Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 165 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23, published on 20 July 2023, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) production and (b) distribution of management information to enable better oversight of compliance with core controls.

To clarify that the wording referenced is on page 76 not page 165 of the Annual Report and Accounts.

The Department is making strenuous and tangible efforts to improve oversight and compliance with core controls across the organisation and including functions. A number of these actions are summarised in the Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 on page 76. These include updating the structure and scope of annual assurance assessment and reporting procedures, refreshing risk management and strengthening and widening coverage of the lines of defence model to clarify the accountabilities and governance requirements for each function.

These improvements are being made in a way to ensure coherence, specifically that the level and scale of compliance assurance and reporting on core controls is proportionate to the risk appetite of the Department. These improvements will be supported, where appropriate, by improved reporting and management information.