In response to a question from James Cartlidge (Conservative – South Suffolk) regarding the timeline for publishing the next Equipment Plan, Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, confirmed that the report would not be released this year.
The decision, the Minister claims, aligns with the ongoing Strategic Defence Review and Spending Review, which have reshaped the MOD’s reporting priorities.
Eagle stated:
“In light of the Strategic Defence Review and Spending Review we will not be publishing our Equipment Plan publication this year – and the NAO will not be producing their report either.”
While the Government highlights a commitment to transparency, including in financial management and affordability, the decision to defer the Equipment Plan and National Audit Office (NAO) report could raise questions about the balance between transparency and timing:
“This Government is committed to improving transparency, including around affordability and financial management, and this will guide our plans for future reporting.”
The response might strike some as ironic, given that transparency is cited as a guiding principle while the delay effectively reduces visibility into defence spending at a critical time. With public and parliamentary scrutiny of defence procurement often linked to cost overruns and budgetary challenges, the absence of the Equipment Plan this year leaves a noticeable gap in accountability.
Observers may view the postponement as understandable given the ongoing reviews but will likely watch closely to see how the MOD delivers on its promise of enhanced transparency in future reports.
We had reported earlier that the Ministry of Defence was unlikely to release a full equipment plan for 2024 after Defence Secretary John Healey told the Defence Committee so during a recent session.
The plan, which outlines £300 billion of projected spending over the next decade, was only partially published last year, raising concerns over transparency and parliamentary scrutiny.
Fred Thomas, a member of the committee, pressed the Secretary of State, asking, “Are you able to commit to saying that the MOD will publish that this year and every year that you are the Secretary of State for Defence?”
Healey responded, “At the moment, with the strategic defence review under way, it is unlikely that we will produce an equipment plan in the same way for this year.”
Healey, who described himself as “an advocate of strong parliamentary scrutiny,” acknowledged the importance of the equipment plan but highlighted the challenges of aligning its publication with the ongoing Strategic Defence Review (SDR). He added, “My colleagues may want to reflect on last year’s equipment plan.”
David Williams, the MOD’s Permanent Secretary, supported Healey’s position, expressing a desire to improve the process of publishing the plan. He explained, “There is absolutely an intent to return to publishing an equipment plan and getting the National Audit Office to review it and produce a report, if that is what serves the purpose of parliamentary scrutiny.”
Williams outlined the limitations of the current approach, noting that the time lag between planning and publication often reduces the relevance of the information. “By the time we produce a publishable summary and it gets into in-depth audit by the National Audit Office, we are essentially having scrutiny a year after the equipment planning round has concluded,” he said.
He suggested that the MOD could use the opportunity to explore broader investment reporting, including infrastructure spending. “It may simply be a return to what we have previously done, but my ambition is to do this better,” Williams stated. “We would welcome views from the Committee on what would be helpful to you as we think about how we come back to this.”
The MOD plans to reassess its approach to publishing equipment plans after the completion of the SDR next year. Williams assured the committee, “We will then be able to set out the Government’s plans for the rest of the Parliament. I am absolutely up for publishing something, but something that is helpful.”
The Defence Committee Chair noted the importance of the equipment plan and confirmed that the issue would be revisited.
Defence is run on smoke and mirrors at the best of times.
The MoD play a shell game with units, and rebrand every 5 minutes, proclaiming that it is “new”
Re announcing old news is another favourite.
This is no real surprise.