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Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Asked by Ian RoomeLiberal DemocratMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 12 March 2026UIN 115590

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his department is taking to effectively deliver Ministry of Defence procurement programmes designated with a Red rating for its Delivery Confidence Assessment during financial year 2024/5.

Answered by Luke Pollard

Performance of defence major programmes is subject to regular review. This enables the timely application of appropriate interventions to support a return to increased delivery confidence. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.

Under our Defence Reforms the National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red. In addition, implementation of the Defence Industrial Strategy will continue to remove many of the drivers for reduced levels in delivery confidence.

We inherited an equipment programme where the vast majority of programmes were over-budget and delayed. Through the work we are doing as set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy and Defence Investment Plan, we are seeking to get on top of this backlog and we are making progress.

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