive review of defence contracting to incentivise productivity and improve delivery. This includes our new approach to segmented procurement as well as shifting our approach away from setting detailed plans for overspecified, overly long programmes in favour of rapid procurement of new capabilities, based on portfolios and thematic pipelines of spend.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Select Committee session on the Defence Investment Plan on 7 July 2026, what assessment he has made of the impact the delay in the publication of the DIP has had on the UK's relationship with allies.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Through the Defence Investment Plan, the UK will strengthen its global leadership, and we will work with our allies and partners to deliver our commitments. The plan confirms existing industrial partnerships and provides new opportunities to collaboratively develop the next generation of capabilities.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 14 July 2026, entitled The Armoured Cavalry Programme, UIN HCWS237, what is the estimated date of completion of the Ministerial Review.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The review, chaired by Jonathan Simcock, is expected to complete in the autumn.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Select Committee session on the Defence Investment Plan on 7 July 2026, what assessment he has made of whether current defence expenditure is sufficient to meet the capability assumptions underpinning the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is confident that the Defence Investment Plan provides the resources needed to deliver the capability priorities set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The plan places Defence on a stronger and more sustainable footing, backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion above previous plans.
The plan invests in the capabilities required to meet current and future threats. This includes over £20 billion to increase the Army's lethality, over £11 billion for munitions stockpiles and production, over £5 billion in drones, over £2.5 billion for cyber capabilities, £790 million for homeland air and missile defence, and nearly £64 billion for the UK's nuclear enterprise and deterrent.
These investments ensure that Defence is better equipped to deliver the Strategic Defence Review's vision of enhanced warfighting readiness, deterrence and national resilience.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Defence Investment Plan on the UK's ability to defend itself.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The timing of the publication of the Defence Investment Plan has not adversely affected the United Kingdom's ability to defend itself. The Defence Investment Plan builds on investment already made in Defence and provides a funded framework to deliver the Strategic Defence Review, placing Defence on a stronger and more sustainable footing. It is backed by £298 billion over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion of spending power, and focuses on equipping our Armed Forces with the capabilities needed to deter and respond to current and future threats.
The Government remains committed to ensuring that Defence is adequately resourced to meet the challenges ahead.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Select Committee session on the Defence Investment Plan on 7 July 2026, what estimate he has made of the additional annual funding required to deliver the Defence Investment Plan in full by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan sets out how we will deliver and fund the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations between this year and financial year 2029-30.
Further decisions on the level of future increases in defence spending will be set out in the 2027 Spending Review as stated in the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the hearing of the Defence Committee on 7 July 2026, HC 530, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the delay in appointing the National Arms Director on the timeline for the delivery of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years. The Plan will transform our Armed Forces, delivering on the vision of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review. There was no impact on the DIP from the timing of the appointment of the National Armament Director (NAD); both Rupert Pearce and the former Acting NAD, Andy Start, were involved in the development of the DIP and there was no gap between their tenures.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the hearing of the Defence Committee on 7 July 2026, HC 530, whether he intends to introduce annual reporting to Parliament on the delivery of the Defence Investment Plan against published milestones.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There will be an annual update to Parliament before summer recess each year on progress against the Defence Investment Plan and any changes in financial investments, with the aim to publish the first report by July 2027.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the level of recruitment for specialist engineering, cyber and digital defence roles required by the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department keeps workforce requirements under continuous review. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) includes investment in specialist engineering, cyber, digital and data skills, alongside initiatives to improve recruitment, retention and workforce development, including cyber training, digital skills programmes, apprenticeships, bursaries and sponsored education schemes.
The DIP also supports the Government's broader commitment that one in ten civil servants will work in digital roles by 2030, helping to build the cyber, digital and engineering workforce needed to deliver future capability.
These measures are intended to ensure Defence has access to the specialist skills required to deliver the capabilities set out in the DIP.