Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
First Report - Ready for War?
Defence Committee
HC 26
Published 4 February 2024
Recommendations
36
Accepted in Part
Require Government to explain readiness data classification and consult committees on future decisions.
Recommendation
We also recommend that the Government explain why previously unclassified information about readiness is no longer published, recognise the reduction in public and parliamentary accountability that this has brought about, and seek to rectify the situation. In future, when a …
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Government Response Summary
The government explains the historical evolution and classification of Defence Planning Assumptions (DPAs) and has released a version of the 2023 DPAs to enhance transparency. However, it does not commit to consulting select committees before classifying previously available information in the future.
Ministry of Defence
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107
Accepted in Part
Produce detailed breakdown of budget allocations for replenishing and increasing military stockpiles.
Recommendation
The commitments made to replenish and increase stockpiles made since the 2022 Autumn Budget have all been welcome. The question remains whether this is anywhere near enough to meet the potential threats we face. It is therefore disturbing to hear …
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Government Response Summary
The government stated that the £1.95 billion from the Spring 2023 Budget is being used to build munitions and medical stockpiles and for critical defence activities, providing examples such as 155mm munitions and Storm Shadow. It also noted nearly £1 billion in contracts to replenish UK stocks sent to Ukraine, but declined to provide exact stockpile holdings due to national security, while confirming a new munitions strategy.
Ministry of Defence
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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 …
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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.
Ministry of Defence
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Conclusions (2)
35
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
In a functioning democracy, the House of Commons Defence Committee needs to be routinely informed about the planning assumptions and readiness of the nation’s armed forces. We therefore recommend that—following the Minister’s welcome commitment to work with us—the Government propose how we and our successors can receive at least annually …
Government Response Summary
The government commits to releasing headlines from current Defence Planning Assumptions (DPAs) and 'as much as possible' of future DPAs. However, it does not explicitly propose a mechanism for providing annual, detailed updates specifically to the Committee.
127
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
In our Report on DE&S we recommended that: • The MOD should engage with industry at an earlier stage, particularly on future requirements and their feasibility; • The MOD should consider the implications of the shortage of skilled and experienced workers and draw up a plan to help develop and …
Government Response Summary
The government committed to earlier engagement with industry and accepted all Haythornthwaite Review recommendations for the workforce, with a formal response detailing implementation to be published in 2024.