Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
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 acknowledged that Crowsnest will not provide the capability it had originally expected when it deploys Carrier Strike operationally in 2021, but it assured us that there will be a credible baseline radar capability. It also said that some capabilities would not be available, such as the weather mode. However, the ability to understand, survey and search all the area, identify potential threats, and pass that information onto the carrier and other parts of the carrier group, would be in place. The Department plans to improve the radar capability incrementally between 2021 and 2023 through a series of upgrades. However, it acknowledged that the capability might not be delivered as quickly as it would wish, and it could not assure us that Crowsnest will achieve full operating capability in 2023.51 Other key supporting capabilities
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.