Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 140
140
Accepted in Part
Publish departmental responsibilities under national defence plan, naming lead Ministers
Recommendation
Under a national defence plan, each relevant Government Department would have its own responsibilities. We recommend that these responsibilities are published as far as possible, and—if any responsibilities cannot be published for national security reasons—these should be provided in confidence to the relevant select committee. We also recommend that, for each Department, its role in the national defence plan should be added to the list of responsibilities of a named Minister. 279 Q472 280 Oral evidence taken before the Public Accounts Committee on 22 January 2024, HC (2023–24) 451, Q33–34 52 Ready for War? 5
Government Response Summary
The government committed to making departmental responsibilities in national defence planning as transparent as possible, following the approach for the National Risk Register, but did not address the recommendation to add these roles to the responsibilities of a named Minister.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
In the published National Risk Register, the Government has declassified more risk information than ever before, adopting a transparent by default approach to the NRR, so that risk practitioners can see more clearly how the government identifies and assesses risks. Only in a small number of cases has highly sensitive information not been included, for national security or commercial reasons. Details around Departmental Responsibilities in national defence planning will be as transparent as possible and will follow the approach set by the Resilience Directorate in the Cabinet Office on the role of lead government departments in planning for risks with the support of other departments and bodies.