To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's procurement function.

The Ministry of Defence delivers some of the most complex programmes in Government.

We recognise the need for radical reform of the defence procurement system to reduce waste, speed up decision making, support UK growth and meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Through our Defence Reforms our new National Armaments Director will ensure our forces have the equipment they need, when they need it.

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, we will improve delivery through a segmented approach to procurement, tailoring acquisition processes to the type of capability, supplier and risk involved; and introduce service agnostic capability portfolios to increase flexibility and drive pace.