Defence and Public Accounts Committees express “deep frustration” at lack of Defence Equipment Plan

Historically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has published an annual Equipment Plan, where it sets out its spending plans on equipment procurement and support projects over the next decade to keep the nation secure. For the last two years, this plan has not been produced. 

Today, the Chairs of the Defence Committee and the Public Accounts Committee write to David Williams CB, Permanent Secretary of the MOD, expressing deep frustration at this unacceptable loss of transparency. The letter states that “we do not accept that any of the different reasons you and the Minister have given justify the loss of transparency involved in not producing an Equipment Plan for two successive years”. 

The two Chairs note that in November the Secretary of State for Defence told the Defence Committee “I want to increase the transparency that we are able to provide to Parliament and this Committee in doing your proper job, and I want to increase the information that is provided”. 

The letter calls on the Permanent Secretary to confirm as soon as possible that the National Audit Office will be provided with the required information to allow it to produce its own Equipment Plan.