The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is unlikely to release a full equipment plan for 2024, Defence Secretary John Healey told the Defence Committee 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.”
A Commitment to Transparency?
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.”
Improving the Process
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.”
Looking Ahead
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. For now, however, transparency regarding the MOD’s long-term defence spending remains a work in progress.
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Something for the SDCR to look at then, given that almost everything else has already been announced.
Makes sense