Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to prevent (a) cost adjustments and (b) delays in major projects.

Defence delivers some of the most complex major programmes in government. The Department is committed to driving greater pace and agility through meaningful reform of our acquisition system.

A crucial aspect of our reformed system will be a shift towards 'spiral' development - prioritising delivery of the 80% solution to get capability in the hands of our service personnel more quickly, and then adapt it rapidly to the changing environment.

We are also providing better access to expert advice early in the programme lifecycle to support improved cost estimating and scheduling and tackle optimism bias, to set programmes up for success.

Our major programmes are subject to regular review and challenge, both internally and by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, to identify issues early and apply senior intervention where needed to get programmes back on track for delivery.