Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
Twenty-Third Report - Delivering carrier strike
Published 13 Nov 2020
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Delivering carrier strike All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Department assured us that Carrier Strike remains a vital component of the 9 Qq 13, 15 10 C&AG’s Report para 1.12 11 Qq 13–14 12 Q 14 13 Q 6 14 Q 49 15 Q 49 16 Qq 50–51 17 Q 76 18 Q 77 19 Qq 6, 58, 75 10 Delivering carrier strike UK’s military capability and power, and that it is working hard to ensure that its plans are fully understood in No10, the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.20 However, it explained that any changes to the role and use of Carrier Strike, including the extent of co-operation with allies, will affect the supporting capabilities that it needs and the future size of the Royal Navy’s fleet.21 Carrier Strike’s first operational deployment in 2021 is with the US Marine Corps, when it will endeavour to learn from their longer experience of deploying this type of aircraft on carriers.22 The Department told us that developing the ability to work with allies was vital in deterring aggression around the world. However, it assured us it was committed to building Carrier Strike’s capabilities so that it could operate as a sovereign capability able to deploy up to 24 UK Lightning II jets by December 2023, and that it would maintain and develop those capabilities well into the 2050s.23 Developing an understanding of future costs
From: Public Accounts Committee, Twenty-Third Report - Delivering carrier strike (HC 684), 13 November 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 4 February 2021.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with the Committee's recommendation on six of its recommendations (numbered 1 to 6), and disagrees with one part, on the whole life cost of buying more than 48 jets.
- On future ambitions for Carrier Strike, the government agrees; the department says that once the Integrated Review is published it "will evaluate the outcomes in detail to refine its policy ambitions", with any future investments captured in the costed 10-year Equipment Plan.
- On the cost of more than 48 jets, the government disagrees, stating it is "not possible" to expand the costing model beyond 48 aircraft until the Integrated Review results are known and a formal mandate change to the Lightning Programme is issued.
- On Lightning II expenditure, the government agrees, but notes that the private briefing agreed with the Committee for 20 January 2021 "does not meet the recommendation timeline (within one month)".
- On Crowsnest, the government agrees and says a written brief on how it has addressed the late delivery "will be provided to the Committee in February 2021"; full capability is to be achieved in 2023.