Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-07-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the proposed 30 per cent reduction in Ministry of Defence civilian staff as set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what assessment they have made of the ability of the Ministry of Defence to deliver major programmes.

Earl Howe

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to meeting its obligations set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, including the aim to reduce our civilian workforce by 30 per cent. The Chief of Defence People has been appointed Senior Responsible Owner, and work is in hand within the single Services, Joint Forces Command, and other organisations within the MOD to develop detailed plans. As we develop these plans we will continually assess their impact to ensure that the Department continues to have the skills and capabilities required to deliver our Defence outputs, including policy development and management of major programmes.

The Government will respond in due course to the report by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.